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Petroleum hydrocarbons are naturally occurring flammable fossil fuels used as conventional energy sources. It has carcinogenic, mutagenic properties and is considered a hazardous pollutant. Soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons adversely affects the properties of soil. This paper aim to remove pollutants from the environment is an urgent need of the hour to maintain the proper functioning of soil ecosystems.

The ability of micro-organisms to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons makes it possible to use these microorganisms to clean the environment from petroleum pollution. For preparing this review, research papers and review articles related to petroleum hydrocarbons degradation by micro-organisms were collected from journals and various search engines.

Various physical and chemical methods are used for remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons contaminants. However, these methods have several disadvantages. This paper will discuss a novel understanding of petroleum hydrocarbons degradation and how micro-organisms help in petroleum-contaminated soil restoration. Bioremediation is recognized as the most environment-friendly technique for remediation. The research studies demonstrated that bacterial consortium have high biodegradation rate of petroleum hydrocarbons ranging from 83% to 89%.

Proper management of petroleum hydrocarbons pollutants from the environment is necessary because of their toxicity effects on human and environmental health.

This paper discussed novel mechanisms adopted by bacteria for biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation pathways, genes and enzymes involved in petroleum hydrocarbons biodegradation.

The current state of environmental laws has placed business in a quandary regarding compliance with the myriad regulations directed at everything from the manufacture of new products, substances, or chemicals to the generation and disposal of waste. A variation from the guidelines imposed may result in liability, civil and criminal, for the unwary violator. In addition to possessing knowledge of current regulations affecting operations, managers must also track numerous future changes applicable to their processes in order to avoid missing the effective date of a new requirement. In general, vast resources must be expended in complying with the environmental laws. Perhaps the industry that most feels the sting of the environmental regulations is manufacturing. This paper will address the results of a survey completed by over 200 manufacturing firms located primarily in Tennessee to determine effects of compliance with environmental regulations on business operations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the introduction of three specific fiscal flexible mechanisms such as VAT surcharges/discounts, surcharges on import/manufacture of risk substances and maturity land tax to implement a new environmental fiscal reform that aims to reduce pollutions and emissions and avoid a regressive impact on low-income households using a feedback system.

The idea behind this article is to explore alternative environmental taxation system that aims to foster the transition to social-ecological sustainability without affect negatively poor and low-income households. It looks at the potential of environmental fiscal reform in terms of environmental benefits and present in the first section, evidence of some economic regressive impact caused by environmental fiscal reform in European Union from previous empirical studies. The article then introduces of a feedback mechanism to create a repayment system, such as rebate or cash transfer to compensate the regressive effect of the levy being added to the consumer price affecting low-income households in a very short period and push consumers to buy alternative eco-friendly products and services and to stimulate the market to offer them.

Lowering VAT rate for green products and services has the potential to increase demand for sustainable products and services and stimulate green jobs. Surcharges on import and manufacture of risk substances play a significant role to discourage the import of hazardous and pollutant substances by putting price on them and push the industrial sector towards a medium and long-term transition. Lowering taxes rates for buildings in inner cities encourage improvements and renovations, while raising tax on peri-urban areas discourage land speculation in areas with higher grade of biodiversity. This fiscal mechanism indirectly will reduce private and public transport emissions caused by urban sprawling and travel costs, reduce public infrastructure costs for connecting suburban area to the inner city and reduce the loss of urban-edge farmland area that are vital for smart urban growth.

The previous studies on the economic impact of the on environmental fiscal reform analysis, have focused on environmental aspects, economic growth and employment, but little on the regressive impact in short and medium terms on least wealthy sections of society. The proposed feedback mechanism aims to reduce distortion and inequalities caused by surcharges on existing taxation to low-income using monetary repayment measures, especially for products and services with elastic demand and no substitutes.

In this Chapter, cerium (III) oxide nanoparticles were prepared by co-precipitation method using hydrogen peroxide as the precipitant in slightly alkaline medium which is greener and environmentally suitable, cheap and best as compared to other conventional methods. Here, hydrogen peroxide acts as precipitating, reducing and stabilizing agents. Since studies worldwide reveal a very strong, significant positive association between air pollution and COVID-19 cases, hence, this environment-friendly synthesis process will prove to be most economically effective one to combat the COVID situation. The synthesized cerium (III) oxide nanoparticles were initially noted through visual color change from colorless pale yellow cerium (III) to light yellow cerium (IV). Moreover, the formation and size of cerium (III) oxide nanoparticles were evidenced by the X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-VIS spectroscopy studies. The very high surface area and very small average crystallite sizes of these prepared cerium (III) oxide nanoparticles (5–20) nm in size is mainly responsible for their catalytic properties and hence can be effectively used for the removal of hazardous toxic pollutant gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide from the environment with a view to combat the pollution within the environment to increase sustainability and also ensure a better, healthy and safe environment, particularly, in context of COVID in globalized world. This chapter, as its main objective, mainly focuses on utility of the nanotechnology and its beneficiary in creating a sustainable environment in economic world, particularly for gender development. Since the gas sensors will detect and reduce gaseous toxic pollutants from the environment, so lower the pollution greater will be sustainable environment development in terms of human development index and hence higher will be overall economic development in favor of Gender Development Index across world. However, as major findings, developing countries have been successful in maintaining a sustainable human development, in spite of higher Per Capita Income (PCI) growth, as compared to the role of least developing countries, with lower PCI in this global world, in favor of their respective gender development.

Significant reduction in the emissions of organic hazardous air pollutants (HAP) associated with surface coating operations was demonstrated through the application of an innovative and low cost biofiltration system. A laboratory‐scale biofilter employing yard waste compost filter media was successful in reducing the methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) airborne concentrations to levels that consistently exceeded the regulatory performance standards mandated for surface coating air emissions control technologies. During Phase I, the biofilter reduced the influent airborne MEK concentration from 184ppmv (parts per million – volume basis) to zero, an operational performance that corresponded to a HAP removal rate of 1,084.2g/m³−d. Similarly, in Phase II, when the steady state influent airborne MEK concentration was increased to 608ppmv, the biofilter maintained an average effluent MEK concentration of 26.1ppmv, which reflected a HAP removal rate of 3,429.1g/m³−d or a 95.7 percent control efficiency.

Cleanrooms are highly controlled enclosed rooms where air quality is monitored and ensured to have less contamination according to standard cleanliness level. Air filters are used to optimize indoor air quality and remove air pollutants. Filter media and filtering system are decided as per requirement. Depth filter media are mostly used in cleanroom filtrations. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the evolution of cleanroom filter media. It evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of air filter media. It is also studied which air filters have additional properties such as anti-microbial properties, anti-odour properties and chemical absorbent. Development and innovation of air filters and filtration techniques are necessary to improve the performance via the synergistic effect and it can be a possible avenue of future research.

This paper aims to drive the future of air filter research and development in achieving high-performance filtration with high filtration efficiency, low operational cost and high durability. Air pollutants are classified into three types: suspended particles, volatile organic pollutants and microorganisms. Technologies involved in purification are filtration, water washing purification, electrostatic precipitation and anion technology. They purify the air by running it through a filter medium that traps dust, hair, pet fur and debris. As air passes through the filter media, they function as a sieve, capturing particles. The fibres in the filter medium provide a winding path for airflow. There are different types of air filters such as the high-efficiency particulate air filter, fibreglass air filter and ultra-low particulate air filter.

Emerging filtration technologies and filters such as nanofibres, filters with polytetrafluoroethylene membrane are likely to become prevalent over the coming years globally. The introduction of indoor air filtration with thermal comfort can be a possible avenue of future research along with expanding indoor environment monitoring and improving air quality predictions. New air filters and filtration technologies having better performance with low cost and high durability must be developed which can restrict multiple types of pollutants at the same time.

The systematic literature review approach used in this paper highlights the emerging trends and issues in cleanroom filtration in a structured and thematic manner, enabling future work to progress as it will continue to develop and evolve.