Desiree Azzi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Desiree Azzi

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology

Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most used tools to describe water quality. It is based on... more Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most used tools to describe water quality. It is based on physical, chemical, and biological factors that are combined into a single value that ranges from 0 to 100 and involves 4 processes: (1) parameter selection, (2) transformation of the raw data into common scale, (3) providing weights and (4) aggregation of subindex values. The background of WQI is presented in this review study. the stages of development, the progression of the field of study, the various WQIs, the benefits and drawbacks of each approach, and the most recent attempts at WQI studies. In order to grow and elaborate the index in several ways, WQIs should be linked to scientific breakthroughs (example: ecologically). Consequently, a sophisticated WQI that takes into account statistical methods, interactions between parameters, and scientific and technological improvement should be created in order to be used in future investigations. Keywords Water quality index (WQI) • Water quality parameters • Surface water • Ground water 1 Introduction Water is the vital natural resource with social and economic values for human beings (Kumar 2018). Without water, existence of man would be threatened (Zhang 2017). The most important drinking sources in the world are surface water and groundwater (Paun et al. 2016). Currently, more than 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water and it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of all nations will experience water stress by the year 2025 (Kumar 2018). With the extensive social and economic growth, such as human factors, climate and hydrology may lead to accumulation of pollutants in the surface water that may result in gradual change of the water source quality (Shan 2011). The optimal quantity and acceptable quality of water is one of the essential needs to survive as mentioned earlier, but the maintenance of an acceptable quality of water is a challenge in the sector of water resources management (Mukate et al. 2019). Accordingly, the water quality of water bodies can be tested

In view of optimizing the yield of cattle in terms of meat, milk and even fertility, famers are i... more In view of optimizing the yield of cattle in terms of meat, milk and even fertility, famers are incorporating in the cattle's ratio excessive supplies of Copper and Zinc. These elements are not well assimilated by the cow and therefore, the majority of these elements will be present in the dung which will form the manure. Heavy metals are potentially toxic to humans and the environment. However, metal toxicity depends on chemical associations in soils. For this reason, determining the chemical form of a metal in soils is important to evaluate its mobility and bioavailability. Therefore, sequential extraction was used to fractionate copper and zinc. This research aimed at evaluating the influence of the application of enriched cattle manure on soils by applying 0.15 g of dried cattle manure on 20 g of an agricultural soil in the region of Zahle, Lebanon. Knowing that the mineralisation of the manure incorporated in the soil released an important amount of trace metals, a chemical...

Flood event in agricultural watershed represents 64% of water discharge but up to 71% of dissolve... more Flood event in agricultural watershed represents 64% of water discharge but up to 71% of dissolved organic carbon and 94 of total suspended matter export. It therefore constitutes a key period to assess change in surface water contamination and quality. While during base flow conditions most of river discharge is supported by groundwater input, during storm period surface and subsurface runoffs contribute to river flow. Integration of water pathway complexity and spatial heterogeneity of contaminant inputs in the watershed need to be ...

(1) 1Université de Toulouse; INPT, UPS ; Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECO... more (1) 1Université de Toulouse; INPT, UPS ; Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB); ENSAT, Avenue de l’Agrobiopole, 31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex France, (2) CNRS ; ECOLAB; ENSAT, Avenue de l’Agrobiopole, 31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex – France, (3) Université de Toulouse, Laboratoire d’étude des Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie, CNRS, UMR 5563 IRD Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées 31400 Toulouse France, (4) Université de Perpignan, Centre de formation et de recherche sur l’environnement marin, CNRS, UMR 5110, 66860 Perpignan Cedex – France, (5) Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6, CNRS, UMR 7621, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer France

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2015

By 2050, the global population is expected to rise to nine billion and there have been significan... more By 2050, the global population is expected to rise to nine billion and there have been significant calls for a change in the way the world is dealing with growing water shortages. The approaching water crisis will threaten half of humanity by 2030. Our ever-increasing population is stretching our ability to provide clean water for our needs, from agriculture and manufacturing to the most basic one of all: drinking water.

Le transfert des polluants organiques et inorganiques dans les hydrosystemes est tres documente m... more Le transfert des polluants organiques et inorganiques dans les hydrosystemes est tres documente mais rares sont les etudes qui s'interessent a ces transferts en periode de crue et dans des situations de multi pollutions. Cette these s'inscrit dans ces problematiques-la. Sachant que les flux les plus importants de polluants sont exportes durant les episodes de crue, nous avons effectue un suivi rigoureux de la crue de mai 2010 sur le bassin versant (BV) de la Save (1110 km2, sud ouest de la France). Un echantillonnage intensif permet de decrire avec precision la reponse du cours d'eau aux fortes precipitations sur le BV. Les principaux parametres controlant le transfert des polluants (carbone organique dissous (COD) et particulaire (COP) et matieres en suspension (MES)) sont plus concentres en crue qu'en etiage. Ces parametres, ainsi que les polluants voient, pour la plupart, leur teneur augmenter avec le debit. Une separation des composantes de l'ecoulement fluvi...

Water

In the environment, a pollutant is rarely present alone, and other contaminants can influence its... more In the environment, a pollutant is rarely present alone, and other contaminants can influence its fate. To investigate the influence of the presence of other pollutants on the sorption of pesticides and trace metals (TM), the adsorption of Aclonifen, alachlor, Cd and Cu onto suspended particulate matter (SPM) was studied. SPM was isolated during the flood event of May 2010 in the Save agricultural watershed of SW France. Adsorption equilibrium was reached after 2 h of contact with SPM for pesticides and 24 h for TM. To simulate natural conditions, the SPM load allowing a maximum adsorption of pollutants was set at 1 g L−1 and the concentration of pollutants at 10 μg L−1. These factors being established, the co-presence experiments showed that most contaminants were influenced by the presence of other pollutant(s) in the water, trace metals to a lesser extent than pesticides. The mutual influence can be either competition for the same adsorption sites or formation of new complexes be...

Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2016

Frontiers in Life Science, 2016

Iron is an essential micro-element for plant growth. In the calcareous soils of Lebanon, immobili... more Iron is an essential micro-element for plant growth. In the calcareous soils of Lebanon, immobilization of iron can lead to chlorosis and reduce the yields of agricultural production. Iron fertilization is therefore crucial to ensure good plant growth. The objective of this work was to compare the efficiency of the iron chelate HBED-Fe to that of EDDHA-Fe, on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and cucumber crops (Cucumis sativus L.). Five modules were studied in two separate greenhouses: one control, one module with fertilization by EDDHA-Fe and three modules with different applications of HBED-Fe. Chlorophyll and Fe contents in leaves were analyzed at different stages of the plants' cycle. Cucumber crops treated with HBED-Fe showed 19.2% higher chlorophyll content than the ones treated with EDDHA-Fe. Tomato crops presented 11.2% higher chlorophyll content when treated with HBED-Fe. For cucumbers, HBED-Fe should be applied in three applications separated by 25 days. For tomatoes, HBED-Fe should be applied in two applications separated by a month. The use of the HBED9% iron chelate was proved to be more effective than that of EDDHA6% because more efficiency was achieved with 40% less application rate. Multiple applications were also more effective than single applications.

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2015

International Conference on Chemical, Environment & Biological Sciences (CEBS-2014) Sept. 17-18, 2014 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 2014

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2014

Development of nanotechnologies has taken a significant extent since the 1970s. These technologie... more Development of nanotechnologies has taken a significant extent since the 1970s. These technologies concern all processes and manipulations of materials with at least one dimension that approximately measures 1-100 nm. Nanomaterials and applications derived from using nanotechnologies are of interest to agriculture. They present opportunities to help address the issues of sustainable agriculture by reducing agricultural inputs and improving productivity and food and water safety [1]. Currently, nanotechnologies have many applications in all stages of production, processing, storing, packaging and transport of agricultural products.

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2014

Trace metals (TM) are naturally present in soils; however, higher amounts of metals are released ... more Trace metals (TM) are naturally present in soils; however, higher amounts of metals are released into the environment by human activities. Soil pollution by TM is therefore a crucial issue. In order to assess the quality of the soils in Tannourine a village in the North of Lebanonseveral surface soils of plots of different occupations were sampled (two apple orchards: one with strictly fertilizers' applications (AF), the other with only pesticides' applications (AP), a grazing field recently occupied by goats and sheep (G), a previously cultivated land (PC) and a soil from the cedars forest nature reserve of Tannourine (F)). The purpose of the sampling was to investigate the presence and level of contamination of cadmium (Cd). Different soil analyzes were performed at the Laboratory of Soil Science of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik to determine the main physico-chemical characteristics of soil samples: pH, conductivity, particle size distribution and limestone. In addition to these analyzes, a determination of the Cd content in these soils was carried out by the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method after a total acid digestion of these samples. The transfer of Cd to different compartments (vegetative cover (Rye Grass), soil and infiltrated water) was then studied during laboratory artificial rainfall events. This experimental work consisted on putting the samples under artificial rain events in different conditions: (1) soil covered by Rye Grass; (2) soil covered by Rye Grass with Cd input; (3) bare soil; (4) bare soil with Cd input. These conditions are used to evaluate the rate of Cd found in the soil, Rye Grass and infiltrated rainwater solutions. The dosage of Cd in the soil samples showed no pollution by Cd in comparison with the reference value in the Mediterranean region (0.7 mg/kg); however its presence was noted in all samples except in the sample PA. The results also showed a similarity in the behavior and the transfer of Cd in the three compartments listed for the five samples. Indeed, covered soils after rainfall event with input of Cd, could take up the highest amount of Cd compared to the other two compartments that have captured a small amount of Cd. We can therefore conclude that from one side, in these soils, there are certainly high amounts of chemical components capturing this pollutant such as organic materials and oxides. From the other side, in this study, the Rye Grass was not shown as an adequate Cd bio accumulator since it could not take up a considerable amount of dissolved Cd.

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology

Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most used tools to describe water quality. It is based on... more Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most used tools to describe water quality. It is based on physical, chemical, and biological factors that are combined into a single value that ranges from 0 to 100 and involves 4 processes: (1) parameter selection, (2) transformation of the raw data into common scale, (3) providing weights and (4) aggregation of subindex values. The background of WQI is presented in this review study. the stages of development, the progression of the field of study, the various WQIs, the benefits and drawbacks of each approach, and the most recent attempts at WQI studies. In order to grow and elaborate the index in several ways, WQIs should be linked to scientific breakthroughs (example: ecologically). Consequently, a sophisticated WQI that takes into account statistical methods, interactions between parameters, and scientific and technological improvement should be created in order to be used in future investigations. Keywords Water quality index (WQI) • Water quality parameters • Surface water • Ground water 1 Introduction Water is the vital natural resource with social and economic values for human beings (Kumar 2018). Without water, existence of man would be threatened (Zhang 2017). The most important drinking sources in the world are surface water and groundwater (Paun et al. 2016). Currently, more than 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water and it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of all nations will experience water stress by the year 2025 (Kumar 2018). With the extensive social and economic growth, such as human factors, climate and hydrology may lead to accumulation of pollutants in the surface water that may result in gradual change of the water source quality (Shan 2011). The optimal quantity and acceptable quality of water is one of the essential needs to survive as mentioned earlier, but the maintenance of an acceptable quality of water is a challenge in the sector of water resources management (Mukate et al. 2019). Accordingly, the water quality of water bodies can be tested

In view of optimizing the yield of cattle in terms of meat, milk and even fertility, famers are i... more In view of optimizing the yield of cattle in terms of meat, milk and even fertility, famers are incorporating in the cattle's ratio excessive supplies of Copper and Zinc. These elements are not well assimilated by the cow and therefore, the majority of these elements will be present in the dung which will form the manure. Heavy metals are potentially toxic to humans and the environment. However, metal toxicity depends on chemical associations in soils. For this reason, determining the chemical form of a metal in soils is important to evaluate its mobility and bioavailability. Therefore, sequential extraction was used to fractionate copper and zinc. This research aimed at evaluating the influence of the application of enriched cattle manure on soils by applying 0.15 g of dried cattle manure on 20 g of an agricultural soil in the region of Zahle, Lebanon. Knowing that the mineralisation of the manure incorporated in the soil released an important amount of trace metals, a chemical...

Flood event in agricultural watershed represents 64% of water discharge but up to 71% of dissolve... more Flood event in agricultural watershed represents 64% of water discharge but up to 71% of dissolved organic carbon and 94 of total suspended matter export. It therefore constitutes a key period to assess change in surface water contamination and quality. While during base flow conditions most of river discharge is supported by groundwater input, during storm period surface and subsurface runoffs contribute to river flow. Integration of water pathway complexity and spatial heterogeneity of contaminant inputs in the watershed need to be ...

(1) 1Université de Toulouse; INPT, UPS ; Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECO... more (1) 1Université de Toulouse; INPT, UPS ; Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (ECOLAB); ENSAT, Avenue de l’Agrobiopole, 31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex France, (2) CNRS ; ECOLAB; ENSAT, Avenue de l’Agrobiopole, 31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex – France, (3) Université de Toulouse, Laboratoire d’étude des Mécanismes de Transfert en Géologie, CNRS, UMR 5563 IRD Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées 31400 Toulouse France, (4) Université de Perpignan, Centre de formation et de recherche sur l’environnement marin, CNRS, UMR 5110, 66860 Perpignan Cedex – France, (5) Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6, CNRS, UMR 7621, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer France

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2015

By 2050, the global population is expected to rise to nine billion and there have been significan... more By 2050, the global population is expected to rise to nine billion and there have been significant calls for a change in the way the world is dealing with growing water shortages. The approaching water crisis will threaten half of humanity by 2030. Our ever-increasing population is stretching our ability to provide clean water for our needs, from agriculture and manufacturing to the most basic one of all: drinking water.

Le transfert des polluants organiques et inorganiques dans les hydrosystemes est tres documente m... more Le transfert des polluants organiques et inorganiques dans les hydrosystemes est tres documente mais rares sont les etudes qui s'interessent a ces transferts en periode de crue et dans des situations de multi pollutions. Cette these s'inscrit dans ces problematiques-la. Sachant que les flux les plus importants de polluants sont exportes durant les episodes de crue, nous avons effectue un suivi rigoureux de la crue de mai 2010 sur le bassin versant (BV) de la Save (1110 km2, sud ouest de la France). Un echantillonnage intensif permet de decrire avec precision la reponse du cours d'eau aux fortes precipitations sur le BV. Les principaux parametres controlant le transfert des polluants (carbone organique dissous (COD) et particulaire (COP) et matieres en suspension (MES)) sont plus concentres en crue qu'en etiage. Ces parametres, ainsi que les polluants voient, pour la plupart, leur teneur augmenter avec le debit. Une separation des composantes de l'ecoulement fluvi...

Water

In the environment, a pollutant is rarely present alone, and other contaminants can influence its... more In the environment, a pollutant is rarely present alone, and other contaminants can influence its fate. To investigate the influence of the presence of other pollutants on the sorption of pesticides and trace metals (TM), the adsorption of Aclonifen, alachlor, Cd and Cu onto suspended particulate matter (SPM) was studied. SPM was isolated during the flood event of May 2010 in the Save agricultural watershed of SW France. Adsorption equilibrium was reached after 2 h of contact with SPM for pesticides and 24 h for TM. To simulate natural conditions, the SPM load allowing a maximum adsorption of pollutants was set at 1 g L−1 and the concentration of pollutants at 10 μg L−1. These factors being established, the co-presence experiments showed that most contaminants were influenced by the presence of other pollutant(s) in the water, trace metals to a lesser extent than pesticides. The mutual influence can be either competition for the same adsorption sites or formation of new complexes be...

Chemistry & Biodiversity, 2016

Frontiers in Life Science, 2016

Iron is an essential micro-element for plant growth. In the calcareous soils of Lebanon, immobili... more Iron is an essential micro-element for plant growth. In the calcareous soils of Lebanon, immobilization of iron can lead to chlorosis and reduce the yields of agricultural production. Iron fertilization is therefore crucial to ensure good plant growth. The objective of this work was to compare the efficiency of the iron chelate HBED-Fe to that of EDDHA-Fe, on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and cucumber crops (Cucumis sativus L.). Five modules were studied in two separate greenhouses: one control, one module with fertilization by EDDHA-Fe and three modules with different applications of HBED-Fe. Chlorophyll and Fe contents in leaves were analyzed at different stages of the plants' cycle. Cucumber crops treated with HBED-Fe showed 19.2% higher chlorophyll content than the ones treated with EDDHA-Fe. Tomato crops presented 11.2% higher chlorophyll content when treated with HBED-Fe. For cucumbers, HBED-Fe should be applied in three applications separated by 25 days. For tomatoes, HBED-Fe should be applied in two applications separated by a month. The use of the HBED9% iron chelate was proved to be more effective than that of EDDHA6% because more efficiency was achieved with 40% less application rate. Multiple applications were also more effective than single applications.

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2015

International Conference on Chemical, Environment & Biological Sciences (CEBS-2014) Sept. 17-18, 2014 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), 2014

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2014

Development of nanotechnologies has taken a significant extent since the 1970s. These technologie... more Development of nanotechnologies has taken a significant extent since the 1970s. These technologies concern all processes and manipulations of materials with at least one dimension that approximately measures 1-100 nm. Nanomaterials and applications derived from using nanotechnologies are of interest to agriculture. They present opportunities to help address the issues of sustainable agriculture by reducing agricultural inputs and improving productivity and food and water safety [1]. Currently, nanotechnologies have many applications in all stages of production, processing, storing, packaging and transport of agricultural products.

Advances in Crop Science and Technology, 2014

Trace metals (TM) are naturally present in soils; however, higher amounts of metals are released ... more Trace metals (TM) are naturally present in soils; however, higher amounts of metals are released into the environment by human activities. Soil pollution by TM is therefore a crucial issue. In order to assess the quality of the soils in Tannourine a village in the North of Lebanonseveral surface soils of plots of different occupations were sampled (two apple orchards: one with strictly fertilizers' applications (AF), the other with only pesticides' applications (AP), a grazing field recently occupied by goats and sheep (G), a previously cultivated land (PC) and a soil from the cedars forest nature reserve of Tannourine (F)). The purpose of the sampling was to investigate the presence and level of contamination of cadmium (Cd). Different soil analyzes were performed at the Laboratory of Soil Science of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik to determine the main physico-chemical characteristics of soil samples: pH, conductivity, particle size distribution and limestone. In addition to these analyzes, a determination of the Cd content in these soils was carried out by the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) method after a total acid digestion of these samples. The transfer of Cd to different compartments (vegetative cover (Rye Grass), soil and infiltrated water) was then studied during laboratory artificial rainfall events. This experimental work consisted on putting the samples under artificial rain events in different conditions: (1) soil covered by Rye Grass; (2) soil covered by Rye Grass with Cd input; (3) bare soil; (4) bare soil with Cd input. These conditions are used to evaluate the rate of Cd found in the soil, Rye Grass and infiltrated rainwater solutions. The dosage of Cd in the soil samples showed no pollution by Cd in comparison with the reference value in the Mediterranean region (0.7 mg/kg); however its presence was noted in all samples except in the sample PA. The results also showed a similarity in the behavior and the transfer of Cd in the three compartments listed for the five samples. Indeed, covered soils after rainfall event with input of Cd, could take up the highest amount of Cd compared to the other two compartments that have captured a small amount of Cd. We can therefore conclude that from one side, in these soils, there are certainly high amounts of chemical components capturing this pollutant such as organic materials and oxides. From the other side, in this study, the Rye Grass was not shown as an adequate Cd bio accumulator since it could not take up a considerable amount of dissolved Cd.