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Environmental issues and lack of drinking water have forced researchers to find some alternatives to wastewater treatment. Because dyes are used in a variety of industrial applications such as textile and pharmaceutical, wastewater of these factories leads to several environmental problems. Using catalysis under ultraviolet-irradiation (photocatalysis) is one of the cases that is used in wastewater treatment. The purpose of this work is the photocatalytic degradation of dye (Reactive Red 198) and pharmaceutical (tetracycline) using MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe).

In this work, Reactive Red 198 (RR198), an anionic dye and tetracycline as a pharmaceutical are tested with two catalysts, MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe). Catalyst synthesis method and characterization were discussed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared analyses, and their results are described in detail.

Dye concentration varies among 15, 20, 30 and 40 mg/L for MIL-100(Fe) for which the removal percent is 97%, 94%, 89% and 58% and for MIL-53(Fe), dye concentration increases from 20 to 40, 60 and 80 mg/L, the removal percent of which is 98%, 88%, 75% and 50%. Pharmaceutical degradation by MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe) was 75% and 80%, respectively.

Photocatalytic degradation of RR198 and tetracycline using MIL-53(Fe) and MIL-100(Fe) was not studied in detail.

This study aims to investigate the efficacy of Ag@GO/Na₂SiO₃ nanocomposite in eliminating As from aqueous solutions. Employing response surface methodology, the research systematically examines the adsorption process.

Various experimental parameters including sample pH, contact time, As concentration and adsorbent dosage are optimized to enhance the As removal process.

Under optimized conditions, the initial As concentration, contact time, pH and adsorbent dosage are determined to be 32 ppm, 50 mins, 6.5 and 0.4 grams, respectively. While the projected removal of As stands at 97.6% under these conditions, practical application achieves a 93% removal rate. Pareto analysis identifies the order of significance among factors as follows: adsorbent dosage > contact time > pH > As concentration.

This study highlights the potential Ag@GO/Na₂SiO₃ as a promising adsorbent for efficiently removing industrial As from aqueous solutions, and it is likely to have a good sufficiency in the filtration of water and wastewater treatment plans to remove some chemical pollution, including paints and heavy metals.

The simplicity of the nanocomposite preparation method without the need for advanced equipment and the cheapness of the raw materials and its potential ability to remove As are the prominent advantages of this research.

The present study aims to examine the influence of environmental quality, renewable energy, non-renewable energy and quality of governance on sustainable development in two panels of 23 Asian and 8 European emerging countries during the 1996–2022 period.

The present study employed second-generation methods of panel data analysis, which account for cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity to achieve a more reliable conclusion.

The augmented mean group and common correlated effects mean group estimation findings exhibit the negative influence of environmental degradation and non-renewable energy on sustainable development, whereas the findings exhibit the positive effect of renewable energy and governance quality on sustainable development.

The findings point out to policymakers and governments the importance of the adoption and implementation of policies to protect the environment, as well as promoting renewable energy incentive policies. Moreover, enhancing governance quality and striving towards good governance is essential for the successful adoption and implementation of energy and environment policies, as well as achieving sustainable development goals.

The present research contributes to the existing related literature in several ways. Adjusted net saving (ANS) is employed as a comprehensive indicator of sustainable development and ecological footprint (EFP) is employed as an exhaustive indicator of the environment’s quality rather than carbon dioxide emissions. In overall, this study is the first, to the best of our awareness, to simultaneously consider ANS, EFP and governance quality for examining the relationship among energy, environmental quality and sustainable development, especially in Asian and European emerging economies.

This chapter elaborates on entrepreneurship in developed and developing countries and focuses on the optimization of entrepreneurial activities. Various scenarios are considered: independent functioning of the market, integration in the form of reorganization (mergers and acquisitions), integration in the form of clustering, and integration in the form of innovational networks and technological parks. The optimal structure of the integration processes and best-case scenarios for its implementation to accelerate the rate and increase the quality of economic growth are substantiated. The potential for uptake of integration processes in stimulating economic growth through entrepreneurship is determined by the level of institutionalization in an economy. In developed countries, all forms of company integration are characterized by the high level of institutionalization, which allows for their effective use for economic growth. Independent companies, mergers, and acquisitions restrain economic growth and reduce its quality, while clusters, technological parks, and innovational networks accelerate the rate of economic growth and increase its quality. In developing countries, integration processes in entrepreneurship have a different influence on economic growth and require further institutionalization.

Introduction: The possible role of foreign direct investments (FDIs) in the insurance services industry has not received much research compared to the banking industry. The FDI inflows are seen as crucial to the general economic growth of these emerging European transition countries because the insurance sector is still growing and integrating.

Purpose: This chapter explores whether the increase in FDI inflows leads to higher life and non-life insurance penetration in different groups of European transition countries and European post-transition countries.

Methodology: The study employs annual data between 1995 and 2021 using dynamic ordinary squares (DOLS) estimator and Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) panel causality methods.

Findings: The study found evidence about the link between FDI and life and non-life insurance penetration, where their gains are marginal and very weak when controlling the effect of Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPPC) in the long run. More specifically, the effect of FDI on insurance development is greater in the European post-transition countries with higher GDPPC and FDI inflows than in the European transition countries.

These discrepancies may be attributed to the various stages at which their development policies have advanced as well as the overall execution of reforms within the insurance industry. The findings suggest affirmative action programs should be put in place to attract FDI inflows in general and insurance in particular.

Authors investigate the key factors contributing to Poland's economic growth since 1989, including capital accumulation, technological progress, labour force and productivity and European integration.

Through the analysis of macroeconomic indicators, comparison with selected countries and review of relevant literature and policies, authors aim to offer a comprehensive understanding of Poland's growth story, providing valuable insights for informed policy recommendations and fostering sustainable economic development.

This study utilises a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative analysis of macroeconomic indicators with qualitative examination of literature, policy documents and expert opinions. This comprehensive analysis allows us to assess Poland's economic growth, compare its performance with selected countries and identify underlying factors driving growth and potential future challenges.

Understanding the drivers of Poland's growth is essential for effective policy formulation and promoting sustainable development, while acknowledging the potential threats to maintaining its high growth rate such as modest innovation performance, population ageing, growing public debt and reliance on coal-based energy. The findings provide valuable insights into Poland's economic trajectory and form the basis for informed policy recommendations.

This study aims to investigate the morphology and physicochemical properties of BiOBr/Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite membranes and the differences in the properties of BiOBr/PVDF composite membranes made by adding different precursor ratios during the casting process.

In this paper, sodium bromide and Bi(NO3)3 were used as precursors for the preparation of BiOBr photocatalysts, and PVDF membranes were modified by using the phase conversion method in conjunction with the in situ deposition method to produce BiOBr/PVDF hydrophilic composite membranes with both membrane separation and photocatalytic capabilities.

The characterization results confirmed that the composites were successfully and homogeneously co-mingled in the PVDF membranes. The related performance of the composite membrane was tested, and it was found that the composite membrane with the optimal precursor incorporation ratio had good photocatalytic efficiency and antipollution ability; the removal efficiencies of methyl orange, rhodamine B and methylene blue were 80.43%, 85.02% and 86.94%, respectively, in 2.5 h. The photocatalytic efficiency of composite membranes with different precursor ratios increased and then decreased with the increase of the precursor addition ratio.

The composite membrane is prepared by phase conversion method with in situ deposition method, and the BiOBr material has unique advantages for the degradation of organic dyes. The comprehensive experimental data can be known that the composite membrane prepared in this paper has high degradation efficiency and good durability for organic dyes.

Argan nutshell wood (ANW) has been used in this study as an agricultural solid waste to remove Congo red (CR) from an aqueous solution in single and mixture binary in the presence of methylene blue (MB) or crystal violet (CV).

The ANW was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscope analysis. The effect of ANW dose (8–40 gL⁻¹), contact time (0–180 min), pH of the solution (4–11) and CR dye concentration (100–500 mgL⁻¹) on CR adsorption was studied in batch mode and evaluated by kinetic and isotherm models in a single system. In the binary system, the CR removal was studied from a CR + MB and CR + CV mixture with different percentages of dyes, ranging from 0% to 100%.

The pseudo-second-order and the Langmuir models could best describe the CR sorption onto ANW in a single system. In addition, in the case of the binary system, there is the appearance of a synergistic phenomenon between the CR and the other cationic dyes and the CR adsorption capacity increased until 12.24 mg g-1 and 12.06 mg g-1 in the presence of the MB and CV in the mixture, respectively.

This study demonstrated that ANW prepared can be suggested as an excellent potential adsorbent to remove dyes from wastewaters from single and mixture systems.

This study is original.

This study aims to fabricate multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-mediated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films using the solution casting approach.

The prepared films were evaluated for diverse structural, surface, optical and electrical attributes using advanced analytical techniques, i.e. electron microscopy for surface morphology, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for tracing chemical functionalities, x-ray diffraction (XRD) for crystal patterns, water contact angle (WCA) analysis for surface wettability and UV visible spectroscopy for optical absorption parameters. The specimens were also investigated for certain rheological, mechanical and electrical properties, where applicable.

The surface morphology results expressed a better dispersion of MWCNTs in the resultant PVA-based nanocomposite film. The XRD analysis exhibited that the nanocomposite film was crystalline. The surface wettability analysis indicated that with the inclusion of MWCNTs, the WCA of the resultant nanocomposite film improved to 89.4° from 44° with the pristine PVA film. The MWCNTs (1.00%, w/w) incorporated PVA-based film exhibited a tensile strength of 54.0 MPa as compared to that of native PVA as 25.3 MPa film. There observed a decreased bandgap (from 5.25 to 5.14 eV) on incorporating the MWCNTs in the PVA-based nanocomposite film.

The MWCNTs’ inclusion in the PVA matrix could enhance the AC conductivity of the resultant nanocomposite film. The prepared nanocomposite film might be useful in designing certain optoelectronic devices.

The results demonstrated the successful MWCNTs mediation in the PVA-based composite films expressed good intercalation of the precursors; this resulted in decreased bandgap, usually, desirable for optoelectronic applications.

Government spending plays a crucial role in fiscal policy in any country, both as a tool for implementing individual government policies and as a possible instrument for mitigating uneven economic developments and economic shocks. This chapter provides direct empirical evidence on the development and structure of general government expenditure and its relationship with real economic growth in Czechia and the European Union countries. Compared to theoretical recommendations, general government expenditure has not been used as a stabiliser in Czechia and EU countries and has been observed to be pro-cyclical in the period under review. Granger causality analysis identified the direction of causality between the macroeconomic variables analysed and found that in most cases economic growth came first, followed by government spending.