Bio-cement is a green and energy-saving building material, which has received wide attention in the field of ecological environment and geotechnical engineering in recent years. The aim of this study is to investigate the improvement effect of plant-based bio-cement (PBBC) in synergistic treatment of sand with organic materials, to highlight the effective use of tap water in PBBC, and to analyze the crack evolution pattern during the damage of specimens by using image processing techniques. The results showed that tap water can be used as a solvent for PBBC instead of deionized water. The characteristic trend of urease solutions prepared at different temperature environments was obvious, and the activity value of urease solution with low concentration is positively correlated with the ambient temperature, although the activity value is not high, it is not easy to inactivate. The incorporation of organic materials increased the peak stress up to 1809.30 kPa compared to the specimens modified only by PBBC. The damage of the specimens under uniaxial compression consisted of four stages: compaction, elastic deformation, pre-peak brittle damage and post-peak macroscopic damage. The corresponding crack evolution is the interpenetration of small-sized cracks into large-sized main cracks. The large-sized main cracks transform into penetration cracks before damage, and the small-sized cracks are distributed around the penetration cracks. The crack evolution parameters obtained by MATLAB processing are positively correlated with the strain.

Microplastics in drinking water captured widespread attention following reports of widespread detection around the world. Concerns have been raised about the potential adverse effects of microplastics in drinking water on human health. Given the widespread interest in this research topic, there is an urgent need to compile existing data and assess current knowledge. This paper provides a systematic review of studies on microplastics in drinking water, their evidence, key findings, knowledge gaps, and research needs. The data collected show that microplastics are widespread in drinking water, with large variations in reported concentrations. Standardized methodologies of sampling and analysis are urgently needed. There were more fibrous and fragmented microplastics, with the majority being <10 mu m in size and composed of polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene. Little attention has been paid to the color of microplastics. More research is needed to understand the occurrence and transfer of microplastics throughout the water supply chain and the treatment efficiency of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). Methods capable of analyzing microplastics <10 mu m and nanoplastics are urgently needed. Potential ecological assessment models for microplastics currently in use need to be improved to take into account the complexity and specificity of microplastics.

On February 6, 2023, two destructive earthquakes of 7.7 MW and 7.6 MW occurred in Pazarcik (Kahramanmaras) and Elbistan (Kahramanmaras) at 04:17 and 13:24 hours, respectively. These earthquakes caused a surface rupture with a total length of 450 km in the region with an average displacement of 3 m between the Arabian and Anatolian plates. This study was conducted to investigate the physical deformation of the aquifer system and the current water quality characteristics in the affected region utilizing field observations and on-site analysis of water sources and tap water. The study revealed significant physical changes in the karstic springs and groundwa-ter wells, including turbidity discharges from all karstic springs due to the limestone-covered terra rosa soils in the region, destruction of groundwater wells near the coastal alluvial aquifer due to liquification, significant intrusion of sea water due to settlements caused by liquefaction in the alluvial aquifer, presence of microbiological pathogens carried by particles creating turbidity in the water sources, and presence of microbiological pathogens in some tap waters due to contamination by pollutants resulting from damage to the water and sewerage networks. These preliminary findings suggest that the earthquake-induced shaking and physical deformation impacted the quality of groundwater sources and tap water in the region.