Iranian Journal of

Background and Objective: In the field of environmental risk assessment, Cyanide is one of the most important pollutants of water, soil and air that has an important impact on the ecosystem and environment of the contaminated area. Therefore, the present study aimed to prove the biological effectiveness of Vetiveria zizanioides in phytoremediation of soils contaminated with cyanide.
Materials and Methods: This research study was conducted on a gold mine wastewater. The dried effluent samples amended with soil with various cyanide concentrations. Seven treatments with different concentrations of cyanide were obtained (mean cyanide content in G soil, 14.77 mg/kg, F soil, 10.13 mg/kg, E soil, mg/kg 8.09, D soil, mg/kg 7.53, C soil, 3.32 mg/kg, B soil, 2.52 mg/kg and A soil without cyanide (as control). After two months, the amount of cyanide in the soil, roots and leaves of the plant, as well as the total protein and proline content, and the number and length of the leaves of the plant were measured and then statistically evaluated by SPSS15 Tukey and t Paired Samples T Tests.
Results: The results of this study showed that the increase of cyanide had a significant effect on the amount of proline (proline in the plant increased), total protein (in the plant increased), number of leaves (decrease in number) and the length (length reduction) of the leaves of the vetiver. The amount of cyanide in the leaves and roots of the plant was increased. Cyanide content was decreased in the different treatments. Cyanide content was decreased in G 50.93%, F 38.20%, E 27.19%, D 38.37%, C 17.77% and B 16.66%.
Conclusion: The results indicated that increase of the amount of cyanide in soil resulted in observational changes in the morphological and biochemical characteristics of the plant. However, Vetiveria zizanioides exhibited very high resistance to soil cyanide and the planting of vetiver in highly contaminated soils can lead to a reduction of cyanide up to 50 percent. Vetiveria zizanioides had higher resistance to cyanide and showed better phytoremediation than the other plants.
 

Background and Objective: Today, workshop industries play an important role in urban development by creating effective employment in urban areas. It has been stated that these small industries can cause environmental pollution. The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the contaminations caused by the workshops in Qom in 2016.
Materials and Methods: The present study was descriptive-analytic-cross sectional. First, all of the city's businesses were listed in 67 relevant :::::::union:::::::s. After identifying the polluting businesses, a total of 223 classes of all :::::::union:::::::s were randomly screened. Sewage, solid waste, air, sound, soil and landscape pollution were investigated. According to 15 specialists and using Expert Selection software, each pollution type and rating of each class were weighed and determined.
Results: The results showed that the wastewater, solid waste, air, noise, and landscape pollution with a score of 0.399, 0.259, 0.169, 0.097, and 0.027, respectively, are important.  Accordingly, in terms of the total contamination of the studied occupational units, authorized dealers of car sales, carwash, guest house, carpet cleaning, bath, brick plants, chalk plants, gemstones, chelokbaby, mosaic making, lathes and blacksmans, iron doors and window making, general blinds and shuttering, ceramic making, wood processing industry, mechanical, polishing with a total score of 1, 0.889, 0.881, 0.872, 0.709, 0.644, 0.644, 0.641, 0.62, 0.609, 0.582, 0.569, 0.552, 0.546, 0.518, 0.499, and 0.499 had unfavorable status, respectively.
Conclusion: In order to reduce the environmental pollution caused by these businesses, continuous monitoring and inspections should be carried out in the short term. Moreover, the polluting industries should be relocated out of the city in the long term.
 

Background and Objective: Visual pollution is one of the important components of the man-made environment in urban spaces. The purpose of this research was to investigate the visual pollution of workshops in Qom city using Expert Choice software and then the occupational ranking was done in terms of visual pollution.
Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytic cross-sectional study conducted in 670 trade units associated with 67 urban trade unions. The data collection tools were local visits, database preparation and completion of a questionnaire based on urban-environmental aesthetic criteria. The purpose of this study was to investigate the visual pollution caused by the occupations and workshops of Qom.
Results: The results showed that, in terms of total visual pollution, the units of oil changes with a total score of 1, materials and construction materials with 0.988, Smoothies with 0.980, Mechanics with 0.973, ceramic makers with 0.944, Chips and grills with 0.933, mosaics with 0.914, carwash with 0.885, stones cutting with 0.872, carpet with 0.870, trowel and blacksmiths with 0.857, burners with 0.830, battery makers with 0.825, iron manufacturers with 0.872 and manufacturers of general blinds and blinds with 0.753 were inadequate.
Conclusions: In order to reduce the number of visually impaired businesses in the short term, continuous inspections of businesses must be undertaken and, in the long run, by organizing the program, the polluting industries must be transferred out of the city.
 

Background and Objective: Waste management as an inevitable byproduct is one of the most critical environmental issues in any society. Its management is essential for preventing environmental pollution. The aim of this research is to examine the management of production waste in the Azadi Sports Complex.
Materials and Methods: This research is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and empirical study that utilizies questionnaires, field visits, weight analysis, sampling, and determination of the physicochemical characteristics of waste. The questionnaire includes questions about the production rate, source reduction, separation, recycling, collection, storage location, transportation outside the complex, and final disposal of waste.
Results: The amount of waste generated from the Azadi Sports Complex was 449.87±4.83kg/day, with the highest waste production observed from the Wrestling Federation (95.37 kg/day) and the lowest from the Kung Fu Federation (12.75 kg/day) and the clinic (12 kg/day). The results of the physicochemical characteristics indicated that the average moisture content was 47%. Combustible materials accounted for 67% with a high calorific value of 12807 kcal/kg, and the ash content was 42%. The dry and wet wastes were collected daily, mixed together, and stored together in an enclosed area.
Conclusion: The results showed that the waste separation, recycling, and storage practices in the Azadi Sports Complex are unsatisfactory. Additionally, there is no existing program for waste reduction at the source or recycling. Therefore, the establishment of a proper waste management system to mitigate the waste volumes in this complex is necessary.