ISSN: 09726268(Print); ISSN: 2395.3454 (online) An Open Access Online Journal

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Volume 6, Issue No 4, Dec 2007

Effects of Municipal Sewage Irrigation on the Growth of Tomato Plants on sandy soils at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, India

Tomato saplings, irrigated with municipal raw sewage (RS) and treated sewage (TS), compared to that of potable water (PW) on sandy soils at Kalpakkam in Tamil nadu (India) showed significant increase in plant-height, number of branches, leaves and fruit yield in the plants irrigated with raw sewage during the crop season of three months. These growth parameters showed close relationship with the nutrient contents of municipal RS, TS and PW; the former being characterized by relatively higher pH, electrical conductivity (µS/cm), total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, total hardness, chloride, sulphate, BOD, COD, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonates, total alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate and carbonates compared to that of the TS and PW, which probably enhanced the growth traits.

A. Yudhistra Kumar and M. Vikram Reddy

UTILIZATION OF FAY ASH AND BAGASSE ASH AS THE ECOFRIENDLY BUILDING MATERIALS

The greatest challenge for construction industry in the present times is realization of projects aimed at infrastructure development in harmony with the sustainable development concept. Sustainable development means, judicious use of natural resources for various construction activities. The construction industry, due to its huge size to meet the growing needs of construction activities, is the largest consumer of natural resources such as aggregates, cement (made from lime available naturally) and water etc. To achieve sustainable development in construction sector, it is necessary to replace some of these materials with the alternative materials, which are basically by-products/or waste materials from industries, such as fly ash, granulated slag, silica fume, and their disposal is an environmental threat. These alternative materials not only benefit the environment but also add value to, in the form of enhancement of performance characteristics by judicious selection and proportioning and use. In this study fly ash (FA) and bagasse ash (BA), obtained from fired at controlled conditions, are admixed with Portland cement at different replacement levels. The properties of concrete investigated include compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and resistance to chloride ion penetration. Optimum percentage of FA and BA for strength development along with other results are discussed in detail.

M. Usha Rani and K. Subramanian

HYDROLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF DROUGHTS IN ANANTAPUR DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH

The agricultural productivity, especially in dry land agriculture, depends upon chiefly the occurrence and distribution of rainfall in a particular region, but due to non-uniform distribution of rainfall and prolonged dry spells during monsoon season and crop period, the dry land agriculture in arid and semiarid regions is becoming difficult. The identification of dry spells and wet spells to find out drought occurring conditions are complex because of the fact that, it requires to analyse the vast hydrological data in a systematic order. The laborious process can be made easy with the advent of using computers and the appropriate data management software. Anantapur is one of the drought-affected districts in Andhra Pradesh due to its location in the rain shadow region of Western Ghats. Due to prolonged dry spells and ill distributed rainfall the district underwent a metamorphosis from drought to desert prone area. Keeping this in view, the present study has been carried out to identify the droughts in Anantapur district by analysing the daily rainfall and evaporation data for a period of 21 years from 1979 to 2000 by the application of Data Base Management System (DBMS) approach by developing programs using Microsoft Visual FoxPro Software. From the data analysis, dry days, dry spells, wet days, wet spells, monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall, and driest and wettest months were obtained. From the results it is possible to identify the likelihood of occurrence of dry spells and wet spells. The onset of monsoons was late and consequently the late sowing of crops which results in crop failure in Anantapur district. Thus, knowledge of likelihood of occurrence of dry spells will greatly help in protection of crop from wilting. The identification of dry spells is, therefore, helpful in agricultural planning, reservoir operations, releasing of water to canals for irrigation and for planning cloud seeding operations.

P. Srinivas and C. Sarala

OPTIMUM UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES FOR EFFECTIVE IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS - A CASE STUDY

India is primarily an agrarian nation with major portion of population depending on agriculture for their livelihood. About 83% of the total available water resources in India are utilized for agriculture. Hence, it is necessary to assess the water resources availability, progressive development and utilization for sustainable agricultural yield. This can be done both spatially and temporally using analytical procedures and models for studying the rainfall patterns, river water flow and its storage. An attempt has been made, therefore, to study the existing cropping patterns and water resources availability in drought prone area of Narsapuram watershed of Anantapur district in India. The crop water requirements (CWR) for each of the existing cropping pattern is estimated using modified Penman method and information on existing water resources is obtained from the local government organizations. The correlation of existing ground water resources, its corresponding draft and the requirement of water for the existing cropping patterns have been studied, which revealed that the requirement of water for the existing cropping pattern is more than the water available in the Narsapur watershed of Anantapur district. Various thematic maps, prepared from IRS IC LISS III satellite imagery and SOI toposheet, were integrated to prepare a composite map showing the status of ground water development and to identify sites for construction of artificial recharge structures. It is recommended that groundwater potential be improved through this artificial recharging of water to the aquifers so that it can meet the requirement of water for existing cropping patterns. This ultimately leads to increase in the crop yield and in turn increases per capita income of this chronically drought prone area for sustainable development. Therefore, an attempt has been made to suggest measures for increasing the groundwater potential by means of artificial recharge and to suggest suitable cropping patterns based on the type of soils and seasons.

S.S. Asadi, Padmaja Vuppala and M. Anji Reddy

SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY IN THE TSUNAMI AFFECTED COASTAL AREAS OF TAMILNADU, INDIA

Groundwater is a precious resource lying beneath the earth’s surface. More than 50% of Indian population depends on groundwater for drinking water supplies. Problems due to groundwater pollution have been amplified due to urbanization, industrialization, solid and hazardous waste disposal, fertilizers, chemicals, and natural calamities such as cyclones, earthquakes and tsunami etc. In India, recent tsunami has affected most of the coastal regions of Tamilnadu. Therefore, it is very important to study the effect of tsunami on coastal water quality and to implement necessary water management strategies for sustainable development. The study area is the coastal region of Sirkazhi taluk, Nagapattinam district, Tamilnadu, India. The water quality in this coastal region has been affected significantly by December 26, 2004 tsunami, and this study has attempted to find out the source, degree, extent and nature of the groundwater pollution in the study area. Historical data on groundwater quality of observation wells of the study area were collected from the year 1970 to 2000. Groundwater samples after tsunami were collected from the study area and analysed for water quality parameters. Various maps were prepared using ILWIS-GIS package. It was observed that the major pollution is due to conductivity, sodium and chloride. Results show that there is significant degradation in the water quality due to tsunami in the study area. A micro level study is to be carried out to manage efficiently the groundwater quality of the study area for sustainable development.

N. Ravisankar and S. Poongothai

Environmental Pollution BY Gold Mining – A case study of Robertsonpet (K.G.F.) Urban Agglomeration, Karnataka

Man by his own activities, has jeopardized the ecological systems, upon which the very existence of humans depends, and has caused such a large scale environmental degradation which has posed a threat to his own survival. Among various anthropogenic activities, mining is an important activity which has lead to severe environmental degradation. The wastes generated by mining activities have to be disposed off in such a way that minimum impact is seen on the ecosystems. The study area namely Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F.) presently called Robertsonpet Urban Agglomeration, has huge gold mining waste dumps resulted due to disposal of the mining mill tailing material. It is big problem and causes contamination of land, air and water. Present study highlights the impact of these huge mining mill tailing dumps, locally called cyanide dumps, on the township and its inhabitants. Study has also suggested some remedial measures to be taken to minimize environmental pollution in the study area.

D. Rajasekaran

USE OF TREATED INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER AS MIXING WATER IN CEMENT WORKS

The feasibility of treated industrial wastewater as mixing water and effect of its constituents on cement mortar was experimentally evaluated. Cement mortar specimens were cast using deionised water (DW), tap water (TW), treated paint industry wastewater (TPIWW), and presence of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and chromium (Cr). The results, when compared with the results of reference specimen made with DW, showed that TPIWW significantly and TW insignificantly increased the setting times and were made indistinguishable strength variations. Compressive and flexural strength increased as the concentration of metals increased, when compared with reference specimens. Therefore, TPIWW is found to be suitable for mixing water in cement mortar with no adverse effects and metal ions are positively interacted with cement mortar.

G. Reddy Babu, H. Sudarsana Rao and I.V. Ramana Reddy

A study of transport related noise pollution in Asansol town, West Bengal using modelling techniques

With rapid urbanization of our cities and towns and resultant increase in the number of vehicles on roads, noise pollution is growing at an alarming rate. About 60% of total noise in the any urban environment can be credited to road traffic. The objective of the present study was to model and predict the road traffic noise and compare the results with observed values in an urban environment. Two models, namely, ‘Calculation of Road Traffic Noise’ (CORTN of U.K.) and ‘Federal Highway Administration’ (FHWA of U.S.A.) were used in the study. The study area selected for the investigation was Asansol town, an urban-industrial town, situated in eastern India. The values predicted by each of the models were analysed and compared with observed data collected at ten locations in the study area. Three tests, namely, ‘t’-test, correlation coefficient (r) and deviation between predicted and observed values was used to validate the modelling results. Based on the test criterions, statistical validation and comparison with other similar works, it can be said that both models gave acceptable results under Indian road conditions, with certain degree of error. The CORTN model (r = 0.8313) provided better prediction than the FHWA model (r = 0.8031). The deviation range of the CORTN was also lower 1-4 db(A) against the FHWA predicted range of 1-6 db(A). Refinement of the model inputs is required as per Indian road conditions to enhance the quality of prediction.

S. K. Chakraborty and D. Banerjee

STUDIES ON PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND HEAVY METALS IN KELO RIVER ALONG CITY STRETCH IN RAIGARH, CHATTISGARH

The present investigation was undertaken to study the limnology of Kelo river at five locations in Raigarh and the effect of domestic sewage and industrial effluents on the physico-chemical conditions of the river water.In the stretch of river under study, it was found that the water quality in premonsoon near old palace ghat is above maximum permissible limit for some heavy metals. However, water quality at same sampling points was found above maximum desirable limit but below maximum permissible limit in postmonsoon season. It was found that drains are adversely affecting quality of river water along the stretch of study as the waste is discharged into Kelo river without pretreatment. Irrigation water and surface run-off water from the surrounding farm lands also affect river water quality at some locations.

Brajesh K. Shrivastava and Masood Alam

EFFECTS OF SUBLETHAL LEVEL OF A PESTICIDE, MONOCROTOPHOS, ON HAEMATOLOGY OF CYPRINUS CARPIO DURING THE EXPOSURE AND RECOVERY PERIODS

The acute toxicity of monocrotophos on the common edible freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio has been studied. The fish were procured and their sublethal, median lethal and lethal doses for 120 hours were assessed as 100 ppm, 156.92ppm and 250 ppm respectively. From the 24 hours LC50 and 48 hours LC50 values, the presumable harmless concentration was calculated as 53.46 ppm to which the fish were introduced. Haematological studies were carried out with reference to Hb, PCV, TEC, TLC, and other absolute values such as MCV, MCH and MCHC. During the exposure period, a reduction in haemoglobin content, packed cell volume and total erythrocyte count was observed. During recovery period, the fish overcame the stress induced by the toxicant by the continuous detoxification process, as a result of which the Hb, PCV and TEC increased and TLC decreased progressively to attain the normal level.

G. Thomas Nithiyanandam, C. Maruthanayagam and P. Visvanathan

Variations in Dissolved Oxygen and Biochemical Oxygen Demand in Two Freshwater Lakes of Bodhan, Andhra Pradesh, India

Dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) have been assessed at different sites of the two lakes, Bellal and Pandu of Bodhan. In the Bellal lake dissolved oxygen varies from 4.40 to 13.70 mg/L. In the month of February the dissolved oxygen was much higher than the normal range, although most of the samples showed dissolved oxygen within normal range. The maximum value of BOD in Bellal lake was recorded at 40.20 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen in Pandu was found to be low in most of the water samples. Oxygen deficient was prominent, which has detrimental effect on other physicochemical factors and population density. The average value of biochemical oxygen demand in Pandu lake was found to be 60.32 mg/L which is comparatively more than that Bellal lake. The depletion of dissolved oxygen and higher values of biochemical oxygen demand were due to domestic sewage and industrial outlet into the Pandu lake. The depletion of dissolved oxygen in Bellal Lake might be due to agricultural runoff. The Pandu lake can be considered transforming from mesotrophic to eutrophic lake. However, the Bellal lake is oligotrophic in its current situation. Contrarily Bellal Lake is least polluted as it has high dissolved oxygen and the low biochemical oxygen demand.

Venkata Ramanaiah Solanki, S. Samba Murthy, Amarjit Kaur and S. Sabita Raja

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF GHARIYARWA POND OF BIRGANJ, NEPAL IN RELATION TO GROWTH OF PHYTOPLANKTON

Birganj is a sub-metropolitan town and headquarters of Parsa district (Nepal) situated at about 6 km distance towards north of Raxaul, the Indian border. There is an important water body situated in heart of the town, known as Ghariyarwa pond. An ecological study of this famous pond was made with respect to its physico-chemical characteristics and growth of planktonic algae. Physico-chemical analysis of the pond water exhibited good amount of alkalinity, chloride and phosphate which favour growth of phytoplankton. Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae were observed maximum during rainy season, while Bacillariophyceae during winter.

Goutam Ranjan, N. P. Singh and R. B. Singh

Impact of the Fertilizer industry effluent on plant chlorophyll, proteins and total sugars

The plant species examined included Camellia sinensis, Aegle marmelos, Anthocephalus cadamba, Colocasia leaves (Black) and Lantana camara which were growing in the area where the effluents were released. Most of the physico-chemical properties of the effluents such as colour, total solids, COD, BOD and alkalinity were above the permissible limits. The extent of damage caused by the effluents discharged by the fertilizer industries on biochemical properties of plants was investigated. The examined plants showed drastic reduction in essential biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll, protein and total soluble sugars. The results show that almost all the plants were sensitive to toxicity of the released effluent.

Hemen Sarma and C. M. Sarma

Histological Variations in FreshWater Teleost, Tilapia mossambica (Peters) on Exposure to Arsenic

The sublethal toxicity of sodium arsenite on histopathology of tissues such as liver, kidney and gill was investigated in freshwater teleost fish, Tilapia mossambica, exposed to 1/3rd of sublethal concentration (10ppm) of the chemical for a period of 4 and 14 days. Though, acute exposure has not resulted in death, it led to many morphological and histological variations such as histolysis, lesions, necrosis and vacuolation etc. There are many degenerative changes in the tissues studied suggestive of impairment of normal function when compared to controls.

A. Shobha Rani and T. Naga Raju

PHYTOPLANKTON IN LOWER MANAIR DAM AND KAKATIYA CANAL, KARIMNAGAR, ANDHRA PRADESH

Qualitative survey of phytoplankton was done during a period of two years from July 1999 to June 2001 associated with Lower Manair Dam and Kakatiya Canal, Karimnagar. About 53 species were recorded during the study of which 47 species were recorded in Lower Manair Dam and 36 species in Kakatiya Canal. Number of species were more in static water than the running water. Majority of the phytoplankton belong to class Chlorophyceae followed by Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae. Species of Euglenophyceae were comparatively less in number.

U. Anitha Devi and M.A. Singara Charya

TREATMENT OF TEXTILE EFFLUENT USING FLY ASH AS ADSORBENT – A CASE STUDY FOR TIRUPUR REGION

This paper aims to provide a solution to the prevailing environmental problems due to wastewater from textile industries and dumping of fly ash by the thermal power plants in India. This work is an attempt to find out a solution through low cost treatment methodology. In this study, fly ash, which is produced as waste from the thermal power plant, was used as an adsorbent for the wastewater from textile processing industries particularly in Tirupur region of Tamilnadu. This is an attempt to make use of fly ash as a material to reduce the pollutant concentration in the textile industries wastewater. Column technique has been adopted in this study for adsorption. The fly ash used in this experimental study was collected from the Mettur Thermal Power Plant. The fly ash was used as an adsorbent by packing it in PVC column in different layers with alternative layers of sand in between them. The dyeing effluent was allowed to flow through it from the top with suitable arrangements. The dye stuffs were found to get adsorbed on the fly ash layer. The fly ash was separated and dried later.

R. Malathy and N. Rajkumar

Effect of regional variation on heavy metal content of Mallotus philippensis using AAS technique

Most herbal medicines, analysed for heavy metals, are found to be having higher concentration of one or more elements. Therefore, limit tests of heavy metals are essential for herbal medicines. There is also a need for heavy metal analysis to be an integral part of the standardization of herbal medicines. Mallotus philippensis is a plant distributed nearly throughout India. Mallotus philippensis, used for present study, has many pharmacological activities of which antibacterial, immunoregulatory, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activity are important. Eight heavy metals, lead, zinc, copper, chromium, iron, arsenic, cadmium and nickel were analysed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).

Kapil M. Dalvi, Vikas V. Vaidya, M. B. Kekare, Sunita Shailajan and Ashish A. Pawar

Effect of Nickel on the Haematological parameters of an exotic carp, Cyprinus Carpio var. Communis (Linn.)

Haematological studies of Cyprinus carpio in the present work include the erythrocyte count, haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit value or packed cell volume of blood, and subsequently absolute values of M.C.V., M.C.H. and MCHC were calculated by the respective formulae. The major effects of nickel on the blood parameters are concerned with total count of RBC, their size and differential count of WBC. The significance of the present study is concerned with metallic pollution of major rivers of Jharkhand state.

Mamta Kumari, N. P. Singh and Goutam Ranjan

POPULATION SURVEY OF PERSONS USING LAKE WATER AROUND ARIYALUR CITY

Ariyalur city, situated in Tamil Nadu is rich in limestone, and many cement factories are located in this place. Ground water is brackish and drinking water is supplied to some parts of Ariyalur from Coleroon. Hence, people are using available ground water and water from lakes. Six lakes, Thamaraieri, Cinneri, Chitaeri, Perieri, Theppakulam and Kallankuruchi are important lakes around Ariyalur and all these are contaminated with bacteria. Of these lakes, Thamaraieri, Chitaeri and Theppakulam were found to be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Hence, a detailed population survey was carried out. The study shows that there are outbreaks of epidemics in persons using the water from the five lakes except Perieri lake, every four months, which goes unnoticed and unreported. The people live below poverty line and take local medicines for treatment of their illness. Remedial measures are suggested in the study to curb epidemics.

R. Ramanathan and R. Renuka

Role of Nano-Science and Technology For Environmental Protection

The first part of the paper deals with construction of nano materials. People are interested in nano scale of less than 100 nm size because in this size properties of materials are very different than that of larger size of the same material. It is due to the larger surface area and quantum effects such as electrical and magnetic properties. Nano materials are constructed by “top down” or “bottom up” process. Nano-science and technology have brought revolution in several areas such as information, medicine, health, biology, environmental protection, agriculture and in other disciplines. Second part of the paper deals that how nano-science and technology help in prevention of air, water, soil and ground water pollution. Particles in nano size act as antibacterial, antifouling and antidust catching nature. It also involves in increasing the oxygen content in atmosphere by decomposing water in presence of nano wires of titanium dioxide and ultra violet light which is analogous to photosynthesis. It can also help in self cleaning of porcelain tiles and making stain proof films etc. Nano-technology is applied to purify water from E. coli bacteria and green algae by nano titanium dioxide coated porcelain beads. Some nano particles react with pollutants in soil to transform them into harmless compounds and also act as herbicides.

Tata Kondala Rao and Y. L. N. Murthy

Effect of pesticides on biological and haematological parameters in the fish, Channa striatus

Blood is a good bioindicator to determine the health of organisms. In the present investigation, a study was carried out to assess the effect of sublethal concentration (0.002 mg/L) of endosulfan and 2.0 mg/L of diazinon on biology and haematology of the fish, Channa striatus for 30 days. The toxic nature of these pesticides produced ill effects on the biology and haematology of the fish. A significant decrease in the body weight was observed. In blood of the exposed fish, there was a gradual decrease in TEC, Hb, PCV and oxygen carrying capacity. TLC showed gradual increase in number and ESR value showed increase with the duration of exposure.

A.K. Gupta, P. Pandey and S. Srivastava

Surface fauna in reclaimed fly ash dykes at Korba

Fly ash, the by-product of thermal power plants, is stored in specially prepared ash dykes. Being totally inorganic material, it is unsupportive for any living forms. These dykes are a major source of pollution, and plantations can reclaim these. This study deals with the presence of fauna on the surface of the ash dykes in 1. raw ash dykes of different ages and, 2. reclaimed ash dykes through different methods of plantations. The surface fauna of all these types of fly ash dykes was studied and recorded in relation to soil changes due to reclamation.

Shikha Shrivastava

EFFECT OF CLIMATIC FACTORS ON THE INCIDENCE OF LATE BLIGHT DISEASE OF POTATO PLANTS TREATED WITH WEED EXTRACT

The course of development of late blight disease in potato was studied in the district of Lakhimpur, Assam, where potato is extensively cultivated on a commercial basis. The study was made in experimental plots treated with extracts of three weed plants, also utilized by the native people for food and medicine. Environmental factors influenced the incidence of the disease to a great extent. Once the pathogen gets a suitable climate of mild rainfall, with high humidity and low temperature, it takes epidemic form. Extracts of Alternanthera sessilis and Commelina benghalensis reduced the intensity of the disease to a considerable extent.

S. N. Phukan

Study of Underground Water Quality From Industrial Area of Kolhapur City

Kolhapur city is one of the industrial cities where different metal processing units such as machine fabricating and electroplating units are working from last many years. The present paper deals with water quality analysis of underground water from some bore wells located in Shivaji Udyamnagar Industrial area. The Physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, turbidity, electric conductivity, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), hardness, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, total solids (TS), total dissolved solids (TDS), sulphate, nitrate, phosphate and sodium were studied along with iron and lead. The bacteriological study of water such as MPN, SPC and E. coli were carried out from four sampling sites. The results were compared with WHO and ICMR standards. The results reveal that effluent discharge from industries may be responsible for changing the water quality.

H. V. Vyas and V. A. Sawant

Quantitative Evaluation of Future Waste Generation vis a vis Nitrogen and Metal Load on Soil

Quantitative evaluation of some salient features are absolutely necessary in order to assess the impact of co-recycling of municipal wastes in agriculture onto the different components of environment, and future waste generation needs to be estimated to predict the quantity of nutrient (nitrogen) available for application in waste-fields. Such co-recycling of wastes is a unique feature in Titagarh Waste Farming Area where the entire nutrient is recycled through solid waste and treated effluent has been estimated and the probable metal loads are also simultaneously estimated to foresee the expected hazard the environment may encounter in future and necessary safeguards to be undertaken in this regard. Attempts have been made to forecast the expected wastes (solid and liquid) generation and their potential as nitrogen contributor and the probable metal loads are also simultaneously estimated to foresee the expected environmental hazard. Total plant available nitrogen (PAN) and metal load concentration in compost generated in 30 years considering the future generation of solid waste and also quantity of compost, and total nitrogen and metal load in wastewater (WSP effluent) generated in 30 years has been calculated. Considering an average value of both PAN and individual metal load, estimation of application rates of nitrogen as well as different metals have been made per year per hectare (250 MT of solid waste used per hectare) and on the basis of load limit of different metals the possible years of application of solid waste without causing significant adverse environmental impact have also been predicted.

Gautam Sur, Amitava Gangopadhyay and Debashis Chatterjee

USE OF GUAR DERIVED CHELATING ION-EXCHANGE RESIN IN SEPARATION OF METALS

Guar derived chelating ion-exchange resin, functionlized with 5-bromo anthranilic acid (GTBAA), was synthesized by the reaction of 5-bromo anthranilic acid with the guar triazine. The resin characterization viz., bulk density, moisture content, specific bulk volume, degree of substitution, IR spectra, nitrogen content, pH titration and ion-exchange capacity was determined. Metal analysis was done by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The effect of pH was considered in a batch equilibrium study on the chelation of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Mn(II) metal ions. The metal capacity of resin at different pH was evaluated. The quantitative separation of copper and manganese was achieved using column separation through batch equilibrium method. At the maximum pH of adsorption, the resin capacity follows the order : Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II) > Mn(II) > Cd(II).

S. Loonker, S. Vijaivargiya and J.K. Sethia

ASSESSMENT OF STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF THE CONCRETE BY REPLACING POTABLE WATER WITH TANNERY AND TEXTILE EFFLUENTS

The wastewater from tannery and textile industry can be used for construction purpose, so as to reduce shortage of water and to safeguard the environment. The basic properties of the treated and untreated wastes from both the tannery and textile industry were tested and the results were satisfactory for their use in construction. By using these wastewaters, cubes and cylinders were casted and tested for compressive strength and split tensile strength. The results were compared with the specimens casted with potable water and were found to be satisfactory.

K. Nirmalkumar and N. Sivakumar

HOMOGENEOUS CHARGE COMPRESSION IGNITION (HCCI) - A NEW TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE POLLUTANTS IN GASOLINE INJECTED ENGINES

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), also called as controlled auto ignition combustion (CAI), is recent combustion technology which has caught attention of automotive manufacturers all over world because of its ability to eliminate NOx and particulate emissions. HCCI combines advantages of both spark ignition and compression ignition engines. This paper focuses on current research work on HCCI direct and port fuel injected gasoline engines. It contains basic comparison between performance of gasoline injected engines and carburetted engines. This comparison is related to parameters like power output, fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency and emissions. Paper also contains information about HCCI combustion and its merits.

R. R. Saraf, S. S. Thipse and P. K. Saxena

IMPACT OF COAL FLY ASH ON THE GROWTH OF ANDROGRAPHIS PANICULATA (BURM. f.) WALL. ex NEES

Growth behaviour of Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees. (common name: Kalmegh/Kalpnath) has been studied with reference to the application of various levels of fly ash such as 0% (control), 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% under pot culture conditions. Growth characteristics such as plant height, number of leaves, leaf area per leaf, leaf area per plant, fresh biomass, dry biomass (oven dried at 105°C for 24 hours), % moisture content, chlorophyll a & b and carotenoids were studied at the age of 60 days. All the growth characteristics were increased by 10 % fly ash incorporation into soil, whereas there was a continuous decline with higher doses of fly ash, i.e., 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% fly ash addition to soil.

Sameer Kant Shrivastava, S. V. K. Prasad and V. K. Kanungo

Impact of coal mining on leaf Morphology and stomatal index of plants in Kalakote Range, Rajouri (J&K), India

The phytodiversity of the Kalakote forest region is under severe threat of biotic interferences like coal mining, encroachments, overexploitation, tourism and other allied interferences. Coalfields are situated at Mahogala, Mehtka and Tatapani in the study area. Continuous creation of infrastructural facilities on surface for mining, beneficiation, housing and other activities take a heavy toll of forest wealth. Coal extraction leads to degradation of land, addition of pollutants to air and water, deforestation, and civic environment. Anatomical and morphological studies have been undertaken on the plants growing in coalfields and their stomatal and epidermal cell frequency and stomatal indices have been compared with control plants.

Jagbir Singh and Shashi Kant

Studies on The effects of some air pollutants on blood characteristics of human population of Katras-Dhanbad coal-field area

Effects of certain air pollutants on the peripheral blood of human population of Katras-Dhanbad area of Jharkhand state have been studied in this paper. People living in this area have suffered a lot due to pollutional effects in respect to changes in R.B.C. count, haemoglobin percentage and E.S.R.

K. Roy and Md. Noor Alam

Use of Polyvinyl alcohol coated carbon black for removal of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonate (LAS) from Wastewaters

The aim of the work is to study the adsorption of surfactants onto adsorbents in a batch adsorber. A comparative evaluation of the low cost and biodegradable naturally occurring adsorbents of plant origin as potential adsorbent is made against poly vinyl alcohol coated charcoal for removal of surfactants from aqueous solution. Batch kinetic and isotherm experiments were conducted to determine the adsorptive behaviour of the surfactant from aqueous solution.

Kailash Daga and Poonam Gehlot

A STUDY OF SHEOPUR TOWN AND ADJACENT VILLAGES WITH REFERENCE TO HUMAN HEALTH

Various types of diseases are transmitted through contaminated water and poor sanitation. Hygienic status of population is closely related to low socio-economic status of people. In Sheopur town and adjacent villages 52.58% and 67.29% of the surveyed population was affected by waterborne and other common diseases respectively.

R. Prajapati and R. Mathur

REMOVAL OF THE NITRATE FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS USING POWDERED PEEL OF CITRUS RETICULATE FRUITS

Aqueous nitrate solutions containing 10,20,30,40 and 50 ppm of nitrate were prepared. These solutions were subjected to batch type experiments to find out the effect of agitation time on the removal of nitrate using powdered peel of Citrus reticulate. The results were haphazard. Further, the effect of time on the removal of nitrate was found out by more addition of 200 mg of powdered peel of Citrus reticulate to 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 ppm of aqueous nitrate solution. The studies predicted the absence of adsorption mechanism and the removal have not obeyed Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The removal mechanism may be the reduction process and the Citrus reticulate powder is expected to possess antioxidant property.

M. Vasanthy and C. Thamaraiselvi

STUDY OF GROUNDWATER QUALITY NEAR SIPCOT INDUSTRIAL ESTATE OF PERUNDURAI OF ERODE DISTRICT, TAMILNADU

Assessment of physico-chemical parameters of groundwater were carried out in a radius of three km from the SIPCOT industrial area of Perundurai. Water samples were collected from different villages and analysed for various water quality parameters like pH, turbidity, colour, odour, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, nitrate, chloride, fluoride and sulphate. The study indicates that groundwaters near the SIPCOT region are not fit for human consumption with regard to many parameters.

S. Senthilkumar and T. Meenambal

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