Extraction of Nanocellulose for Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment.

In the present study, nanocellulose was extracted from palm leaves to synthesize nanocellulose/chitosan nanocomposites for the removal of dyes from textile industrial wastewater. Nanocellulose is of interest in water purification technologies because of its high surface area and versatile surface chemistry. Following bleach, alkali, and acid treatments on palm leaves, nanocellulose is obtained as a white powder. The produced nanocellulose was investigated. The adsorption capacity of chitosan, nanocellulose, and novel synthetic nanocellulose/chitosan microbeads (CCMB) for direct blue 78 dye (DB78) removal was studied. A series of batch experiments were conducted in terms of adsorbent concentration, mixing time, pH, dye initial concentration, and nanocellulose concentration in synthetic microbeads. The CCMB was characterized by using physicochemical analysis, namely Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was found that the surface area of synthetic CCMB is 10.4 m2/g, with a positive net surface charge. The adsorption tests showed that the dye removal efficiency increases with an increasing adsorbent concentration. The maximum removal efficiencies were 91.5% and 88.4%, using 14 and 9 g/L of CCMB-0.25:1. The initial dye concentrations were 50 and 100 mg/L under acidic conditions (pH = 3.5) and an optimal mixing time of 120 min. The equilibrium studies for CCMB-0.25:1 showed that the equilibrium data were best fitted to Langmuir isothermal model with R2 = 0.99. These results revealed that nanocellulose/chitosan microbeads are an effective eco-adsorbent for the removal of direct blue 78 dye and provide a new platform for dye removal.

Factors influencing safety performance in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia: an exploratory factor analysis.

The construction industry presents many risks that threatens workers physically and business owners financially. Safety performance can assist in reducing risks on construction sites. This study aims to explore and identify the factors that influence safety performance in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. Through a literature review, 37 factors that influence safety performance were identified from research studies worldwide. These factors were evaluated by industry participants from Saudi Arabia and ranked according to their mean values through survey questionnaires. Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis was used for dimension reduction, and 10 components clustering the 37 factors were revealed and discussed. The outcomes of this study will assist the different construction industry stakeholders in enhancing safety performance at project sites, and in turn create a safer working environment for workers with fewer risks and accidents.

The Effects of Multi-Sociodemographic Characteristics of Construction Sites Personnel on Perceptions of Safety Climate-Influencing Factors: The Construction Industry in Saudi Arabia.

The construction industry in Saudi Arabia relies prominently on migrant workers of multi-sociodemographic characteristics with different perceptions of a safety climate. The exploration of the perceptions regarding the safety climate among various groups of migrant workers may help identify effective means of improving safety levels at construction sites in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to examine the effects of multi-sociodemographic characteristics of construction site personnel on their perceptions of the factors that influence the safety climate at construction sites in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from 401 construction site workers, employed at ongoing construction project sites in Saudi Arabia, using a designed questionnaire. A generalized, linear model approach was applied, using the single ordinal logistic regression method, to analyze the collected data. The results revealed the significant sets of sociodemographic characteristics and their associated subgroups that had significant effects on the perception of importance assigned to each safety climate-influencing factor. These findings provide a better understanding of the views of construction site personnel on the safety climate and can assist construction industry decision-makers, safety policy designers, government agencies, and stakeholders when designing better-targeted enhancement plans and strategies to improve the safety climate of construction sites, based on the sociodemographic makeup of the personnel at each construction site.

Determinants for Safety Climate Evaluation of Construction Industry Sites in Saudi Arabia.

The hazardous nature of the construction industry requires giving increasing attention to safety management and the available means to eliminate or reduce the risks of workers' injuries. Workers in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia face similar daily risks as workers face in other countries. The safety climate significantly influences safety performance, making research in the field of safety climate a vital step toward raising safety levels at construction sites. This study aims at exploring key components of determinants for safety climate evaluation of Saudi Arabian construction sites. Using data collected from 401 industry practitioners, a dimension reduction statistical approach and exploratory factor/principal component analysis were conducted on 13 safety climate factors that were found to significantly correlate with safety climate evaluation of construction sites. The study revealed three key components of determinants for safety climate evaluation of Saudi Arabian construction sites. Notable components are safety commitment, safety interaction, and safety support. Implications of this study include assisting construction industry stakeholders to bolster the safety climate at their construction sites, which should lead to improved safety performance levels.

Safety Climate Perceptions in the Construction Industry of Saudi Arabia: The Current Situation.

Workers' wellbeing and safety is important in the construction industry due to the high risk of accidents. Safety climate development is a positive initial step toward raising the safety levels of construction practitioners. This study aims at revealing the factors influencing safety climate perceptions in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. A set of extracted factors from the literature was validated and used to design a comprehensive questionnaire survey. Data was collected from 401 personnel working on 3 large construction project sites in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics and the crosstabulation algorithm, Kendall's tau-b correlation test, were used to analyze the data. The study revealed a set of 13 factors influencing safety climate perceptions, which are: Supervision, guidance and inspection, appraisal of risks and hazards, social security and health insurance, workmate influences, management safety justice, management commitment to safety, education and training, communication, workers' safety commitment, workers' attitude toward health and safety, workers' involvement, supportive environment, and competence. The results also indicate the significant and anticipated role of top management in safety climate at sites. Implications of this study include assisting construction industry stakeholders to better understand and enhance safety climate, which in turn will lead to improved safety behavior, culture, motivation, and performance.