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Impact of a Microbial-Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Trial on Microbial Communities in a Low-Temperature Heavy Oil Reservoir

In this experiment, air and nutrients were injected into a low temperature heavy oil reservoir to initiate an indigenous microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) process with a cumulative increment of 1872 t heavy oil. This study reveals the response of microbial communities in the field before and during MEOR based on culture-dependent enrichment and culture-independent 16S rRNA gene clone library methods. The results showed that it was easy to activate the biosurfactant-producing bacteria Pseudomonas in laboratory conditions, and the bacteria were also the dominant present group in the mixed oil-water samples after MEOR. Fermentative and hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria increased by 300-500%, and the acetate ion concentration also significantly increased. Microbial activity of Pseudomonas and the metabolic products including biosurfactants were proposed to be the primary mechanisms for improving heavy oil recovery. The results of this experiment can serve as a useful resource for monitoring MEOR-related microbial population, and for future related experiments.

LuJun Chai, Fan Zhang, YueHui She, Ibrahim M. Banat and DuJie Hou

Parthenium hysterophorus L.: Harmful and Beneficial Aspects - A Review

Invasive plant species have the potential to damage crops, industries, environment and public health, hence scientists, academicians, leaders of industry and land managers are realizing that invasive species are serious environmental threats for the 21st century. Parthenium weed is an annual herb in the family Asteraceae which is native to northern Mexico and southern USA. It is spreading across the length and breadth of our country. It gets easily established in almost all the places such as wasteland, roadsides, forests, railway tracks, crop fields, etc. Its high germination ability throughout the year, an enormous seed bank, rapid spread, colonization and extreme adaptability in a wide range of habitats is responsible for its wide spread occurrence. Parthenium hysterophorus L. was reported to be one of the seven most dangerous weeds of the world. It has achieved a major weed status in India and Australia within a relatively short period due to its fast multiplication, rapid growth and its ability to compete with other native flora. There are many ways like mechanical, chemical, cultural and biological to control it, but it cannot be controlled by using a single approach. Integrated approach should be the better way to manage this noxious weed. The aim of this review is to provide general information about the physiology, distribution, ill effects and management of Parthenium .

Rachna Bhateria, Renu and Snehlata

Importance of pH, Dissolved Oxygen and Light to Phosphorus Release from Ditch Sediments

The sediments in a ditch may be altered from phosphorus source to the sink, or vice-versa. This study examined the effects of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and light intensity on the amount of phosphorus release. Phosphate is most susceptible to the adsorption by sediment when the pH is 7, while phosphorus release is greater in the alkaline range and reduced in acidic conditions. The interception of microorganisms in ditches also plays an important role on phosphorus release from sediments. An oxygen-rich environment was conducive to the sorption of phosphate in overlying water, while an anoxic environment provided the opposite effect. Correspondingly, the NaOH-P emissions from sediments were greater under anoxic conditions than under oxic conditions. Light intensity also had a major effect in the overlying water on pH and ORP, further to work on phosphorus release from ditch sediments. The correlation between the light intensity and the quality of phosphorus release in the sediments was not obvious.

Tang Aiping, Wan Jinbao, Wang rong, Li Shuang and Sun Hongyan

Assessment of Duration of Exposure to Noise by the Operators in Power Tiller Workplace

Every day, millions of agricultural workers are exposed to noise at work and all the risks this can entail. The World Health Organization (WHO) states “noise-induced hearing loss is insidious, permanent and irreparable”. By using power tiller, more than the permissible exposure limit to noise may cause serious health problems to the agricultural workers. This paper examines the noise propagation of popular and most commonly used power tillers having a power rating of 11kW, 9.5kW and 4.4 kW. It was observed that all three power tillers produced the noise above 93 dB(A) in the working zone of the operator. The density of noise contour and SPL is proportional to the engine rpm or load. The working radius around PT-I, PT-II and PT-III of 3.5 m, 2 m and 5.6 m was found noisy [>90 dB(A)] and not suitable to work 8 h per day as per recommendation of ISO and OSHA. The permissible duration of exposure to noise for operator for PT-I, PT-II and PT-III varies from 7.8 h to 3.6 h, 13 h to 5.1 h and 5.3h to 2.1h, respectively for different engine rpm.

Ajay Verma, Prabhat Kumar Guru and Mukesh Kumar Pandey

Aerosols-Cloud Properties in Dynamic Atmosphere over Kedarnath Sub- Himalayan Region of India: A Long Term Study from MODIS Satellite

The present long term study deals with the aerosol-cloud optical properties carried out during 2003-2012 over Kedarnath (30.73°N, 79.07°E) of the sub-Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India with a resolution of 1°×1° grid in magnitude. The study was conducted using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. Interannual and seasonal variations of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) are examined in the light of regional synoptic climatic meteorology. Aerosol optical depths have found to be increased >28 % across Kedarnath region of India during the study period of 2003-2012. Annual mean Terra/Aqua AOD values at 550 nm displayed an increasing trend at a rate of ~0.0045/0.0089 per year respectively. Further, seasonal winter means Terra/Aqua AOD values exhibit an increasing trend at a rate of ~0.013/0.006 per year respectively. The results extracted in the present study are compared with the earlier studies as well as with the AOD values over various other Indian regions.

Adarsh Kumar

Clustering of the Districts of West Bengal Based on Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Groundwater Table Depth Towards Effective Monitoring and Management of the Valuable Water Resources

Fluctuations of groundwater table (GWT) has great role in agriculture through assured supply of irrigation in industry and other fronts. As such, probability of possible GWT also plays an important role in terms of efficient usages of this valuable resource. An attempt has been made to find probability distributions taking seasonal (January, May, August and November for 2005 to 2013) information on GWT for the districts under five agro-climatic zones of West Bengal. The study reveals that 17 districts of West Bengal, India, can be categorised into 6 probability model groups: Weibul, Normal, Weibul (3P), Log Logistic (3P), Log Normal (3P) and Gamma (3P). These models can be used to ascertain the probability of occurrences of GWT in specific district. Cluster analysis, using GWT figures for various seasons over the period of study reveals that the districts could be grouped into four clusters, which in-turn may facilitate clusterwise strategy for restricting the depletion of GWT depth or maintenance of the same. These techniques can be used for intra-district GWT analysis for efficient monitoring of GWT.

K. P. Vishwajith , P. K. Sahu, Md. Noman, B. S. Dhekale and L. Narasimhaiah

Institutional Causes and Countermeasures for Agricultural Chemical Pollution in China

Environmental problems in rural areas of China can be fundamentally solved by preventing and controlling agricultural chemical pollution. On the basis of local and foreign literature, the current research used relevant statistical data regarding the use of chemical fertilizers from 1993 to 2013 and the use of agricultural films and pesticides from 1993 to 2012. Then, the paper adopted SSPS calculation, comparative analysis, and chart analysis methods to analyse the status quo of China’s agricultural chemical pollution. Results show that between 1993 and 2013, the total amount of fertilizers used in 31 provinces and cities of China has significantly increased, and the intensity of fertilizer use increases yearly. Moreover, the number of provinces that exceeded the international standard for fertilizer use (225 kg/hm2) has increased from 8 to 28. During the same period, the ratio of fertilizer use in China has changed but remained far from scientific use. Furthermore, the use of agricultural films and pesticides between 1993 and 2012 has assumed an upward trend. Overall, China’s agricultural chemical pollution becomes increasingly serious, thereby endangering the rural environment and agricultural resources and threatening human health and life. As such, this study conducted a unique and in-depth analysis from an institutional perspective and provided countermeasures and recommendations for the institutional transition of China in terms of prevention and control of agricultural chemical pollution.

Lili Gan and Shengyun Pang

Study on the Accumulated Temperature Distribution Model of Snowmelt Flood Magnitude from the Perspective of Ecological Environmental Protection of Mountain Areas

Mountain flood that causes landslide and other geological disasters can damage the fragile ecological environment in mountain areas. In this paper, threshold and distribution model of accumulated temperature based on snowmelt flood magnitude are designed in mountainous watershed. Meanwhile, input data for this model make use of ample reliable data that include remote sensing and so on. In detail, this model simulates the average watershed temperature by using the meteorologic re-analysis data of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and calculates the average snow depth by using hyperspectral remote sensing data. In addition, the model related data comprise long-term observation experiments of the watershed, including the characteristics of accumulated snow and result of correlation between runoff and infiltration in runoff simulation experiment through distributed hydrological models (i.e., Soil and Water Assessment Tool and Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model). Finally, the average accumulated temperature of the watershed that causes snowmelt flood can be obtained through the aforementioned method, and the characteristics of the accumulated temperature distribution of the watershed area are determined based on the temperature lapse rate. The characteristics of accumulated temperature distribution can provide decision-making reference for monitoring the ecological environment in mountain areas and preventing and reducing disasters.

Yang Liu, Xian-Yong Meng, Zhi-Hui Liu and Dan-Lin Yu

Adsorption Characteristics of Lead (Pb2+) and Cadmium (Cd2+) by an Isolated Bacterium from Soil Samples Obtained from a Tungsten Mine

Eight bacterial strains were isolated from lead-cadmium contaminated soil samples obtained from a Tungsten mine. Pb2+ and Cd2+ adsorption abilities of the isolated strains were screened. One isolate, referred to as Strains S, was selected for further study because of its relatively high adsorption ability. Five factors affecting adsorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+ were studied, namely, the initial concentration of Pb2+ or Cd2+, temperature, pH, biomass of Strains S, and adsorption time. Results indicated that Strains S best adsorbed Pb2+ when the initial concentration of Pb2+ was 100 mg/L, temperature was 35°C, pH was 6.5, dosage was 0.1 g, and adsorption time was 20 min. In contrast, Strain S best adsorbed Cd2+ at an initial Cd2+ concentration of 100 mg/L, temperature of 40°C, pH 6.5, dosage of 0.1 g, and adsorption time of 20 min. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models, and the results indicated that the Langmuir model better fitted the experimental data. The results of infrared spectroscopy revealed that the functional groups involved in adsorption of Cd2+ and Pb2+ were -OH, -NH2, -S=O and -P=O. Using 16S rDNA sequencing and phenotypic properties test, Strains S was identified as Enterobacter sp.

Ming Chen, Qingyun Cai, Jinxia Nie and Qinghua Zeng

Diversity of Plants on the Alluvial Islands of Lijiang River Basin and the Physicochemical Properties of their Soil

Alluvial islands are unique river landscapes. The vegetation composition of Alluvial islands and the physicochemical properties of its soil are good indicators for studying plants in its riparian zone. This study explores and determines the relationship between the biological diversity of vegetation and the physicochemical properties of soil in the alluvial islands of Lijiang River basin. A field investigation of different vegetation gradient belts in three alluvial islands and an analysis of their soil samples is conducted. Results show that the composition of vegetation species on the three experimental plots is as follows: 6 families, 8 genera and 8 species on experimental plot (I); 8 families, 12 genera and 12 species on experimental plot (II); and 17 families, 18 genera and 18 species on experimental plot (III). Values of four plant-diversity indices, namely, Margalef richness index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Pielou evenness index and Simpson species dominance index, are substantially influenced by the vegetation gradient zone. Change in the gradient zone from gravel to bushes and trees, leads to decreased sand-grain content and increased silt and clay contents, and gravel content of surface soils significantly declines with change in gradient zones. Six types of chemical indicators of soil (organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, total potassium, and available potassium) show significant differences with change in gradient zone. Significant correlations were found between plant diversity and physicochemical properties of the soil.

Lu Yang and Wang Dongmei

Role of Duck Droppings on Pond Productivity Through Fish-Cum-Duck Integrated Farming System in Agro Climatic Condition, Assam

The study was conducted in a society pond of Gandhibasti village of Abhayapuri, Bongaigaon, Assam to assess the impact of duck droppings on water quality and pond productivity. The pond was integrated with ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) to obtain the benefit of duck litters on the pond productivity and fish growth. The mean dry weight of 80 ducks excreta was estimated as 3.864 kg/ha/day, discharging into the pond. 18,000 fingerlings. Indian major carps along with few exotic carp were stocked in the month of April, 2013. Supplementary feed was also given to the fishes in alternate days to ensure their steady growth. All the studied physico-chemical parameters were found within the permissible limit and the growth of fishes was also satisfactory. The maximum growth was recorded in Catla followed by silver carp, common carp, Rohu and Mrigala.

H. K. Kalita, B. Talukdar, R. A. Baishya, S. Basumatary, J. Das, A. Dutta, R. Ch. Barman and D. Sarma

GIS Based Oil Spill Risk Assessment Model for the Niger Delta’s Vegetation

Frequent oil spills in the Niger Delta have severely influenced the environment in oil production and transportation areas. Vegetation degradation is one of the remarkable results of oil spills in the region. Hence, GIS was used to build an Oil Spill Risk Assessment Model for Vegetation (OSRAMV) in the southern part of the Rivers state, mainly in the Bonny district to define areas under high levels of oil spill hazard and vegetation areas under high oil spill risk. Oil Spill Hazard Model (OSHM) was examined to ensure its accuracy by recorded oil spill impacted areas; 71.6% of impacted areas pixels were in severe hazard areas. Whereas none of impacted areas were located in very low, or low oil spill hazard areas. The final OSRAMV showed that 66.5% of the examined oil spill sites were located in high risk areas.

Bahaa Mohamadi, Zhong Xie and Fujiang Liu

Growth Characteristics of Oxyrrhis marina and Chattonella marina in their Co-culture Systems

This study was aimed to investigate the growth characteristics of Oxyrrhis marina and Chattonella marina in co-culture to provide experimental evidences for discussing successions of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and coastal biological communities. The colour changes of culture media of C. marina and growth characteristics of O. marina and C. marina in co-culture were analysed by the combined methods of macro-observation, microscopic examination and counting. In co-culture, the colours of culture media of C. marina had changed and their transparencies had increased with increasing elapsed incubation time after inoculated by O. marina under different initial cell densities. With the increase of the initial density of O. marina (0.17×104 cells/mL, 0.50×104 cells/mL and 0.64×104 cells/mL in C. marina culture media), the time required, that the populations of O. marina reached the stationary phases, was shorter i.e. 6d, 5d and 3d after inoculated by O. marina, respectively, and the death time of all cells of C. marina became shorter, i.e. 7d, 6d and 4d after inoculated by O. marina, respectively. During the 15 days culture period, all C. marina populations were evolved to O. marina populations. Residues of C. marina adhering to precipitates and chromatophores scattering in the culture media could strengthen the colour of culture media, C. marina populations were evolved to O. marina populations respectively within the concentrations designed in co-culture in this experiment. Disturbance feeding was one of the reasons for successions, and the results provide experimental evidences for discussing successions of red tides and coastal biological communities.

Xinlong An, Xuemei Li and Zhixia Li

Analysis of an Anomalous Flooding Event in the Peace River in Canada

This paper provides an analysis of a major river ice breakup on the Peace River in Canada, which led to the flooding of the Town of Peace River on February 28, 1992. The event is unique, as it occurred in the mid-winter under regulated river conditions with no clear explanation of its cause, and despite the implementation of extensive mitigation measures. Investigative analysis of weather and river flow conditions in the Peace River region, prior to and during this flooding event, provides clues to the possible causes of the breakup. These clues could be used to predict similar events in the future with sufficient lead time to avert the occurrence of the ice jam flooding.

Hamed Assaf

Effect of Salinity and Photoperiod on Growth of Microalgae Nannochloropsis sp. and Tetraselmis sp.

In this present study, the effect of salinity and photoperiod on the growth of Nannochloropsis sp. and Tetraselmis sp. was examined to optimize microalgal growth. Different salinities (5, 10, 15 and 20‰) for Nannochloropsis sp. and (10, 15, 20 and 25‰) for Tetraselmis sp. were studied. Both microalgae were cultivated at two different photoperiod cycles (24:0 and 12:12 h light:dark). Maximum growth rates and cell concentrations for Nannochloropsis sp. and for Tetraselmis sp. were achieved at salinities of 10 and 15‰, respectively. In terms of photoperiod, the maximum growth rates and cell concentrations for both microalgae were obtained at photoperiod of 24:0 h light:dark. This study shows that the cell concentrations and growth rates of both microalgae are highly dependent on salinity and photoperiod.

M. Fakhri, N. B. Arifin, B. Budianto, A. Yuniarti and A. M. Hariati

Optimization of Coagulation-Flocculation Process for Automotive Wastewater Treatment using Response Surface Methodology

This study was conducted to assess the optimization of the coagulation-flocculation process and to investigate the interactive effects of experimental factors in automotive wastewater treatment. Based on the coagulation-flocculation process, an automotive wastewater was treated using polyaluminium chloride as the coagulant and anionic polyacrylamide as the flocculant. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the operating variables: coagulant dosage, flocculant dosage and pH. We found that the optimum conditions for chemical oxygen demand removal (73.7%) were, a coagulant dosage of 73.3 mg/L, a flocculant dosage of 3.46 mg/L and pH 7.45. The optimum conditions for the removal of heavy metals (Fe, Cr, Cu) were, a coagulant dosage range of 65.26-170.9 mg/L, a flocculant dosage of 5.36 mg/L, and pH 6.13 (with 78.7-99.7% of heavy metals removal). The experimental data and predicted model proved that RSM is a suitable approach for optimizing the coagulation-flocculation process in automotive wastewater treatment.

Abdul Fattah Abu Bakar, Azhar Abdul Halim and Marlia Mohd Hanafiah

Evaluation and Comparison of the Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity of the 10 Main Urban Agglomerations in China

A comprehensive evaluation index system is established in this study, and evaluation and comparison of resource and environmental carrying capacity from 2005 to 2012 are conducted from four aspects, namely, land, water resource, transportation and environment. Research results show that from 2005 to 2012, the carrying capacity of the 10 main urban agglomerations increased, except for the wing of Beijing and Tianjin urban agglomeration. A significant difference in carrying capacity was observed. Among the top 10 urban agglomerations, the resource and environmental carrying capacity of the eastern region is the highest, followed by that of the central region. The resource and environmental carrying capacity of the western region is the lowest. Traffic capacity, circular economy development level, water resource consumption, and industrial pollution emission are the main reasons for the difference in resource and environmental carrying capacity.

Jiansheng Zhang, Xiuzhong Hu, Qin Li and Celly Kopytov

Study of Material Flow Analysis of Paper Waste in Municipal Solid Waste of Lahore Cantonment

This research study explains the material flow of paper from households to containers and ultimately to landfills. Moreover, it shows different behavior of various households towards the consumption of different paper products and the way they reuse them. Sampling was carried out from households, kerbside containers and landfills where material flow of paper was studied. Percentage composition was calculated on different waste items including paper. Six major paper items were segregated namely glossy paper, cardboard, tissue paper, boxboard, office paper and newspaper. Moreover, proximate analysis was carried out to find out the values for fixed carbon, ash content, moisture content and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) for different paper items mentioned above. Material flow of paper from households to kerbside containers and then to landfills was observed. The results showed that waste paper from the households is of very fine quality and before reaching to the landfill site it is either sold, reused or recovered. Today in Pakistan, the act of recovering paper from the waste stream is carried out by the informal sector which if followed by the formal sector too can raise profits and economic development.

Syeda Amber Fatima and Fizza Ilyas

Response of Ecological Base Flow to Water and Sediment Dispatching in Irrigation Areas Along Water-Deficient and Sediment-Laden River

Ecological base flow is a basic requirement of water flow for a healthy river ecosystem. But in Weihe River the ecological flow is not guaranteed because of the water shortage, high sediment concentration and considerable agricultural water use along the river. In this study, Baojixia under-tableland irrigation area was selected as a representative area to which a mathematical model of one-dimensional steady water non-uniform sediment regulation was applied, to analyse the impact of channel desilting on guaranteeing the ecological base flow of Weihe River. The results indicated that scouring and silting of the channel was significantly correlated with the channel water capacity and sediment content in water flows. In addition, channel desilting contributed to 55.9×104m3 and 79.2×104m3 water saving in the irrigation area in January and December which belonged to the dry season. Their contribution rates to basic flow were 3.5% and 4.9%, respectively.

Hongjie Wang, Jianen Gao, Jianmei Ji, Xiuquan Xu and Chunhong Zhao

Quantifying the Impact of Climate, Irrigation and Nitrogen on Winter Wheat Yield in Guanzhong Plain of Northwest China

Wheat (Triticum durum) yields have increased significantly because of the increasing higher irrigation and fertilizer inputs since the last half of 20th century. With varying climate and rising population, increasing focus is being given to enhancing resource use efficiency while increasing yields. This study utilized the CERES (Crop Estimation through Resource and Environment Synthesis) - Wheat model to analyse the impact of irrigation, nitrogen (N) and climate on wheat yield, using 58-year climate data. Analyses were conducted using four assumed scenarios with step-by-step method. Results showed that the optimum irrigation and nitrogen ranges were not uncertain when taking into account a single factor. When considering both irrigation and nitrogen, the impact of irrigation on simulated grain yield was greater than that of nitrogen, which was similar to the results obtained from the experiments. The average variation in grain yield was attributed to irrigation (46.8%), nitrogen (5.5%) and climate (2.4%). Besides, relative humidity and maximum temperature were consistently and significantly correlated with grain yield under all conditions, while precipitation had a significant correlation with grain yield when no irrigation or N was applied, or one of them was applied. However, solar radiation was significantly correlated with grain yield when both irrigation and N were available.

Jianmei Ji, Huanjie Cai, Jianqiang He and Jian Wang

Bispyribac Sodium Persistence in Soil, Plant and Grain in Direct Seeded Rice and its Effect on Soil Properties

A field experiment on direct-seeded rice was conducted during kharif 2011 and 2012 at the College Farm, ANGRAU Hyderabad, to study the influence of different doses of bispyribac sodium 10% SC (10, 15, 20, 25 and 40 g a.i/ha) on physical, physico-chemical and fertility properties of the soil. Persistence of the herbicide in soil from application to harvest of the crop and the residues in plant samples at harvest were also studied. No significant changes in physical (texture, bulk density, particle density, pore space, maximum water holding capacity), physico-chemical (pH, EC, CEC, organic carbon) and fertility properties of the soil (available N, P2O5 and K2O) were noticed at any of the applied doses. Bispyribac sodium dissipation in soil followed a first-order decay process. Half-life (DT50) of bispyribac sodium was 13.10 days, 10.21 days and 9.93 days at 40 g/ha, 25 g/ha and 20 g/ha doses respectively. DT90 values were also calculated. No detectable residues of bispyribac sodium were found in the straw or grain at the time of harvest.

T. Ramprakash, M. Madhavi, M. Yakadri and A. Srinivas

A Study on Coupling and Coordinating Development Mechanism of China’s Low-carbon Development and Environmental Resources System

With the rapid development of China’s modern industry, human beings have consumed enormous amounts of high-carbon energy resources. This has caused huge destruction to the systems of environmental resources. Low-carbon development is the best solution to the irrational demand for natural resources, environmental pollution and other associated problems. This study discusses the coupling and coordinating mechanism of low-carbon development and environmental resource system. Herein, we argue that low-carbon development is a necessary requirement for the improvement of environmental resource system and it can promote an effective utilization of environmental resource. The improvement of environmental resource system is also conducive to low-carbon production. This paper studies 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, establishes index system, comprehensively applies entropy evaluation method and coupling coordination model, measures the coupling and coordination degree of two systems, and arrives at the following conclusions. From 2000 to 2013, the comprehensive level and the coordinating degree of China’s low-carbon development and environmental resource system generally increased, Shandong and Guangdong rank at the top of provincial-level administrative region, the two provinces also have a high coordinating degrees. Also, this study puts forward several policy recommendations to upgrade the coupling and coordinating development of low-carbon and environmental resource system.

Haibin Cong, Deling Zou, Fuxiang Wu and Qiufang Zhang

Delineation of Groundwater Potential Zones in Vettikavala Block, South Kerala, India Using Geospatial Technology

Geospatial technology was utilized in this study to specifically delineate groundwater potential zones. IRS-LISS III data in conjunction with Survey of India toposheet (1:50,000) and extensive field data were used for the preparation of various thematic maps. Various thematic maps have been prepared for geology, geomorphology, slope, relative relief, land use, drainage density, lineament density, transmissivity, storativity and water table fluctuation. Thematic maps have been integrated in GIS by assigning suitable rank and weightage to each parameter based on their respective significance. Integrated groundwater potential map is a genuine tool decidedly resourceful for sustainable groundwater development and management. The charisma of this innovative method is that, this model can be used in any other area to functionally demarcate groundwater potential zones, and hence will be of immense societal significance.

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

Influence of Mulching and NPK Levels on Growth, Yield and Economics of Pearl Millet in Bael Based Agri-Horticultural System under Rainfed Vindhyan Region

A field experiment was conducted during kharif season of 2013 to find out the effect of mulching and NPK levels on pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) in bael (Aegle marmelos) based agri-horti system under rainfed condition of Vindhyan region. There were twelve treatment combinations comprised of three levels of mulching (no mulch, wheat straw mulch and dust mulch) and four levels of RDF NPK (50%, 75%, 100%, 125%). The experiment was laid out under split-plot design with three replications. Significant improvement was recorded in growth and yield attributes viz., plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of tillers per plant, dry matter accumulation per plant, number of ears per plant, ear length, number of grains per ear, 1000-grain weight, grain yield, stover yield, harvest index (%), nutrient uptake and economic returns. Significantly higher yield of pearl millet (1908 kg/ha) was observed in the plot that received 125% RDF, which was found at par with the 100% RDF and in case of mulching, the maximum yield was observed with dust mulch (1942 kg/ha) than all other treatments. The application of dust mulch and 125% of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) NPK (T12) treatment have distinct superiority as compared to all other treatments under bael based agri-horti system and more suitable for moisture conservation practice in pearl millet.

Sandeep Kumar, Achin Kumar, Sumit Rai, Suryakant and Rajesh Singh

Calculation and Estimation of the Carbon Footprint of Paint Industry

The world’s climate is changing rapidly, and these changes are having detrimental impacts on human health and the environment. Major part of it is contributed by the anthropogenic activities. The current study is undertaken for the estimation and calculation of the carbon footprint of the paint industry. In order to find out the greenhouse gas emissions released by the industry, the carbon footprint of the industry was calculated following the greenhouse gas (GHG’s) protocol guidelines. The study includes emissions from different sources. Scope 1 emissions account for the direct emissions, these include emissions from industry owned boilers, generators, furnaces and vehicles. The Scope 2 emissions account for the indirect emissions, emitted from purchased electricity and natural gas generation. And Scope 3 emissions include emissions generated from waste disposal and employee business travel. The highest amount of emissions was released from Scope 1 which was 714 tCO2e followed by Scope 2 emissions which were calculated to be 703.011 tCO2e and then Scope 3 emissions which were 105.733 tCO2e. The total carbon footprint calculated for the industry was 2105.733 tCO2e.

Samia Saif, Anum Feroz, M. Asif Khan, Sana Akhtar and Asim Mehmood

Studies on the Development of Eco-friendly Self-healing Concrete - A Green Building Concept

Cracks are the main cause for structural failure. One way to circumvent costly manual maintenance and repair is to incorporate an autonomous self-healing mechanism in concrete. This study exploited the potential to apply calcite-precipitating bacteria as a crack-healing agent in concrete. These bacteria were prepared in different cell concentrations and incorporated in the concrete mix. Compressive strength tests were performed at the stage of 28th day of curing. The effects of different cell concentrations of Bacillus sphaericus on concrete, reducing the crack, were studied. We used mortar cubes with 30mL of bacteria/mortar cube and sequentially increased up to 50mL (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50mL) in the ratio of mortar cubes in 1:6. The concrete grade used for the study was M25. At last, we had made concrete blocks of size 150×150×150 mm with concrete of grade M25. For those blocks, the compressive strength and non-destructive tests such as, rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were performed. The results obtained in the work are that the compressive strength of blocks of size 150×150×150 mm is good when compared to control concrete. When load is applied to control concrete, the crack gets developed earlier and when bacterial concrete is used, the crack does not develop at an early stage.

A. Gandhimathi and D. Suji

Application of Biotechnology in Forestry: Current Status and Future Perspective

Biotechnology provides important tools for the sustainable development of agriculture, fisheries and forestry, and can be of significant help in meeting an indispensable part in the rise of human civilization. It is indeed often considered as one of the fields of scientific research in which the most rapid advances have been made in recent years. It includes the unique roles and functions that trees, major structural constituents of forest ecosystems have, their special biological characteristics, and their importance in the provision of environmental, social and economic goods and services. Forest trees have unquestionably entered the genomic era. Biotechnological tools viz., transgenic technology, RNA interference, functional genomics, marker assisted selection, QTL and tissue culture etc. have paved road for successful exploitation and integration of scientific fields with an increased sense of urgency for delivery of cutting edge research in tree biotechnology, both in academia and industry. Advances and integration of such fields will have a great impact in many respects, and will continue to provide new information, thereby offering exciting prospects for future tree improvement programs worldwide.

Vikas Kumar, Sandeep Rout, Manoj K. Tak and Deepak K.R.

Correlation Analysis and Forecasting Changes in Yongding River Water Quality Based on Information Entropy and Gray System Theory

The Yongding River is the mother river of Beijing. However, due to the environmental pollution caused by the economic development, the water and coastal environment of this river has suffered from great destruction. The ecological restoration of the Yongding River is imperative. In this paper, we analysed seven basic water quality indicators in Yongding River based on Information Entropy and found that the main factors for affecting water quality were ammonia and CODMn. Then the basic water quality indicators were predicted, based on Grey System GM(1,1) model and we concluded that turbidity and conductivity would grow fastest in the next 20 years. Finally, we made some reasonable ideas and methods in Yongding River ecological restoration.

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

Study on Sulphate Pollution of Surface Water Environment

The subject in this paper is the surface water of Yuecheng Reservoir in Handan. On the premise of analysing variation characteristics of sulphate of Yuecheng Reservoir, we recognized reasons of increased sulphate concentration value resulting in water pollution. It drew conclusions that sulphate concentration in Yuecheng Reservoir varied significantly during winter and reached maximum. At the same time, there was a significant correlation between sulphate concentration of atmospheric precipitation in urban areas and sulphate concentration of Yuecheng Reservoir, which was because that the sulphate of atmospheric precipitation reached to the reservoir by surface runoff, having a certain degree of influence on the sulphate concentration of Yuecheng Reservoir.

Jihong Zhou, Yamin Wen, Qi Jiang and Xianwei Liu

Removal of Nickel from Aqueous Solutions by Activated Carbon Prepared from Sewage Sludge

Activated carbon has been prepared from sewage sludge of the municipal wastewater treatment plant using chemical activation method. Porous structure of activated carbon was characterized by nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. It was also characterized by its surface area and porosity. Its surface is an irregular and porous structure. Then it was used as an adsorbent for the removal of nickel ions from aqueous solution. The effects of parameters such as contact time and initial nickel ion concentration were investigated. The adsorption kinetics of nickel ions in aqueous solution onto activated carbon was investigated through experimental data. The results showed that the adsorption process was perfectly fitted to the pseudo-second order model with very high regression coefficient. It may be evaluated as an environmental friendly and extra economic treatment of nickel ions in aqueous solution.

Muqing Qiu and Shuiying Xiong

The Reverse Based Identification of Source Intensity Changes in Sudden Pollution Accidents in Medium River

Based on the migration and transformation features of pollution sources in wide and shallow rivers, several monitoring points of water quality were set in the downstream to obtain a series of monitoring information. The changes of source intensity were, therefore, determined to present the problems in the inversion of instantaneous pollution sources during sudden pollution accidents. The research employs a differential evolution (DE) algorithm to inverse the location and number of emissions of pollutants discharged. The results show that the DE algorithm can accurately identify the sizes and locations of pollution sources and provide technical support for the identification of pollution sources. The research explored the impact of monitoring schemes on the accuracy of inversion results. It is of technical significance for manipulating and optimizing the emergency monitoring plans.

Rui Huang, Long-xi Han, Wen-long JIN, Hui Peng, Man-man PAN and Hong Zhang

Comparative Study of Performance Evaluation of UASB Reactor for Treating Synthetic Dairy Effluent at Psychrophilic and Mesophilic Temperatures

Dairy industry contributes to the pollution of the environment, both in quality and quantity. It generates about 0.2 to 10 L of effluent per liter of milk processed. Up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket is most suitable for biodegradable wastes, hence the present study evaluated the performance of UASBR through a laboratory model (25 liters of volume) for treating the dairy effluent with maintained psychrophilic temperature (15-20ºC) at phase I and mesophilic temperature (30-40ºC) at phase II. This model was studied for its treatment efficiency in terms of COD reduction. In the phase I, the average varying influent COD applied over the model are 1684, 2693, 3160, 3637, and 4059 mg/L with flow rates for each average influent COD as 4.80, 9.60, 14.40, 19.20 and 24.00 L/d. It was found that, successful COD removal of 91.42% was for the operating conditions of OLR at 0.039 kg COD/kg VSS day, VLR at 0.70 kg COD/m3 day and HRT at 5.21 days. In the phase II the average varying influent COD of 2316, 2827, 3329, 3908 and 4522 mg/L were applied with same flow rates. The experimental work on UASBR model was found successful with 94.70% COD removal under the operating conditions of OLR at 0.037 kg COD/kg VSS day, VLR at 0.630 kg COD/m3day and HRT at 5.21 days. The reactor achieved BOD, TSS, TDS, N and P removal efficiency, observed in phase I and II, as 91%, 82%, 89%, 42% and 46% and 96.4%, 86%, 91%, 41% and 50% respectively.

R. Sivakumar and V. Sekaran

Purification of Industrial Enterprises Wastewater from Petroleum Products Using New Granular Hydrophobic Sorbents

The authors propose to use the dried carbonate sludge of chemical water purification (CWP), Kazan CHP-1 as a sorbent of petroleum products. Oil capacity was assessed by its ratio to the most distributed TPS oil products in the wastewater: turbine oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, reduced fuel oil, and oil of the Shiiskoe deposit. The result of the studies show that, one of the disadvantages of the sludge as an oil product sorbent is its hydrophilicity. To obtain a hydrophobic sorbent as a slurry modifier, the GKZh-94M water repellent organic silicon liquid was used (136-157M, TU 6-02-691-76). To impart water-repellent properties to the sludge, its surface is hydrophobized. At hydrophobic treatment, the sorption capacity is increased 2.5-fold relative to the starting sludge. When using a hydrophobic finely dispersed sludge in dry bulk, a number of problems arise viz., there is a hydrophobic “plug”, and wall surface effect of the fluid flow occurs. It is possible to avoid these problems and to use the maximum sorption capacity of hydrophobic sludge in dry bulk filter by decreasing the bulk density, i.e. forming granules. Volumetric and surface hydrophobization of granules was investigated. Study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of purification of sorbents in the dynamic conditions, simulating the industrial adsorption filter. Purification efficiency was more than 98% and the concentration of petroleum products in the permeate was less than 0.1 mg/dm3. We investigated the physical and mechanical properties of local soils with the addition of waste sorbents. According to the results of the research, there is a beneficial effect of introducing a waste sorbent as a modifier in the fortified ground, consisting in the growth of frost resistance and tensile strength in bending.

Nikolaeva Larisa Andreevna, Laptev Anatolii Grigor’evich and Golubchikov Maksim Alekseevich

Performance Study on Microbial Fuel Cell Treating Restaurant Wastewater

Microbial fuel cell is regarded as a new wastewater treatment technology, which has the advantages of high-efficiency, low energy consumption, clean and environmental protection. As a complex biological electrochemical reaction system, many factors will have significant impacts on its performance. Solving the bottleneck problem of microbial fuel cell, operation is the key precondition to promote its practical application. This paper studies the effect of electrolyte and electrode area on the microbial fuel cell for wastewater treatment through experiments, so as to provide the basis for applying microbial fuel cells into an actual wastewater treatment system. The experimental results show that using microbial fuel cells for restaurant wastewater treatment, we can achieve water purification effect in certain, and electrolyte and electrode area are important factors affecting the wastewater treatment performance. By choosing a suitable cathode electrolyte, the sewage treatment performance of the microbial fuel cell can be improved effectively.

FAN Li-ping and MIAO Xiao-hui

Incidence of Airborne Biocomponents in Context to Meteorological Parameters Over Some Crop Fields

The present investigation was undertaken to understand the incidence of various biocomponents over jowar (Sorghum vulgare) field, wheat field, groundnut field and maize field. Environmental monitoring was carried out by operating continuous volumetric Tilak Air Sampler for 4 consecutive Rabi seasons, for the first time in this unexplored locality. Apart from dust particles and fungal bio-aerosols, remaining 5 biocomponents are reported in this paper which belonged to the group ‘Other types’, comprising of hypha fragments, insect scales (parts), pollen grains, trichomes (hairs) and unidentified fungal spores. From the various crop fields studied, these bio components contributed highest (15.8%) over wheat field and lowest (9.4%) over maize field to the total airspora. Airborne biocomponents obtained peak in the month of November over wheat field (17.8%) and groundnut field (16.6%), when there was a record of 22.5°C and 21.8°C mean temperature, 54.4% and 56.7% mean relative humidity and 10.4 mm and 14.5 mm rainfall respectively. Similar peak was obtained in the air over jowar field (11.6%) and maize field (11.3%) in the month of March, when there was a record of 30.6°C and 30.1°C mean temperature, 42.4% and 42.2% mean relative humidity and nil record of rainfall. Allergenic nature of hyphal fragments, insect scales and pollen grains causing allergy and allergenic ailments in human health hazards is also presented in this paper.

Avinash V. Karne

Application of Regression Analytical Method in Dynamic Prediction of River Water Quality

It is very important to accurately predict the river water quality. Prediction of river water quality has been closely watched in water resources evaluation, and is the primary work of scientific planning and management of water resources and exploitation. The accuracy of prediction will directly influence whether we can work out a reasonable plan and management measures. According to the relationship of river water quality with the influencing factors, regression method is used to predict the tendency of river water quality. The influencing factors include rainfall, sediment and runoff. This study could provide reference and guidance for further exploitation of river water.

Jianbo Pan, Gao Zhou and Dedong Liu

Influence of Fencing Time on Vegetation Community Structure and Species Diversity in Sandy Grassland of Ningxia in China

To investigate ecological restoration processes of sandy grassland, the areas of different fencing time (6, 11, 23 years) and non-fencing area were chosen in Yachi County of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. By quadrat method, the vegetation of the study region was investigated for the impacts of different fencing time on vegetation community structure and biodiversity. The type of dominant species in different areas were as follows: annual and biennial herbs (non-fencing area), semi-shrubs (6 years area), perennial herbs and semi-shrubs (11 years area) and perennial herbs (23 years area). The result showed that the values of vegetation coverage, density, biomass and height in fencing areas were higher than non-fencing area. In short-term period of less than 6 years, fencing increases biodiversity and makes community structure more stable, but long-term fencing of more than 11 years is not conducive to vegetation restoration. It suggested that rational uses of grassland such as grazing or cutting can be used in sandy grassland in semi-arid areas.

Xiaodan Liu, Kebin Zhang and Bilal Ahmad

Biodiversity of Avian Fauna of Vansda National Park, Gujarat: Conservation Issues

The Vansda National Park is situated in Navsari in South Gujarat. It has a unique identity because the Park falls on the northern-most limit of the Western Ghats, and is famous for the biodiversity of flora and fauna, especially for birds, such as Indian great black woodpecker, heart-spotted woodpecker, lesser golden backed woodpecker, grey hornbill, spotted munia, racket-tailed drongo and pheasant-tailed jacana, etc., which have become extremely rare species, but are fairly common in the Dang’s forest. The majority of birds are observed during the winter followed by rainy and summer season. The area is inhabited by more than 99 different type of birds, out of these 28 are residential migratory or local migratory, 10 are migratory, 4 are water migratory and 57 are resident. Family Accipitridae was found as dominant containing maximum species (15) followed by Ardeidae (9), Phasianidae (7), and Anatidae, Dicaeidae, Muscicapidae, Rallidae and Sturnidae (4). About 50 per cent of all the species recorded have been insectivorous. Based on the frequency of occurrence and the numbers of different species encountered, it was found that a large number of bird species occur with a small population.

Vikas Kumar

Dynamics Simulation of Vapour Assisted Ammonia Pollution Removal By Pulse Discharge Method

Though ammonia (NH3) is one of the most highly produced inorganic chemicals in the world, its pollution disadvantage on air and water have drawn much attention. In this article, the NH3 removal is investigated through pulse discharge method. A zero dimensional molecular reaction model is established and solved. The vapour assisting effect on the NH3 gas removal is discussed due to the extremely soluble character of NH3. Simulation indicates that the vapour additive has affected the H2 and N2 generating process. For vapour with several thousand’th ratio mixed, the electron collision on H2O has been ignored. The results show that lower concentration vapour improves the removal efficiency in a very small extent, but higher vapour deteriorates it, with the optimal mixing concentration ratio between H2O and NH3 as 0.75:1000. For vapour with several tenth ratio mixed, the electron collision process on H2O molecules is considered. More H2O additive has significantly improved the NH3 removal efficiency by accelerating the H2 and N2 generation process. At the vapour ratio of 750‰, the removal efficiency is 64.28%, which is remarkably higher than that of 37.81% without vapour added. H2O additive has saving of 70% energy consumption. The initial NH3 concentration is another factor to influence the removal efficiency. The higher the initial NH3 input, the less the H2O is decomposed into OH and H by electron impact, and the removal efficiency is decreased consequently.

Xiaojun Wang

Research on Content, Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of PAHs in Surface Dust in Shenyang City

As the “source” and “collector” of PAHs, surface dust in cities, cause invisible, potential and long-term destructions to ecosystems. PAHs content in the surface dust and distributions of functional areas in Shenyang city was discussed systematically. PAHs composition differences in different functional areas were analysed. It was concluded that parks and residential districts present the least PAHs pollution, while commercial districts and roads suffer the heaviest PAHs pollution. Different functional areas show similar composition of PAHs. Most PAHs are high-ring ones, accompanied with some low-ring PAHs. The content of high-ring PAHs is proportional to the number of rings or molecular weight. PAHs pollution and health risk in Shenyang city were evaluated through various methods. Results demonstrated that PAHs pollution in Shenyang city has reached a high level, which is threatening the local ecological environment and human health significantly.

Yue Li, Le Zhang, Wei Hou Yuli Li and Xiaojun Li

Water Quality Prediction Based on BP Neural Network at Dahuofang Reservoir, China

To ensure the safety of drinking water, understanding the trends of water quality in water resource and to provide a scientific basis for water quality management, a three-layer BP neural network is selected to simulate and predict six water quality indicators of the outbound of Dahuofang Reservoir. The six water quality indicators are dissolved oxygen, five days’ biochemical oxygen demand, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. Training the model with water quality data from 2005 to 2011, Levenberg-Marguardt optimization algorithm is adopted to train samples. After reaching the error requirement, simulate the model with the water quality monitoring data in 2012 and test the model accuracy. Simulation results show that the accuracy of the model prediction is higher in 2012. It is proved that this model can be used to predict water quality of the outbound mouth in Fushun section, and the model provides a theoretical basis for improving the water quality of the reservoir area and can be used to guide the actual water quality management.

Lingling Ma, Linfei Zhou and Tieliang Wang

Effects of Different Ways to Return Biomass on Soil and Crop Nutrient Contents

Using wheat and corn as the selected crops, this study aims to explore the effects of different ways to return biomass, on soil and crop yield with wheat and corn straw, and the biochar made by them as the material. The results exhibited that the different ways of returning biomass could significantly improve the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the content of organic matter after the harvesting of two annual crops. The soil nutrient content showed a rising trend in general, and the effect was most significant when the biochar consumption was the most. The soil total nitrogen content in wheat and corn season significantly increased by 100% and 16.2% respectively compared with the control. The soil mineral nitrogen content and available P content in wheat season significantly increased by 0.9% and 217% respectively compared with the control. And the soil mineral nitrogen content, available P content and available K content in corn season significantly increased by 21.2%, 30% and 90% respectively compared with the control. The effects of direct straw application to soil was a bit poor, and it had no significant effect on crops yield, but it can promote plants to absorb nutrients, and the effect increased with the increase of biomass usage. The effect of sole biochar application is better than that of direct straw application.

Thi-Huong Nguyen, Yan-An Tong, Nhu-Trung Luc and Cheng Liu

Variability of Organic Matter Sources and Phytoplankton Community Structure During the 19th Century under Global Warming Background in the Chukchi Sea

Multi-biomarker of sediment core P7200 obtained from the Chukchi Sea during the First Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition was measured to indicate changes of the source of organic matter, the primary productivity and the phytoplankton community structure through the 19th century. The results show that the organic matters in the Chukchi Sea are mainly from the terrigenous source, marine organisms and ice-rafted debris, and the ratio of terrigenous and oceanic inputs has increased over the 19th century. The total primary productivity has been elevated by nearly 100% in the century and the phytoplankton community structure also exhibits significant variability. The relative abundance of diatom increases dramatically, while that of cocolith decreases obviously and almost constant for the dinoflagellate. It is suggested that the changes of the source of organic matter, the primary productivity and the phytoplankton community structure are associated with global warming. However, elevated primary productivity and the altered phytoplankton community structure may strengthen the ability of CO2 absorbing in the Chukchi Sea, which may weaken the greenhouse effect and should be regarded as one of the negative feedback mechanisms to the global warming.

Zhao Qingying, Chen Ronghua, Zhang Haisheng, Yu Peisong and Lu Bing