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The COVID-19 outbreak has caused millions of deaths in all over the world since it was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic in March 2020. To stop the deadly spread of the virus, many countries, including Indonesia, have applied the ‘Large-scale Social Restriction’ (LSSR) policy. Numerous studies have reported positive impacts of air quality due to this policy. However, in Indonesia, data on the impacts of LSSR on air quality are still sparse. Therefore, this study aims to analyze changes in air quality at before and during the LSSR periods in the South Sumatera Province, Indonesia using the satellite-based observations of particulate matter (PM 10 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO). The results showed that the concentrations of the measured pollutants markedly declined during the LSSR period from the highest was SO 2 (98.90%) and followed by NO 2 (34.79%), CO (12.70%) and PM 10 (11.54%), respectively. The emissions from biomass burning activities were expected as a major source of air pollutant during the LSSR. Furthermore, we found a positive association between PM 10 and the case fatality rate of COVID-19 in the study area (r = 0.514, p < 0.05). Finally, this study concluded that the implementation of LSSR could reduce air pollutants concentration in the study area while a higher PM 10 exposure could increase the risk of death from COVID-19. The output of the study can be used to arrange air quality management practice and COVID-19 transmission control in Indonesia.

Schools have implemented environmental education, but its impact on sustainability and execution often falls short of expectations. This study aims to explore and analyze the sustainability and expectations of environmental education in schools. The research employs a quantitative approach, with the population comprising teachers in Palembang, Indonesia. We used a purposive sampling technique to select 100 teachers from Palembang as respondents. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed descriptively based on average scores. The results indicate that teachers have high expectations for schools, fellow teachers, and students. Teachers expect schools to effectively develop and implement visions, missions, and curricula related to environmental education, alongside supporting programs. Teachers aspire to consistently educate students, act as role models, and receive training to enhance their environmental knowledge and skills. Additionally, teachers aim to integrate environmental education into other subjects. Teachers expect students to apply and sustain their environmental knowledge, values, and skills in their daily lives. The recommendations are aimed at both schools and teachers. Schools integrate environmental education into the school’s vision, mission, and curriculum. Organize programs and extracurricular activities focused on environmental sustainability. Teachers Provide continuous professional development, such as workshops and training on environmental education methods. Encourage collaboration among teachers to share best practices for integrating environmental education in different subjects.

The populous city of Palembang is one of the most flood-prone cities in the Indonesian region. After some decades, the magnitude, duration, and frequency of floods have increased. Thus, this study aimed to develop flood risk and flood shelter suitability maps using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographical Information System (GIS) integration. Several flood-related factors that used in this study such as elevation, population, slope, land cover, distance from a river, drainage density, distance to a road, distance to a settlement, and soil type. Results found that the flood risk map of the study area was divided into three classes; 30.3% of the area was at high flood risk, while 60.5% was at moderate risk, and 9.2% of the area was at low flood risk. Moreover, flood shelter suitability assessments revealed that approximately 4.1% of flood shelters were highly suitable, 19.4% were moderately suitable, 60.5% were lowly suitable, and 16.1% were very lowly suitable. The highest suitability areas were predominantly found on the northwest and north sides of study area which were higher in elevation (ranging 13-41 m) and farther from the river. They could be assumed to be good choices for flood shelters.

Recent anthropogenic activities have degraded peatlands, the largest natural reservoir of soil carbon, thereby reducing their carbon uptake from the atmosphere. As one of the primary sources of methane (CH 4 ) emissions in terrestrial ecosystems, peatlands also contribute to atmospheric greenhouse gases. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Indonesia implemented a lockdown referred to as large-scale social restrictions (LSSR) in areas with high case numbers. To evaluate the effects of anthropogenic activity on peatlands, we investigated the CH 4 concentrations in the atmosphere above the tropical peatlands of the Indonesian province South Sumatra before the LSSR (March 2020), during the LSSR (May 2020), and during the corresponding months of the previous year (March and May 2019). Using satellite-retrieved data from NASA, viz., the CH 4 concentration and gross primary production (GPP) measured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board Aqua and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board Terra, respectively, we discovered a decrease of approximately 5.5% in the mean CH 4 concentration (which averaged 1.73 ppm across the periods prior to lockdown) as well as an increase in the GPP (which ranged from 53.3 to 63.9 g C m −2 day −1 during the lockdown, indicating high atmospheric carbon intake) during the LSSR. Thus, the restrictions during lockdown, which reduced anthropogenic activities, such as land use conversion and biomass burning, and related events, such as peatland and forest fires, significantly influenced the level of atmospheric CH 4 above the peatlands in Indonesia.

The effectiveness of Moringa oleifera (MO) in the treatment of textile wastewater has been extensively studied and reported. Nevertheless, an important gap remains in studying the operational conditions for improving the wastewater treatment process. This study examined and optimized the removal efficiency of dye (Direct Red 23), total suspended solids (TSS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the textile wastewater under varying conditions of pH (5–7), MO dosage (5–35 g/L), and settling time (30–90 min) employing the response surface methodology (RSM) analysis. The results showed that the optimum of MO dosage for dye and TSS removals was 25 g/L. The maximum reduction of dye, TSS, COD, and BOD was around 89%, 73%, 29%, and 16%, respectively. In addition, the RSM results revealed that the best performance of the MO dosage ranged from 20 to 25 g/L with 60–90 min settling time. The study concluded that the use of MO seeds as a natural coagulant was proved highly effective in removing dye and impurities from the textile wastewater.

Indonesia, one of the world’s largest rice producers, faces significant environmental challenges due to the disposal of rice husk waste, which is often burned and contributes to air pollution. Rice husk ash contains a high silica content (86.90–97.30%), which can be utilized to synthesize silica nanoparticles (nanosilica) and further employed as crosslinking agents in the production of superabsorbent hydrogels. In this study, superabsorbent hydrogels were synthesized via an addition polymerization process using vinyl silica nanospheres (VSNp) as the crosslinking agent, acrylic acid as the monomer, and ammonium persulfate (APS) as the initiator. The prepared hydrogels were characterized in terms of absorption capacity, swelling ratio in 0.9% NaCl and 5% urea solutions, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine their surface morphology. The results demonstrated the highest absorption capacity of 115,822% in sample C2 (0.1 g of initiator and 0.1 g of crosslink agent), with maximum swelling ratios of 10,502% in NaCl and 93,766% in urea solutions. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of siloxane groups and the disappearance of C = C bonds, indicating successful hydrogel formation. SEM images revealed a complex three-dimensional fibrous and network structure, while XRD results showed enhanced crystallinity with the incorporation of VSNp, marked by a diffraction peak at 2θ = 20.8° with an intensity of 973 cps.

Textile wastewater often contains complex, carcinogenic dyes such as Direct Red-81, which pose serious environmental hazards due to their resistance to degradation. This study addresses the challenge of effectively removing such pollutants by comparing two treatment methods: adsorption using chemically activated coal fly ash (CFA) and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using the Fenton-like reaction with Mn 2 ⁺/H₂O₂. CFA was activated using KOH and H₂SO₄ solutions, and both methods were applied to treat textile wastewater containing Direct Red-81 dye. The results showed that the AOPs method with Mn 2 ⁺/H₂O₂ (0.5 g:200 mL) achieved superior removal efficiencies for the dye, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), with removal rates reaching approximately 90%. Conversely, the adsorption process using CFA was more effective in removing total suspended solids (TSS), achieving over 90% removal. These findings suggest that while AOPs with Mn 2 ⁺/H₂O₂ are highly effective for degrading organic pollutants like dyes and reducing BOD and COD, CFA-based adsorption is more suitable for TSS removal. A combined treatment approach may therefore be recommended for comprehensive textile wastewater remediation.

The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of wastewater treatment by using Carica papaya seeds as bio coagulants to diminish total suspended solids (TSS) and excess phosphate. This method has some advantages because it does not use chemical materials, is simple to apply, and is safe for the environment and human health. The wastewater samples were taken from an active laundry site in Palembang City, South Sumatra Province of Indonesia. The study found that the best dosage of coagulant was 3 g for the wastewater samples. The pH and BOD parameters showed slight changes after treatment, with pH 7.63–7.19 and 33–27 mg/L values, respectively. The TSS removal efficiency ranged from 9.3 to 15.6%, while the COD and phosphate removals were obtained from 11.7 to 39.3% and 56.3 to 68.4%, respectively. The treated TSS, COD, and phosphate concentrations have met the Indonesian domestic wastewater quality standard and environmental protection organization (EPO) guidelines. In addition, the statistical analysis and t -test showed significant differences ( p  < 0.05) for before and after treatment data of all parameters. The ANOVA test showed significant differences ( p  < 0.05) for all parameters among the three treatments. Overall, the study indicated that C. papaya seeds are promising materials that are eco-friendly and useful to treat laundry wastewater.

Climate change and soil erosion are very associated with environmental defiance which affects the life sustainability of humans. However, the potency effects of both events in tropical regions are arduous to be estimated due to atmospheric conditions and unsustainable land use management. Therefore, several models can be used to predict the impacts of distinct climate scenarios on human and environmental relationships. In this study, we aimed to predict current and future soil erosion potential in the Chini Lake Basin, Malaysia under different Climate Model Intercomparison Project-6 (CMIP6) scenarios (e.g., SSP2.6, SSP4.5, and SSP8.5). Our results found the predicted mean soil erosion values for the baseline scenario (2019–2021) was around 50.42 t/ha year. The mining areas recorded the highest soil erosion values located in the southeastern part. The high future soil erosion values (36.15 t/ha year) were obtained for SSP4.5 during 2060–2080. Whilst, the lowest values (33.30 t/ha year) were obtained for SSP2.6 during 2040–2060. According to CMIP6, the future soil erosion potential in the study area would reduce by approximately 33.9% compared to the baseline year (2019–2021). The rainfall erosivity factor majorly affected soil erosion potential in the study area. The output of the study will contribute to achieving the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Ranau valley of Sabah, Malaysia encompasses vast rice fields which are adjacent to ultrabasic soils, thus soils and rice of Ranau valley are at risk of heavy metals contamination. In this study, we aimed to analyze the concentrations of soil heavy metals with respect to changes in soil pH, organic matter, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, percent clay, and to examine the heavy metal transfer soil-rice system through bioaccumulation coefficient and correlation analysis between heavy metals in rice grains and soil. The concentration of heavy metals was determined by the wet digestion method and was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Then, the correlation analysis between heavy metals in rice grains and soil was analyzed using Pearson correlation. Results revealed that soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity and pH had a high significant correlation on the concentrations of Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Mn, and Fe in the soil. The Co metal had the strongest association of the metal concentration in the soil and in rice grains (r = 0.695, at 0.1% significant level) among other metals. In addition, the Co also had the highest contribution on the changes in other metals concentrations in the soil (CV = 48.33%). Although the concentrations of Co, Cr, Ni, and Fe in soil were higher than the maximum allowable concentration and trigger action values, the bioaccumulation value of those metals in rice grains were low (Bioaccumulation factor, BAC < 1). Overall, the consumption of rice grains from the study area was safe for human health.Article highlightsSoil organic matter, cation exchange capacity and pH are prominent parameters for the availability of Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, As, Mn, and Fe in the ultrabasic contaminated soil. Cobalt had the strongest association of the metal concentration in the soil and in rice grains as compared with other metals. Cobalt had the highest contribution on the changes in other metals concentrations in the ultrabasic contaminated soil. Bioaccumulation coefficient values of all heavy metals in rice grains were low.