Comparative evaluation of the antioxidant potential of some Iranian medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are a source for a wide variety of natural antioxidants. In the study reported here, we have conducted a comparative study between five medicinal plants having the same geographic origin: the Hamadan region in the west of Iran and growing in the same natural conditions. The amount of total phenolics and total flavonoids for parts of these plants used in Iranian popular medicine were evaluated. Furthermore, antioxidant activities for these parts using vitamin C equivalent antioxidant capacity (VCEAC) test were also evaluated. The results show that the antioxidant activities varied greatly among the different plant parts used in this study and some plants are rich in natural antioxidants especially leaves of Lavandula officinalis and of Melissa officinalis. A positive correlation between total phenolic or flavonoid contents and VCEAC was found with a correlation coefficient of R² = 0.961 and R² = 0.817, respectively. These findings show that phenolics in these plants provide substantial antioxidant activity.     

Conceptual framework for decentralized green water‐infrastructure systems

We present a model for a decentralized green water‐infrastructure system (DGWIS) based on a new conceptual framework that optimises the use of captured rainwater, recycled wastewater and renewable energy resources. DGWIS is designed for building‐scale localised water supply systems that utilise rainwater and greywater and incorporate advanced small‐scale water treatment systems and renewable local energy sources such as solar and wind. Several constraints are considered: (i) available renewable energy; (ii) greywater production rate; (iii) potential captured rainwater; (iv) water demand; (v) water storage volumes required to accommodate greywater, harvested rainwater and separate water/energy supplies from the city and (vi) water treatment capacities. The proposed DGWIS optimisation framework demonstrates proof‐of‐concept and provides a solid foundation for an innovative paradigm shift towards water and energy sustainability.     

How do people make a decision on bottled or tap water? Preference elicitation with nonparametric bootstrap simulations

People in the United States drink almost four times the amount of bottled water than they did 20 years ago, even though tap water supplies in the United States are considered to be among the safest in the world. To understand ‘how do people make a decision on tap or bottled water’, a consumer preferences survey was administered to the Civil and Environmental Engineering students attending a US university. The survey elicited information on participants’ preferences and real life attitude/preferences and included a multi‐criteria pairwise comparison. The pairwise comparison preferences were further analysed by integrating nonparametric bootstrap simulations to determine the underlying uncertainty. The results revealed that although safety issues were deemed most important, participants were also subconsciously aware of other crucial issues related to drinking water. These findings provide useful information for drinking water policy experts and water utilities about consumer perceptions of the relative virtues of tap and bottled water.