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A New Estimation Method of Sediment Deposition in the Harbour Basin

By taking into account, the effect of upstream hydro-junction, a new estimated method of sedimentation amount in the Harbour basin was discussed. In the paper, the annual average sediment concentration and the median grain size were the key points to be considered. By the measured data, the ranges of the two key influencing factors were determined. The ranges of annual average sediment concentration and median grain size were 0.16 kg/m3 to 0.21 kg/m3 and 0.018 mm to 0.025 mm respectively. In the ranges of the two, combining with the results could be found that the theoretical value by the new method agreed with the value by the physical model test. This method was a sensible and valid method for calculation of the siltation in Harbour basin by taking into account the effect of the upstream hydro-junction. According to the theoretical value, the total sedimentation amount of Fueryan Wharf Phase II Project was not large. After the completion, the sedimentation intensity and the sedimentation amount of suspended sediment and bed load in Harbour basin were low. The same to Harbour basin, the sedimentation amount of the upstream and downstream of the Harbour basin were low. If only reserves certain depth for deposition, it can completely meet the requirements of navigation and Wharf working.

Ni Zhihui, Zeng Qiang, Wu Lichun and Zhang Xujin

Analysis of Existing Speciation and Evaluation of Heavy Metals Pollution of Soil in a Shooting Range

In this paper, we have made an investigation and analysis of the concentrations of Pb and Cu in the surface soil samples from a small arms shooting range in Guangxi Province of China by using the U.S.EPA3050B (HNO3-H2O2) method, and evaluated the pollution in the sampling area through the single factor index method and the composite pollution index Nemrow method. The results of our investigation and analysis showed that the soil of the small arms shooting range is heavily polluted by heavy metals, and the main pollution elements are Pb and Cu. The composite pollution index reached 59.18, and the single-factor pollution indexes of Pb and Cu have been the highest in the area of dropping bombs, which reached 72.90 and 10.12 respectively, indicating that the pollution has been to a serious level. The sources of heavy metal pollution comprise residual bullets and cartridge cases. We have also done analysis of the concurrent speciation of Pb and Cu in the soil with the sequential extraction method of Tessier, and discovered that the chemical speciation distribution order stands as follows: Resid–Pb > FeMnO–Pb > Org–Pb > Carb–Pb > Exch–Pb. As to the distribution characteristics of Cu, the order can also be listed as follows: Resid–Cu > Org–Cu > FeMnO–Cu > Carb–Cu > Exch–Cu. It can be seen that heavy metal Pb do much more serious to the ecological environmental contamination risk. Once the environmental conditions change, Pb and Cu can be easily transformed into bioavailability speciation. Because the pollution of heavy metal Pb and Cu in shooting range is serious, it is unfeasible to turn the shooting range soil into agricultural soil.

Yutong Liu, Zhendong Fang, Chaoxin Xie and Jian Li

Indicators of Species Richness of the Raptor Guild of the Carnivore Community of Afro-Alpine Habitats in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia

Indicator species may provide useful substitute for large scale surveys to monitor biodiversity. We conducted surveys in the Afro-alpine habitats of the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) with the objective of identifying indicators for the species richness of the raptor guild. Raptors were counted by scan sampling technique from a suitable vintage point. Three classes of 18 sample units grouped according to the variability of the moorland ecosystem in the magnitude of process variables important for raptor species richness were used in determining the indicator value of species as a function of their abundance concentration and the percentage of species occurrence per sample group. This procedure determined indicator values for all species in the resident raptor community. Comparison with randomly expected values demonstrated that only Aquila verreauxii and A. chrysaetos have indicator values that were significantly larger than the randomly expected values. The species richness estimated using the abundances of these two species predicted the observed species richness of the whole community in a linear regression model that explained 66% of the deviance in the data set. Furthermore, the species richness of the community predicted by process variables had correlation of very high significance with that predicted by the indicator species. We have thus identified two indicator species to a raptor guild of the BMNP and demonstrated that these two species encapsulated most of the information regarding the species richness response of the guild to key process variables in the Afro-alpine moorland ecosystem. Our findings contribute significantly to current and future efforts of monitoring the biodiversity of the park providing a cheap and quick means of data generation relevant for making management decisions.

Anteneh Shimelis, Afework Bekele and Simon Thirgood

Effect of Comprehensive Management on Runoff and Sediment Reduction in Yanwachuan Watershed, Loess Tableland, China

To evaluate the effect of comprehensive management on runoff and sediment reduction in meso-scale watersheds, the Yanwachuan watershed of Loess tableland gully region in China was investigated. Variation trends of the runoff and sediment from 1981 to 2009 were analysed, and the year of abrupt change was identified using the double mass curve method, accumulative departure method, moving t-test method and Yamamoto method. Next, the effects of comprehensive management on runoff and sediment reductions were quantitatively evaluated based on the runoff/sediment coefficient method and double mass curve method, both capable of separating the effect of climate change from that of comprehensive management. Finally, the driving forces of runoff and sediment variations were discussed from both climatic and comprehensive management aspects. The results showed that the runoff and sediment in the watershed had significantly decreased since an abrupt change in 1997. During the change period (1998-2009), the erosive precipitation and precipitation erosivity had been reduced by 32.4% and 17.4%, respectively, compared with the base period (1981-1997); the areas of forest and grass had increased; and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) had increased by 20.6% with significantly enlarged vegetation coverage. The benefit value of runoff reduction and sediment reduction were 27.3% and 76.2%, respectively. The resultant runoff and sediment reductions in the watershed were the synergy of climate change and comprehensive management, with greater than 90% reduction contributed by comprehensive management. All these results supported that comprehensive management played the dominant role in runoff and sediment reductions.

Yun Wang, WenZhao Liu, Zhi Li, Huaiyou Li and Jie Chen

Low Cost Adsorption, Phytoremediation and Sludge Management Technologies of Arsenic Remediation Adoptable in India: A Review

Arsenic is an important element in today’s groundwater pollution scenario. It is introduced into soil and groundwater because of weathering of rocks and minerals followed by subsequent leaching and runoff. In India, a number of States, namely; West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh have chronically been exposed to drinking arsenic contaminated hand tube-wells water above permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L. Arsenic causes serious health hazard such as skin, lung, bladder, and kidney cancer as well as pigmentation changes, skin thickening (hyperkeratosis), neurological disorders, muscular weakness, loss of appetite, and nausea etc. Many treatment and technologies are available for arsenic remediation but any method suitable for a specific area should not be generalized for the other affected regions due to geographical and geomorphological variations, different socio-economic conditions, local availability, processing required and treatment conditions. The arsenic remediation capability of treatments and technologies vary, depending on the characteristics of the material used, concentration of arsenic, pH, temperature and contact time. Agricultural waste, Industrial waste, soil constituents, and biosorbents in natural or modified form are highly efficient for the removal of arsenic, and their potential availability in India provides hope for technology advancement at very low cost. Many of the technologies and treatments described in this paper are possibly adoptable in India which greatly helps for arsenic remediation.

Ashish Patil and M. S. Rao

Field Study on Preferential Flow under Different Land Uses in the Loess Hilly Region

Evaluating the effects of different land uses on soil preferential flow is essential to improve the decision support systems for water management in the Loess hilly region in China. The objective of this study was to assess the response of preferential flow to different land uses (cropland, woodland, grassland). The study site was located in the Changwu Agri-ecological Experiment Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In these experiments, an amount of 100 mm of Brilliant Blue dye solution was irrigated into the soil at constant heads of 10 mm, several vertical profiles were prepared to visualize dye stain patterns after each experiment, and photographs of the dye profile were processed by image analysis to discriminate stained and unstained areas. The results demonstrated that the preferential flow obviously existed in three land uses. The highest dye coverage was found at the soil depth of 0~10 cm, while the dye area presented serrate dye peak, dye island or dye loop below 10 cm. The average depth of dye infiltration area (Dave) was found highest in woodland (35.31 cm) followed by cropland (25.75 cm) and grassland (24.49 cm). The average value of maximum depth of dye infiltration (Dmax) was significantly higher in grassland (49.93 cm) and lower in woodland (64.50 cm) and cropland (58.22 cm). The results indicated that vegetation types and initial moisture content would be the key factors affecting the preferential flow. This paper would be helpful in soil moisture and nutrient management in the hilly region of Loess Plateau.

Zhaoxia Gao, Xuexuan Xu, Jiaona Zhao, Maozi Yu, Shaoni Zhang and Chuanpu Zhao

Retrieval of Leaf Area Index of Winter Wheat at Different Growth Stages Using Continuous Wavelet Analysis

Leaf area index (LAI) is one of the most basic parameters to characterize the vegetation canopy structure, and is widely used in monitoring crop growth, yield estimation and other fields. Therefore, accurate estimation of LAI has great significance for agricultural precision fertilization and protecting agricultural ecological environment. However, few studies have attempted to estimate LAI of winter wheat using the continuous wavelet analysis (CWA), particularly at different growth stages. This paper aims at studying the spectral estimation of LAI by applying CWA into canopy spectra of 190 samples observed at Guanzhong Plain in China. Two partial least square regression (PLSR) models using six wavelet features and the optimal spectral indices were constructed and compared respectively. Results indicated that the model using wavelet features combination had a considerable improvement than the spectral indices combination for the whole validation dataset. When the validation dataset was separated according to the growth stage, the predictive performance of the wavelet features combination performed well at both growth stages, while the spectral indices combination had not achieved the same effect. The results showed that CWA approach could derive more robust wavelet features to growth stage variation, and wavelet features were more effective than the spectral indices for predicting LAI of winter wheat at different growth stages.

Qingkong Cai, Jinbao Jiang, Ximin Cui and Liangliang Tao

Water and Nutrient Harvesting from Thermal Plant Wastewater by Mustard

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of thermal power plant discharged wastewater for growth, yield and quality of mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern and Coss). The water was analysed for various parameters viz., pH, total solids, BOD and COD, which were within permissible limits of Indian standards. The quality of some essential nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, magnesium, chloride, calcium, carbonate, bicarbonate and sulphates was more in wastewater as compared to groundwater. The wastewater proved superior to groundwater as it enhanced almost all growth and yield parameters including the important oil content in seeds. However, wastewater, in general, recorded lower iodine, acid and saponification value as compared to groundwater. Interestingly, lower iodine value and acid value is considered good for mustard from commercial point of view.

Arfoza Tak, Shugufta Parveen, Nafees Ahmad Khan and Arif Inam

Sensitivity Analyses of Environmental Impact Factors for Songyuan Backwater Dam, Jilin Province, China

The main environment impact factors (EIFs) to the normal water level of Songyuan Backwater Dam, in Jilin Province, China, were identified through principal component analysis for managers to develop a more rational, comprehensive decision support. This research is based on a comprehensive ecological index system, including land resources utilization, water occupancy of the city, reservoirs sediment deposition, reservoir temperature structure and water reservoir structure. The results obtained are as follow: Significant sensitive EIFs were contributed from the land resource utilization and the water occupancy of the city (Songyuan); insignificant sensitive EIFs were recognized as the reservoir temperature structure and backwater reservoir length; and those factors uncertain for sensitivity were found to be the reservoir silt accumulation. This information is very helpful for Songyuan Backwater dam, especially for the environmental impact assessment of the project construction.

Bingchuan Cheng, Hua Yin, Fanli Kong and Yu Li

Comparative Study of Different Media in the Treatment of Sago Wastewater using HUASB Reactor

Processing of sago generates enormous quantities of high strength wastewater requiring systematic treatment prior to disposal. The present study is an attempt to compare the three media such as polypropylene ring, rosette filter and PVC carrier, in the treatment of sago wastewater using Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (HUASB) reactor. Three HUASB reactors each with a volume of about 4.7 L and effective volume of 4.2 L was operated and packed with the above three media separately in each reactor along with the effective microorganisms (EM) solution added in 1:1000 ratio of reactor volume. The initial OLR (Organic Loading Rate) range was about 0.75 kg.COD/m3.day and further increased. Various effluent characteristics like pH, COD, total suspended solids (TSS), VFA, alkalinity and biogas production were studied until the attainment of steady state. The pH of treated effluent during steady state condition was almost neutral for all the three reactors even though the influent had an acidic pH. The optimum HRT was found to be 10h for both polypropylene media and PVC carrier media and 8h for rosette filter media. The maximum COD and TSS removal efficiencies for the reactor packed with polypropylene were as high as 88% and 77% in HUASB reactor in the presence of effective microorganisms with an OLR of 9 kg.COD/m3.day. And for the reactor packed with rosette filter, the maximum COD and TSS removal efficiencies were 84% and 76% in HUASB reactor in the presence of effective microorganisms with an OLR of 9 kg.COD/m3.day. Similarly, for the reactor packed with PVC carrier media, the maximum COD and TSS removal efficiencies were 86% and 78% in HUASB reactor in the presence of effective microorganisms with an OLR of 9 kg.COD/m3.day. The maximum gas production for these three reactors packed with polypropylene ring, rosette filter and PVC carrier media were 2.8 L/d, 0.66 L/d and 1.7 L/d respectively in the presence of effective microorganisms. It is found that from an overall assessment, the HUASB reactor packed with polypropylene ring has proved superior in its performance compared to the HUASB reactor with other packing media.

N. Balasundaram, T. Meenambal, N. Balasubramanium and R. Loganath

The Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation of Water Quality Based on Weighted Modified in Beijing Garden Show Park

In recent years, due to the speeding up of urbanization, the water quality of Yongding river in Beijing is deteriorating. The Garden Show Park was built beside the Yongding river. In this paper, we have made scientific and reasonable evaluation on the water environment of the park, tracking its ecological effect in real time, to provide certain reference for the corresponding improvement measures. Firstly, we collected some water samples in the river, conducted an experiment later, and then we used the improved special operation to calculate the fuzzy result, which is based on the principle of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. At the same time, we increase the evaluation section, and balance the evaluation results of every section, it is concluded that the water quality level is: the third level (light pollution), and it provides referential basis for the ecological restoration of the river.

Zhao Yawei, Men Baohui, Wang Anze, Long Rishang, Hu Sha and Wu Shuaijin

Quality Evaluation and Irrigational Suitability of Groundwater in a Lateritic Terrain, Vettikavala Block, South Kerala, India

The geochemical characteristics of groundwater in the lateritic terrain of Vettikavala block, South Kerala was evaluated during the pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons to assess its appropriateness for domestic and irrigational purposes. One hundred and one water samples from shallow open wells were collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS and all major cations and anions. The results point out that certain areas with acidic pH are unsuitable for drinking and other domestic purposes. Piper diagram reveals that most of the samples were HCO3 dominated, since dissolution plays an important role and also no major shifting was noticed during both the seasons suggesting a static regime. Irrigational suitability assessed by percent sodium reveals that 10% of the waters in the area are unsuitable.

G. S. Vidhya and R. B. Binoj Kumar

Study on National Energy Consumption Allocation Based on Fair Interval Under Pollution Control

A concept of “fair interval” has been proposed and applied into the energy consumption allocation problem under pollution control. A comprehensive evaluation for energy consumption is used to calculate the fair interval by obtaining the coefficient and increment of energy consumption allocation, on the basis of evaluation index system of energy consumption under pollution control. The ultimate allocation scheme of national energy consumption is obtained by comprehensively considering the original energy consumption of the base year and the increment allocation of the expected year, and the fair interval for energy consumption allocation can ensure the equity on energy allocation effectively.

Dufeng Li, Xian’en Wang and Wenjin Zhao

Microbial Decolourisation of Rathiline Navy Blue Dye Using Immobilized Fungal and Actinomycetal Biomass

Textile industry generates large quantities of dyes like azo dyes, direct dyes, reactive dyes, basic dyes, synthetic dyes which are very toxic and difficult to dispose. Many dyes are toxic, carcinogenic or prepared from known carcinogens such as benzidine or other aromatic compounds. Considering adverse effect of aniline dye and their product (present in textile effluent), decolourisation of aniline dye is essential before releasing it in environment. Immobilised fungal cells have several advantages over dispersed cells such as simple reuse of the biomass, easier liquid-solid separation and minimal clogging in continuous-flow systems. Cell immobilization lowers the apparent broth viscosity and makes the rheological features more favourable for oxygen supply and mass transfer. In present dye decolourisation process, we have used live biomass of two different fungi (Aspergillus terreus and one unknown fungus) and Actinomycete (Streptomyces). Live biomass of the two fungi and one actinomycetes gives maximum decolourisation of dye as compared to dead biomass. We have also assessed the effect of decolourised water on seed germination.

A. B. Jadhav, D. S. Bura, A. A. Borage, P. D Ghogare and N. N. Adhapure

Study on the Minimum and Appropriate Instream Ecological Flow in Yitong River Based on Tennant Method

It has been very urgent situation that the Yitong River ecological environment gradually worsening and aquatic ecological environment restore, especially the city wastewater and wastewater emissions increased gradually, making the river self purification capacity decreased gradually. In order to maintain the basic ecological functions of rivers, it is very important to study the instream minimum and appropriate ecological flow. The Yitong River main control section’s (Yitong Hydrology Station and Nongan Hydrologic Station) minimum and appropriate ecological flow is calculated based on Tennant method. After the Tennant method of flow standard is modified, the ecological water demand is 0.17×108m3, minimum in Yitong station, the suitable ecological water requirement is 0.23×108 m3, respectively, representing average annual flow in Yitong station 26.3% and 36.3 %. The minimum ecological water requirement of Nongan station is 0.77×108 m3, the suitable ecological water requirement is 1.13×108 m3, respectively, representing the Nong2 an station mean annual runoff 21.3% and 31.3%, providing a reference for ecological regulation of Yitong river ecological protection and restoration.

Men Baohui, Yu Tao, Kong Fanli and Yin Hua

Groundwater Quality Evaluation in Salem District, Tamil Nadu, Based on Water Quality Index

Groundwater is considered a vital natural resource due to its significant use for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes. Groundwater has been a big variant in quality and quantity with respect to time and space. So the quality of groundwater has been assessed in Salem district. A detailed study was made in the study area for the quality of groundwater for drinking in premonsoon and postmonsoon based on the Water Quality Index (WQI). Groundwater samples were collected in sixty six locations in both premonsoon and postmonsoon in the year 2007. Various physicochemical tests were carried out and WQI was calculated based on pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, total alkalinity, total hardness, nitrate, chloride, calcium, magnesium, iron and fluoride. The comparison between the premonsoon and postmonsoon reveals that in premonsoon season 56.06 %, and in postmonsoon 65.15 % of the water samples were fit for drinking. The groundwater quality was found to be unfit for drinking in 22.72% of the samples in premonsoon and 18.18% of the samples in postmonsoon.

G. Maheswaran and K. Elangovan

Composting of Sewage Sludge and Municipal Solid Waste

Co-compost can be obtained by combination of sludge and municipal solid wastes which were used in the agricultural lands and solve municipal waste and wastewater treatment plant problems. The goal of the study was to investigate a methodology for settling optimum conditions such as aeration rate, temperature, moisture content, C/N ratio and size of particle in composting process. Two pilots were prepared and in every pilot different combination of municipal waste, sludge and wood pulp were used. Particle size of blend and aeration rate was the differences between two pilots. The results showed that the pH of compost pile was about 10 at the beginning of process and decreased to 7.25 gradually after 7 days. The proper size of particle was between 10-40 mm. The suitable C/N ratio was between 25 to 35 and it was about 33 in this experiment. Higher temperatures caused increasing microbial activity at the beginning of process. To homogenize the temperature, it is vital to make an agitation of the compost pile every 4-6 days. Increase in co-compost temperature happened when the moisture content was between 50 and 60%. Aeration with three times of required air has given the best result. Finally, we found that the moisture content has a greater effect on the microbial activity than the temperature. These results support the use of co-composting process with make-up particle size and moisture capabilities in preference to forced aeration enclosed reactors.

Farshad Golbabaei Kootenaei, Hasan Aminirad and Maedeh Ramezani

Adsorption-Desorption Studies of Cadmium in Three Different Soil Orders

Sorption isotherms have been widely used to assess the heavy metals retention characteristics of soil particles. Adsorption behaviour of cadmium (Cd) in soils is an important process which exerts a major influence on its uptake by plant roots. Desorption behaviour of the retained metals, however, usually differ from that of adsorption, leading to a lack of coincidence in the experimentally obtained adsorption and desorption isotherms. Three soils differing in physico-chemical properties (pH 5.7 to 8.2) and varied taxonomy (Typic Ustochrepts, Typic Rhodustalfs and Entic Chromusterts), were subjected to Cd treatment at various concentrations (0, 2, 4, 8, 15, 30, 45, 75 mg Cd/L). The Cd adsorbed by each soil was calculated as the difference between the amount of Cd present in the solution initially and that remaining after equilibration. Immediately after adsorption, desorption took place using successive dilution method with five consecutive desorption steps. Both, Cd adsorption and desorption data were described by Freundlich equation. The adsorption and desorption reactions, however, did not provide the same isotherms, indicating that hysteresis occurred in Cd adsorption-desorption process. Results indicated that the adsorption capacity of the soils for Cd increased with an increase in the pH or alkalinity of the soils. The rate of adsorption was, however, found to decrease with increased pH. But no specific trend was observed in case of desorption. All the three soils used in this study followed Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The adsorption data, in general, indicated that Cd was in a fixed form at higher pH levels. The Cd adsorption was in the order of Entic Chromusterts > Typic Ustochrepts > Typic Rhodustalfs.

Asha Sahu, S.K. Singh, Nisha Sahu, Bali Ram and M.C. Manna

Effect of Straw Pretreatment on the Soil Water-Holding Capacity and Evaporation in Low-Suction Section

The direct return of straw to soils can lead to problems of slow decomposition, disease and pest occurrence, and nitrogen immobilization by microorganisms competing with crop uptake. In this study, we have examined straw pretreatments (comminution, addition of liquid ammonia and blending with ferric hydroxide) that can be applied before returning it to the soil. We have conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of these treatments on soil water content, water-holding capacity and soil water characteristic curves. Finely-cut straw (powdery) increased soil saturated water content and improved soil water-holding capacity and water-supplying capacity, while long-cut straw (2 cm long) had smaller effects on these properties and comminuted-ammoniated straw led to a significant increase in these properties. Finely-cut straw and long-cut straw both led to rapid soil dehydration, while for the ammonia-amended straw and straw blended with ferric hydroxide the dehydration rate was lower. The above results provide a basis for the selection of the novel and efficient methods for returning straw to soils.

Yumei Li, Hao Feng and Zhen Wang

Low-Carbon Green Space Construction in Urban Communities

Low-carbon green space is an integral part of low-carbon communities. It promotes the sustainable development of communities by increasing “carbon sinks” and reducing “carbon sources”. This article analysed the direct and indirect carbon emissions resulting from green space construction in communities, and proposed the improvement strategies from the three perspectives, planning, design and technology applications in low-carbon green space. The planning of low-carbon green space involves increasing carbon sinks, improving the quality of community green space, optimizing the night view of green space and selecting local seedlings. The design can incorporate low-carbon materials and interplanting designs. The low-carbon green space application technology can include vertical greening, green roofs, rainwater utilization, energy-saving lighting and waste recycling. The sustainable development of communities can be effectively promoted through the low-carbon construction of green space.

Yichuan Zhang and Jiangping Wang

Quality Evaluation and its Controlling Factors of Groundwater from Wolonghu Mining Area, Northern Anhui Province, China

Major ion concentrations were analysed for 29 groundwater samples collected from diverse aquifers in Wolonghu mining, northern Anhui province, China. The evaluation of groundwater quality and controlling factors analysis were obtained by the methods such as multivariate statistical approach and conventional graphical and calculation of a series of index. The results showed that the groundwater samples are alkaline in nature, with the high value of TDS ranging from 686 to 3927 mg/L, the concentrations of Cl- are low for all groundwater samples, whereas the contents of SO42- and HCO3- are high. The groundwater samples of QA and CA could be used for drinking and irrigation, whereas the groundwater of LA could not be used for irrigation for the high TDS concentration. The groundwater in the area is mainly controlled by silicate weathering, the evaporative dissolution and carbonate dissolution. Sulphate dissolution also played an important role in the groundwater quality.

Song Chen, Herong Gui and Linhua Sun

Analytical Solutions of the PM2.5 Diffusion Model and Its Application

Air pollution has no national boundaries, which has caused widespread concern around the world. In order to analyse the diffusion and distribution characteristics of the particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), the PM2.5 diffusion model was established. By comparatively analysing the solutions of instantaneous point source equation with and without wind, the solution of continuous point source equation with wind, and the correction solution of an elevated point source model; the conclusion was drawn that the Gauss smoke cloud model adopted can solve the problem of diffusivity of PM2.5. The results show that the Gauss smoke model with wind can reliably analyse the actual problem by numerical simulation and the monitoring data in Xi’an of China. Through the analysis of the causes and general rules of PM2.5, it was found that the human activities play the leading role for PM2.5.

Jiafu Yin

Carrying Capacity in China: Sustainable Development and Water Resources in Yunnan Province

Research on water resources carrying capacity provides much-needed insight for sustainable development of society and the economy. This paper reports on human carrying capacity (sustainable population) in terms of water resources in Yunnan province, China, as well as socio-economic, ecological and environmental development under selected conditions. A sustainable water resources carrying capacity model is built, with analysis and forecasts of carrying capacity in 2010, 2020, 2030 and 2050. The results indicate that Yunnan province is trending toward water stress in the long term.

Xianqi Zhang, Xiaofei Peng, Chenbo Wang and Feng Pan

Application of Bio-retention Hydrologic Performance Tool for Urban Runoff Pollutants Removal

To achieve more reasonable and effective treatment of urban stormwater, researchers proposed the Low Impact Development (LID) method, which is regarded as a sustainable solution. Studies have shown that the bio-retention system was effective in tackling urban runoff problems and was one of the most commonly used LID. In hydrologic modeling, DRAINMOD has a new application in bio-retention simulation. A model named Hydrologic Performance Tool (HyPer Tool) is proposed based on the output of DRAINMOD simulations on various bio-retention designs. This paper utilized HyPer Tool to simulate the bio-retention system in the urban road runoff in Xi’an, China with different rainfall conditions and characteristics. Meanwhile, this paper discussed and analysed the dynamic changes of pollutants and impurities during bio-retention system runoff purification in the four typical designs of HyPer Tool bio-retention ponds so as to provide an objective evaluation on bio-retention – an urban rainfall-flood management approach.

Q. Quan, L. Dong, J. K. Li, B. Shen and C. X. Jin

Changes of Pan Evaporation and Its Influence Factors in China

Evaporation is an important component both in surface energy balance and terrestrial water cycle, and it is also a key factor determining weather and climate conditions. It plays a significant role in the studies of water and energy balance within a certain area and estimations of water resources. In this study, based on pan evaporation data and their variation trends from 499 stations in China, the correlations between evaporation and various influence factors, including the amount of precipitation, temperature, wind speed, sunshine duration and relative humidity, were studied in depth by means of correlation analysis and set pair analysis methods. The analysis results indicated that there was a decline of pan evaporation in both of the whole China and its seven major river basins, and it has decreased significantly since mid-1970s, mainly due to the decreasing sunshine duration and wind speed. In addition, increased precipitation and relative humidity may inhibit the reduction to a certain degree. In most regions of China, temperature change presented a contrary trend compared with the variation of evaporation, as described in ‘evaporation paradox’; however, the correlation between them was not very striking, which implied that the variation of water surface evaporation was slightly affected by temperature.

Yan Guixia, Li Denghua and Kuang Yahong

Research on Agricultural Technology Efficiency in Consideration of Non-Point Source Pollution: The Data from China

This investigation took the non-point source pollution into the analysis framework of agricultural total factor productivity (TFP), using Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index to measure the agricultural TFP of various regions in China from 2001 to 2011. The results showed that in the past 11 years, the agricultural TFP of China has increased rapidly, and technological progress was the major contributor, rather than the technical efficiency. The average annual growth rate of agricultural TFP when considering the environmental pollution was significantly lower than the value without considering environmental contamination. It indicated that environmental pollution had caused a greater loss of agricultural development efficiency in China. Seen from the comparisons among eastern, central and western regions of China, the agricultural TFP of eastern region was significantly higher than that of the central and western regions. The differences of agricultural TFP in different provinces were significant, the growth of agriculture was mainly dependent on input amount of resources, which resulted in the progressive degradation of agricultural production environment.

Shuqing Zhou, Guoyi Chen and G. Jome Konger

Study on the Shade-Tolerance Ability of Glechoma hederacea

Planting understory groundcover plants has apparent ecological and agroforestrial benefits since it can greatly improve the ecological environment. However, this requires that the groundcover plants should have a certain shade tolerance. This study examined the shade tolerance of Glechoma hederacea by examining the light-utilization characteristics of it including the rate and state of its growth under different light conditions. The results showed that, G. hederacea has the lower light compensation point, the higher light saturation point, the maximum apparent quantum efficiency, and the maximum net photosynthetic rate, which reflected that G. hederacea had a wider use range of effective light radiation and a stronger shade-tolerance ability. In stronger light conditions, G. hederacea grew faster and had longer stems, shorter internodes, also the rooting and branching situations were better compared with that in weaker light. However, this plant grew normally in weaker light, and invasion of weeds was less prominent with well-growth. Thus, G. hederacea, as a kind of shade-endurance groundcover plant, was also adaptable to the full-light environment and could be used in the plant practice of forest interplanting, playing an important role in ecological diversity and environment protection.

Wang J. Q., Yang D. P., Zhu N., Yung Demitry and Mang J. W.

Study on Removal of Cadmium(II) Ions from Wastewater Using Activated Carbon of Salvadora persica Stem

The effective removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater is among the most important issues for many industrialized countries. Removal of cadmium(II) from aqueous solutions was studied using activated carbon made from stems of Salvadora persica. Batch adsorption experiments were performed as a function of pH, contact time, solute concentration and adsorbent dose. The optimum pH required for maximum adsorption was found to be 5 for cadmium. The maximum contact time for the equilibrium condition is 180 min at the sorbent dose rate of 2.5 g. The maximum efficiency of cadmium removal by activated carbon was found to be 81.7%. The results were well fitted with both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models.

Vimla Chaudhary, Kanchan Deep Chaudhary, Nirmal Godara and Bhanupriya Mordhiya

Convergence of Regional Economic Growth and Carbon Emission Intensity in China

Following rapid economic growth, the environmental pollution is getting worse in most regions in China. Meanwhile, the urbanization and industrialization of China has not completed yet, with energy consumption continuing to grow, environmental carrying capacity is becoming smaller and smaller, which leads to emission reduction cost continues to grow. This paper analysed convergence of economic growth and carbon emission intensity of the east, central and west regions in China by using panel date, and the results show that economic growth is b conditional convergence while carbon emissions intensity is b absolute convergence. By building relation model between carbon emission intensity gap and economic gap, introducing in elastic coefficient h, it was found that when the central and west regions narrow their economic gap with the east region by 1 percent, it leads to their carbon emission intensity gap with the east region narrow by 0.5712 and 0.5900 percent respectively, which shows that when the central and west regions are narrowing their economic gap with the east region, ‘the narrowing’ is based on energy-saving and emission-reduction. At the same time it can also be found that convergent rating of economy is quicker than that of carbon emission intensity, which suggests that energy-saving and emission-reduction is still what China need to follow when promoting balanced development of regional economy. Based on the above results, some useful suggestions to promote collaborative development of regional economy and synchronous collaborative development between regional carbon emission intensity and economic development were given.

Sheng Cheng, Yang Yang and Jiangtao Liu

Experimental Study on Strength Properties of Concrete by Partial Replacement of Cement With Sugarcane Bagasse Ash

Concrete is the most widely used material for the construction. One of the important ingredients of concrete is cement. During the production of cement, large amount of CO2 is emitted, which affects the global environment. With increasing demand and consumption of cement, scientists and researchers are in search of developing alternate binders that are eco-friendly. Initiatives are emerging worldwide to strike a balance between the developments in infrastructure and prevention of the environment from contamination, by using the industrial and agricultural wastes. In this study, the feasibility of using Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SBA), a finely ground waste product from the sugarcane industry, as partial replacement for cement in conventional concrete is examined. The disposal of this material is causing environmental problems around the sugar factories. On the other hand, the boost in construction activities in the country created shortage in most of concrete making materials especially cement, resulting in an increase in price. The percentages selected for this study are 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% by the weight of cement in concrete. Based on the experimental tests, it can be concluded that SBA, an agrowaste product, can be utilized effectively in partial replacement of cement, thus reducing CO2 emissions and disposal problems to some extent.

D. Neeraja, S. Jagan, Satheesh Kumar and P. G. Mohan

Influence of Sewage Irrigation on the Heavy Metal Content of Soil and Crops

The paper deals with irrigation tests on farmlands by using different water-quality sewages, and researches on the distribution characteristics of various heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd) in soil on vertical direction after irrigation by different sewages, and the regularities of distribution of various heavy metals in different parts of wheat and corn. The results show that the contents of various heavy metals in soils of different irrigation areas are successively as follows: the industrial sewage irrigation area > the mixed sewage irrigation area > the domestic sewage irrigation area > the reclaimed water irrigation area. In different irrigation areas, the regularities of distribution of the contents of various heavy metals in wheat and corn are as follows: the content in the reclaimed water irrigation area is less, next is in the domestic sewage irrigation area, the contents in the mixed sewage irrigation area and the industrial sewage irrigation area are more. For the roots, stems and grains of wheat and corn in different irrigation areas, the contents of various heavy metals in them are increasing continuously with the increase of heavy metals in soil; and for the same irrigation area, the contents of heavy metals in the roots, stems and grains of wheat are higher than contents of Pb and Cd in grains of corn, which have exceeded National Food Safety Standards.

Xiuli Li, Daoxi Li, Dedong Liu and Liangjun Fei

Integrated Wastewater Management in Jaipur City, Rajasthan, India

Unfortunately, there are globally various examples of poor wastewater planning and management of poorly targeted government investments that targeted low priority problems ineffectively. Integrated wastewater management is essential for responsible use of the environment and affordable provision of services within an overall water resources management system. About 7.5 % of all deaths in India are due to deficiencies in safety of water sanitation or hygiene. The effective use of treated effluent for gardening, industries can save the potable water which can be sufficiently utilised in draughts in States like Rajasthan where underground water is the main source of water supply. During present work, a study has been undertaken for integrated wastewater management system for Jaipur city. The city has sufficient sewage treatment plants (STPs) to meet the wastewater generated. An attempt has been made through this article to understand the present available system to handle the water scarcity issues effectively and to suggest that no sustainable solution is likely to come up until an integrated approach including socio-political reasons behind wastewater pollution is achieved.

Amit Dass, A. S. Jethoo and M. P. Poonia

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Pigment Produced by Streptomyces coeruleorubidus

The bacterial pigments are secondary metabolites that help the producer to survive in different environments. The bacterial pigments have shown different properties such as antitumor, anticancer and antimicrobial effects. The present study was conducted to isolate soil origin Actinomycetes and to evaluate their antimicrobial pigments. In total, eighty seven soil samples were collected from different areas in Kazeroun city, Iran. The samples were serially diluted (10-1 to 10-7) and 0.1 mL of each dilution was streaked on SCA and ISP2 media and incubated at 30C° for 5 days. Then pigmented Actinomycetes were selected and subjected for propagation and pigment extraction using different solvents. To continue the experiments, the antimicrobial property of each pigment was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella dysentriae, Citrobacter ferundii, Klebsiella peumoniae, Serratia marcecens, Aspergillus sp. and Candida albicans. Furthermore, identification of the promising strain was verified by 16srDNA gene sequencing method and finally different groups in the pigment structure were determined by TLC and reagent spray tests. The results obtained indicated that out of all the isolated Actinomycetes strains, Streptomyces coeruleorubidus could produce pigment with antimicrobial property. Of all the microorganisms tested Staphylococcus aureus was more sensitive and Aspergillus sp., Candida albicans and E. coli were more resistant. Our finding concerning to structure of the pigment illustrated existence of alcohols, phenols and steroid groups in the pigment. Overall, soil origin Actinomycetes could produce pigments with antimicrobial property. Therefore, Actinomycetes pigments must be considered a special remedy for investigation in order to eliminate occurrence of antibiotic resistant microorganisms.

S. Azimi, M. Baserisalehi and N. Bahador

Water Quality Status of Sidhewadi Reservoir of Sangli District, Maharashtra (India)

This paper attempts a study on influence on environmental parameters on water quality of Sidhewadi reservoir in Tasgaon tahsil of Sangli district on the basis of water quality index (WQI). WQI was determined on the basis of various parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, total dissolved solids (TDS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) for which no earlier reports are available on this water body. During the investigation, it was observed that some parameters are within the range prescribed by WHO, ICMR, BIS, etc. but some parameters are beyond the permissible limit.

Alaka A. Patil

Briquetting Burnt Dolomite Powder for Recycling in Steel Plants

Burnt dolomite powder is the by-product in preparing raw material in steel plants. It is treated as a solid waste in the steel industry case by its small particle size. This paper discusses the potential for utilizing burnt dolomite powder by briquetting with different binders include syrup, lime and ethoxyline resin. Burnt dolomite lumps of size 30mm could be used in slag splashing process. Moreover, compressive strength, curing time and effective MgO content in burnt dolomite lumps were considered in experiment. Experiments results found that the burnt dolomite lumps with 0.9% resin binder have the best compressive strength, 20.86Mpa. Additionally, the dolomite lumps with syrup or lime binder have an excellent chemical composition of high content of active MgO and low free water content.

Yuanpei Lan, Deliang Niu, Qingcai Liu, Jian Yang, Qiang Yang and Jin Xu

Assessment of Biological Treatment Technology for Local Pollutants in Mines

The Pheretima califonica is chosen in the paper to explore the technical feasibility of processing poultry manure with earthworms in practical applications. Three technical parameters including inoculum amount of agents, thickness of buffer layer and density needed for processing fresh chicken manure outdoors by earthworms are studied and determined. The sample inspections were performed to examine water quality before and after digesting and processing chicken manure by earthworms. As can be concluded from the result, it is feasible to process fresh chicken manure by earthworms directly under outdoor environment. The optimal technical parameters are summarized as: same inoculum amount of EM agent and nitrifying bacteria agent (each with 10mL/300g of fresh chicken manure), 4cm thickness pavement of attapulgite buffer layer and the density of 12 earthworms in terms of 300g of fresh chicken manure. The water quality after digesting and degrading chicken manure by earthworms shows the obvious changes and increases in the content of inorganic nitrogen.

Liu Shuang-yue, Song Guan-zheng and Kuotame Kimity