Cover

Content and other pages

Effects of Sand-fixing Vegetation on Topsoil Properties in the Mu Us Desert, Northwest China

Planting vegetation to restore the soil environment is one of the most important methods for combating desertification. Reasonable vegetation type and vegetation coverage has an important role in sand control and the regional ecological security. The objective of this study is to clarify the appropriate type and coverage of sand-fixing vegetation in the Mu Us Desert. We identified changes in the topsoil properties as affected by different types and coverage of sand-fixing vegetation, and assessed the relationship between the soil fractal dimension (D) and major soil properties. Our results showed that: (1) with increasing cover of sand-fixing vegetation, fine soil material and soil nutrient content increased, indicating that the soil environment could accelerate restoration after planting or recovery of sand-fixing vegetation; (2) there were significant positive relationships between D and soil properties, which indicated that D was a sensitive and useful index for evaluating the influence of sand-fixing vegetation on soil physicochemical properties; and (3) recovery of natural vegetation using fencing should be given priority in areas where the soil matrix is not completely destroyed, and plant cover should be maintained at approximately 40% to 60%. We suggest that native shrubs, rather than trees, should be considered when choosing a sand-fixing vegetation.

Dongqing Fan, Shugao Qin, Yuqing Zhang, Bin Wu, Hao Gao, Dong Chen, Jiachen Zhang and Linfeng Zhu

Spatial Pattern and Environmental Quality Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soils of Central Agricultural Areas, China

Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in surface soils of central agricultural areas were investigated to evaluate the environmental quality of these potentially toxic elements using 603 samples. The following average concentrations were obtained: Cu, 21.8 mg/kg; Ni, 28.4 mg/kg; Cr, 74.0mg/kg; Co, 13.2 mg/kg; Mn, 677.1 mg/kg; Pb, 28.2 mg/kg; Hg, 0.047 mg/kg; Cd, 0.194 mg/kg; Zn, 63.7 mg/kg. Correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the results and identifying the possible sources of these potentially toxic elements. Distribution maps of the elements were created using the inverse distance weighted interpolation method. The nine metals exhibited generally distinct geographical patterns. Results showed that 6,730 km2 of the study area presented higher pollution indices and was slightly polluted.

Chunlin Yang, Ruiping Guo, Xiujuan Ren, Qingling Yue, Bingli Wang, Xihuan Zhang, Anbang Zhang, Dafu Wu, Dongfang Li, Yongzhuo Liu, Yanling Guo and Ying Zhang

Managing Multi-functional Forests Using Forest Development types (FDTs) - A Perspective from Monoculture Forests in Southern Subtropical China

The Chinese Government wants to develop mixed stands with complex structures, particularly in monoculture forest areas. However, despite the enthusiasm for planting trees, is sufficient thought being given to the development of forestry objectives? A logical alternative would seem to describe the structure of such mixed stands through the use of specific-model management tools. This paper conceptualizes and assesses forest development types (FDTs) of management designs and silvicultural principles across three contemporary forest development types: the restoration, the nature-based, and the commercial paradigms. Forest development type design and silvicultural treatments were conceptualized from a review and case studies. The study was conducted as a case study focusing on the planning and development of long-term management goals for three mixed stands for multiple uses. Using FDTs, visual representations of planting design and stand development were obtained as a basis for the “expert” assessment of five criteria: the forest overview, the objectives, the proportion of tree species, the mix type, and the management operations. The assessment showed that forests vary considerably among planting designs and silvicultural systems. FDTs utilizing succession and variation in species, diversity, growth and tree regeneration offer an extended paradigm of multi-functional management. With regard to the ongoing move from timber-dominated forestry to the multifunctional management of mixed stands, fostering dialogue may be the most effective means for forest development types to contribute to the implementation of new management paradigms.

Lifeng Pang, JunJiang and YuanchangLu

Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Quality Between Injambakkam-Thiruvanmyiur Areas, South East Coast of India

The study aims to understand the distribution of groundwater quality in coastal regions from Injambakkam-Thiruvanmyiur areas, Chennai. Groundwater samples were collected from the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu. The objectives of the study are to determine the groundwater quality characteristics such as pH, alkalinity, electrical conductivity, chloride, hardness, total dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen and map the spatial distribution of groundwater quality in the study area by using open source software Quantum GIS (QGIS). The physico-chemical parameters and the quality of the water vary with space and thus mapping it with the GIS is an efficient way to draw conclusions about the study area. Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation method was used to create various raster maps which show the spatial distribution. With the present study it is found that, most of the regions in the southern part of the study area have poor to very poor quality based on the Water Quality Index (WQI).

K. Ilayaraja and A. Ambica

Impact of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Runoff and Sediment Environment in Wei River Basin

The impact of the soil and water conservation measures in the process of river runoff and sediment discharge has caused wide attention. The Wei River, which has a serious water shortage and a high sediment concentration, was selected as the research watershed. Based on the measured data of rainfall, runoff and sediment, the statistical methods of wavelet analysis, Mann-Kendall test, and double cumulative curve were used to analyse the impact of soil and water conservation on runoff and sediment environment in Wei River Basin. The results showed that the river transported sediment increased during 1930s-1970s, and the average increasing rate was about 0.035×108 t/a. And the river transported sediment decreased after 1970s and the average decreasing rate was about 0.047×108 t/a. The relationship between water and sediment in Wei River Basin can be divided into two phases i.e., from 1940-1970s and after 1970s. From the 1940s to 1970s, there was less human activity, such as soil and water conservation, in the Wei River Basin, so the runoff and sediment yield changes were mainly affected by climate change. When the runoff was larger, the sediment load was larger and when the runoff was smaller, the sediment load was also smaller. After 1970s, large-scale measures of soil and water conservation were developed, which has great impact on soil erosion and sediment yield of basin and resulted in changing of laws between the runoff and sediment load. When the runoff was larger, the sediment load was smaller and when the runoff was smaller, the sediment load was also smaller, especially after 1997. It was concluded that the soil and water conservation play an important role in the reduction of the sediments of river. And when the comprehensive treatment reaches a certain level of governance, it has positive environmental benefits for both sediment and runoff.

Hongjie Wang, Jianen Gao, Hong Wang and Li Liu

Effect of Forest Composition and Dynamics of Light on Seedlings and Saplings of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) in Northeastern China

Natural regeneration of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc.) in northeastern China has often been problematic in mixed broad-leaved Korean pine forests (primary forest), but not in deciduous broad-leaved forests (secondary forest). Light transmittance, soil temperature, leaf area index (LAI), height and diameter of Korean pines were estimated in order to examine the contribution of composition and the dynamics of light to Korean pine regeneration in two forests. A spatial point pattern analysis was carried out to investigate the response of seedlings and saplings to light regimes and their relationship with mature trees, graded by size. We draw the following results: (1) light conditions were better in the secondary forest than in the primary forest in late spring (June and July) before the leaf expansion and the secondary forest received more light before leaf expansion and less light penetration in the early summer (August); (2) our spatial analysis indicated that seedlings are negatively correlated with saplings and exhibit a higher degree of clumping than saplings. Relationships of seedlings with mature pines and all sizes of other mature trees appeared random, whereas saplings were negatively associated with small, medium and large mature trees. Our findings suggest that the effect of forest composition on regeneration mainly occurred before the leaf expansion in late spring.

Junlong Yang, Guochun Zhang, Wenhui Liu and Qijing Liu

Calculation and Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Regional Logistics Ecosystem: A Study in China

Regional logistics with a large quantity of energy consumption and carbon emissions has great important impacts on the regional ecological environment. Therefore, constructing the regional logistics ecosystem has become a crucial way to minimize the environmental impacts. This paper aims to accurately obtain the characteristics and causes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of regional logistics ecosystem. It firstly analyses the main factors affecting carbon emissions of regional logistics ecosystem, and then builds the calculation model and the performance evaluation model of carbon emissions of regional logistics ecosystem respectively based on regional logistics activities and their energy consumption structures. According to energy consumption statistics of 30 provinces in China, it calculates the total amounts and differences of CO2 emissions of logistics activities in different regions of China. The results illustrate that the overall regional logistics ecosystem in China is in its initial stage with huge carbon emissions; and there are significant variations in CO2 emission intensities of regional logistics and CO2 emission amounts per unit of cargo turnover between different regions. This research offers accurate information for policy making of logistics industry and setting the carbon emission reduction targets in different regions of China.

Lingyun Zhou, Zhonghua Gu, Gang Zhao and Jianfeng Luo

A Model for Assessing Water Purification Capacity of Algae to Eutrophication at Large-Scale

It has been observed that water in the reservoirs has a trend towards eutrophication even under natural environment, while human activity makes the situation worse. Studies on eutrophication are mainly focused on nutritive salt control. It is an effective method to remove the nutrient substance by using attached algae; however, due to experimental limitations, the theoretical results from the lab study are commonly inapplicable to the natural environment. In this paper, based on a case study on the Hada reservoir, we have built a hydrodynamic-quality model that represents the current state of the reservoir. With the help of the model, we can verify the development of eutrophication of the reservoir and simulate the spatial-temporal evolvement, using Cladophora, to deal with eutrophication within a shallow water reservoir.

Wang Wei-zhuo, Bian Jian-min and Lu Wenxi

Linear Discriminant Function Analysis for the Different Characters of Pigeonpea (Cajanus Cajan (L.) Millsp) Accessions

Variations in different characters of the pigeonpea were studied using 122 accessions under rainfed condition during 2013. The characters considered viz., days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height (cm), days to physiological maturity, pods per plant, pod bearing length (cm), seeds per pod, 100 seed weight (g) and seed yield per plant (g) were used for the analysis. K-means cluster analysis was carried out based on the mean values and classified 122 accessions into four distinct clusters. The cluster-I (14 accessions), cluster-II (40 accessions), cluster-III (17 accessions) and in fourth cluster 51 accessions were distinctly classified. It is found that, days to physiological maturity, pods per plant, days to 50 per cent flowering and pod bearing length (cm) were significant discriminating characters. The stepwise discriminant analysis showed that pods per plant and days to physiological maturity were highly discriminating characters and these two characters were explained by the 98.8 percent variation in the accessions studied and these accessions were classified 97.5 percent correctly in the four clusters.

Pavan Kumar S. T., Avinalappa H. H., Tuppad G. B., Adam Kamei, Nethravathi K. H., Dharmaraj P. S. and D. Mazumdar

Research of Interpolation and Prediction by Elman NN on Anaerobic Digestion Processes Parameter

Parametric data from anaerobic digestion processes are normally collected once every couple of days and not daily. As a result, only a small amount of data could be collected and this is not sufficient for the neural network analysis. In this research, interpolations were used during the modelling process to increase the sample data used for Elman neural network (Elman NN) modelling. Laboratory digestion of silage cornstalk was conducted for 54 days, and a portion of the biogas data was used for training the Elman neural network (Elman NN) model, while the remaining biogas data were used to verify the prediction capability of the model. Compared to the Elman NN model without interpolations, using an interpolation coefficient of 0.2 increased the number of experimental data from 54 to 266 and the correlation coefficient of prediction data and sampling data from 0.7966 (for no-interpolation) to 0.9962 (for cubic spline interpolation) and 0.9942 (for piecewise linear interpolation). In addition, the mean square error decreased from 0.1190 (for no interpolation) to 0.001 (for cubic spline interpolation) and 0.001 (for piecewise linear interpolation), while the average relative error decreased from 63.04% (for no interpolation) to 3.93% (for cubic spline interpolation) and 4.01% (for piecewise linear interpolation). The Elman NN simulation results thus showed that the interpolation algorithm can greatly improve the prediction accuracy of biogas production from an anaerobic digestion process.

Yong Liang, Ling Qiu, Junting Pan and Wen Lu

Microfiltration, Groundwater Remediation and Environmental Engineering Science - A Scientific Perspective and a Far-reaching Review

The environmental engineering paradigm is surpassing one visionary frontier over another. Mankind today stands in the midst of optimism and scientific vision. The world of challenges is befitting to the progress of human civilization. The road to progress in implementation of environmental sustainability is vast, varied and ground-breaking. In such a crucial juncture of history and time, the need of application of environmental engineering science is of immense and effective importance. Microfiltration and other membrane separation processes are the ultimate avenues of scientific and engineering progress. Science and engineering are moving steadfastly towards a newer scientific generation and a newer scientific understanding. The step forward is painstaking as regards zero-discharge norms. Environmental regulations and stringent environmental restrictions have plunged the scientific community to devise paths towards progress. Industrial pollution control, wastewater treatment and application of microfiltration are the primordial issues targeted in this treatise. The focus towards addressing novel separation processes and novel environmental engineering techniques stands today as a formidable challenge in the road towards zero-discharge norms. The author diligently and lucidly brings forward to the scientific community the immense rigorous and effective challenges in the application of microfiltration as an efficient membrane separation process. History of environmental engineering science, history of science and technology needs to be readdressed and reassessed in the future application of membrane science as an efficient separation technique.

Sukanchan Palit

Study on Carbon Dioxide Emission Performance in the Guangdong Province Based on the Malmquist-Luenberger Index

Based on academic studies of carbon dioxide emissions, an environmental data envelopment analysis (DEA) model, including undesirable carbon dioxide emissions, is reported here. MaxDEA software was used to calculate carbon emissions performance in the Guangdong Province of China. Our findings revealed that in order to achieve the same level of economic development achievements, carbon emission performance and carbon dioxide pollution are negatively correlated. Moreover, pollution prevention and protection measures can decrease the degree of carbon dioxide pollution. Here, we observed that increasing economic development has a positive effect on carbon emission performance and the greater the energy demand, the higher the degree of pollution. Technological change is a decisive factor influencing carbon emissions performance. By employing technological innovations, energy utilization efficiency and the resulting level of environmental pollution can be greatly improved.

Hao Guo, Pa Yu, Dong Wang and Lianlian Lin

Wind Environment in Green Building Design

With the increasing urban building density, wind environment problems around the buildings become more and more serious. Wind environment not only affects human living comfort, but also closely relates to their security and health. So, it is important to study the wind environment to improve it in the building planning and design and it is also an important part of making a reasonable evaluation of wind environment in green building design. In the current study, wind tunnel test and numerical simulation of computer technology are considered as an effective means of simulation and validation of environment.

Li Yang and Feng Qian

Variations in Culturable Terrestrial Bacterial Communities and Soil Biochemical Characteristics Along an Altitude Gradient Upstream of the Shule River, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Variations in the culturable terrestrial bacterial communities and soil biochemical parameters along an altitude gradient (from 1260m to 4111m) upstream of the Shule River, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, were investigated. The results showed that the number of cultivable bacteria varied between 0.4×107 and 3.3×107 CFU/g, with an average of 1.6×107 CFU/g. 168 isolates from these soils were clustered into 34 groups by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). These groups are affiliated to 15 genera that belong to six taxa, a-Proteobacteria, b-Proteobacteria, g-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroides, of which Bacillus and Arthrobacter were the dominant species at the level of the genus. The relative abundance of Arthrobacter increased significantly at high altitude. Correlation analysis showed that the total number of culturable bacteria in the soils decreased first and then increased below 3000m, and these trends significantly positively correlated to the soil organic C, total N and the activities of soil sucrase, and positively correlated to the activities of soil urease and catalase. However, when the altitude exceeded 3000m, cultivable bacterial number dramatically declined, although soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and enzyme activities were relatively high. While the diversity index of bacteria increased along with the increased altitude as a whole and there existed a significantly positive correlation between altitude and bacteria diversity. Together, these results illustrated that culturable bacterial numbers were mainly influenced by soil biochemical properties while bacterial diversity was mainly influenced by altitude in this region.

Zhang Baogui, Zhang Wei, Liu Guangxiu, Chen Tuo, Zhang Gaosen, Wu Xiukun, Chen Ximing and Chang Sijing

Ecology and Evolution of Nest Parasitism in Indian Cuckoo

Nest parasitism is a common phenomenon in many species of birds in which a female of one species lays her eggs in the nest of another species to be hatched and cared by the hosts. The nest parasitism evolved initially as a facultative strategy to use the nest of one species which has raised its brood or deserted nests and then further advanced into parasitism. The host species feed on a wide spectra of food resources, especially rich in protein and are insectivores, carnivores or omnivores in contrast to the very restrictive feeding habits of the parasite species. Parasitism cost for the host is often high which favour the evolution of host defence leading to a parallel evolution between adaptation and counter adaptation of host-parasite interaction. The understanding of breeding biology and ecology of nest parasitism provides important information for the population management of host and parasitic species to devise very specialized conservation strategies for the delicate interaction in the quickly evolving environmental scenario.

R. K. Sharma, A. K. Goyal and Manju Sharma

Evaluation of Water Quality Using Principal Component Analysis

Principal component analysis is a way to reduce original dimension, to make multiple variables into a few comprehensive index. According to the characteristics of water quality evaluation model, principal component analysis method is developed to evaluate surface water quality using SPSS software at representative sections. By the combination of variables index, adjusting the combinatorial coefficient to make the new variables representative independent. The process is introduced in the paper in detail. The results indicate that the principal component model is suitable for water quality evaluation. By analysis, it is important to pay attention to bring into effective measures for pollution control.

Shuquan An, Xiufan Xie and Ying Ma

Adsorption of Methylene Blue by Activated Carbon from Capsicum Straw

Dyes are known to be toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic. Their release into the environment can cause aesthetic pollution, and moreover, they are not degraded by conventional aerobic wastewater treatment due to their recalcitrance. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce dye concentration in the wastewater. Activated carbon was obtained from capsicum straw by chemical activation using KOH as an activator. Then it was used as an adsorbent for the removal of dye methylene blue. The adsorption of dye methylene blue by activated carbon was carried out in detail. Kinetic adsorption data were analysed by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, the pseudo-second-order model and the intraparticle diffusion model. The experimental data were analysed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models of adsorption. The thermodynamics parameters were also calculated.

Muqing Qiu, Yannan Xuan, Peichao Luo, Zebin Wang and Jianxin Shou

Equilibrium and Thermodynamic Studies for Adsorption of 1,4-Benzoquinone by Fly Ash

Fly ash, an industrial waste from thermal power plants, was used for the adsorptive removal of 1,4-benzoquinone, one of the oxidation intermediates generated in AOPs. Effect of fly ash dosage and solution pH was investigated. The highest 1,4-benzoquinone uptake occurred at pH 7.0. Neutral and alkaline conditions were more favourable for the adsorptive removal of 1,4-benzoquinone. Isotherm data at 288, 298 and 308 K were simulated by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Redlich-Peterson, Koble-Corrigan and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. Both the Koble-Corrigan and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms can predict equilibrium adsorption behaviour better at different reaction temperatures. The reaction enthalpy was 29.42 kJ/mol and the entropy achieved 164.52 J/mol·K. The change of Gibbs free energy achieved -19.48 kJ/mol at 298 K. The above indicates that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. This also reveals that, fly ash has the potential for the adsorptive removal of 1,4-benzoquinone.

Guoting Li, Yanmin Feng, Xiaoqi Chai and Xiaoshuang He

Quinalphos Induced Oxidative Stress Biomarkers in Liver and Kidney of Common Carp, Cyprinus Carpio

Oxidative stress responses were evaluated in liver and kidney of freshwater fish, Cyprinus carpio exposed to organophosphorus pesticide, quinalphos (25% emulsified concentration). Lipid peroxidation levels and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured spectrophotometrically in liver and kidney of fish, treated with two sub-lethal concentrations of quinalphos viz., 0.275 ppm and 0.55 ppm along with control as a reference for 4, 8, 16 and 32 days. The experimental concentration of quinalphos evoked different degrees of activity in both the tissues, the liver and the kidney. The significant increase in lipid peroxidation suggests quinalphos-mediated free radical production; the increase in the activity of glutathione-S-transferase with corresponding increase in the activity of glutathione reductase indicates the glutathione conjugation of the pesticide; activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase decreased drastically after 32nd day exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of pesticide. Overall, the results demonstrate that alteration in the antioxidant enzymes, glutathione system and induction of lipid peroxidation reflects the toxicity of quinalphos which may cause oxidative stress in the experimental fish. The study, therefore, provides a rational use of biomarkers of oxidative stress in biomonitoring programs.

A. Padmanabha, H. R. V. Reddy, Avinash Bhat and Muttappa Khavi

Nitrate Pollution in the Groundwater of Different Cropping Systems of Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India

The occurrence of high nitrate levels in groundwater has to be recognized as a threat to humans and animals. Infant methaemoglobinaemia and nitrate poisoning in livestock occur at unexpected times and places. Nitrate pollution in the groundwater is one of the major pollution problems. In the last few decades nitrate concentration in groundwater has increased dramatically. Groundwater contamination by nitrate (NO3-) is a global problem and is most often associated with leachates derived from fertilizers and animal or human wastes. The study presented here was carried out in Varanasi district. The nitrate content in water was investigated during premonsoon (March-April, 2013) and postmonsoon (November-December, 2013) seasons and compared with the standard values given by WHO. Eighty four, from different cropping systems (i.e. rice-wheat, rice-vegetable, vegetable-vegetable, pulse-pulse, orchard and sugarcane) groundwater samples were collected from the bore wells. The analysis of nitrate in these water samples reveals that some villages have a high concentration of nitrate, exceeding permissible limits of WHO (45 mg/L), which is due to the more than the required quantity of nitrogen based fertilizers, water, manure and pesticides are used extensively which all contribute to the non point source contamination of nitrates in groundwater of the study area.

Mahendra Prasad and Priyankar Raha

Decolorization of Leather Dyeing Wastewater by Laccase of the White Rot Fungus Pycnoporus sp. Y1

In this study, laccase produced by the white rot fungus strain Pycnoporus sp. Y1 was used for the leather dyeing wastewater decolorization. The mediators including veratryl alcohol (VA), 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), hydroxybenzoic acid (HA), hydroxybenzotrizole (HOBT), and temperature, pH values, laccase concentration, and leather dyeing wastewater dilution ratio were all investigated in the experiments, and then four factors (mediators, temperatures, pH values, dilution ratios) were optimized by orthogonal experimental design. The optimal conditions for wastewater decolorization were obtained as follows: temperature of 50°C, pH 3.0, laccase concentration 4 U/mL, and the dilution ratio of 1-fold, the decolorization ratio could reach 58.42% in 10 min under the optimized conditions at last.

Xinli Lu, Chun Hai Zhao, Aijun Zhao, Yuqi Zhang, Yichun Wu, Suliang Chen and Xiaohui Liang

Oxidation of Reduced Inorganic Sulphuric Compounds in Simulated Desulphurization Wastewater by Thiobacillus Thioparus

This paper is aimed to investigate the oxidation ability of the bacteria (Thiobacillus thioparus, Z-2) and the biological oxidation mechanism and oxidation kinetics on the reduced inorganic sulphuric compounds in sodium-process desulphurization wastewater. Results showed that the Z-2 bacteria have high oxidation activity in the high-salt environment after acclimation, and the oxidation percentage of reduced inorganic sulphuric compounds reached 95% and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduced from 18000mg/L to 2000 mg/L in the high-salt environment. This showed that the Z-2 bacteria have strong salt resistance and high oxidation activity. In addition, ion chromatography analysis confirmed that Z-2 bacteria were beneficial for the oxidation of reduced sulphur. A biological oxidation model was constructed by measuring the enzyme activity of the oxidation process. The results indicated that direct and indirect oxidation processes were both involved in biological oxidation. The kinetic parameters of Vmax (21.38 µM/min) and Km (79.04 µM) were obtained through biological oxidation kinetic experiments.

Yingbo Dong and Hai Lin

Performance Evaluation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in Multistoried Buildings

The enormous generation of wastewater in a relatively small area i.e., in a multistoried building, makes mandatory to have a mini Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) inside the premises itself. In a developing country like India, where competition for freshwater supplies will continue to increase, it is better to reuse the treated wastewater to meet the demand. Many treatment technologies are available currently, hence it is essential to find an appropriate technology for treating the wastewater. This study is to know about the different STP’s installed in the multistoried buildings, to analyse the performance of each technology, its design concepts and the life cycle costing of each system. Four technologies, namely Extended Aeration, SBR, MBR and FBBR were selected for the study. From the study, it was observed that, extended aeration is a preferred technology as per as the efficiency of the plant in treating the wastewater. From this study, it is concluded that, even though efficiency of the system is very important, a decision is made in finding an appropriate technology based on its relative closeness to its both, positive ideal solution and negative ideal solution (using TOPSIS) and found that SBR is a best technology based on the criteria selected.

Jayanthi Ganesan† and Vasudevan Namasivayam

Correlation Matrix of Physico-chemical Characteristics of Select Tank Waters of Tiptur Taluk in Tumkur District, Karnataka

Analysis of water quality of five tank water samples in Tiptur taluk through 18 physico-chemical parameters, namely WT, pH, DO, BOD, EC, TDS, TA, TH, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, NO3-, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ was taken up during December 2010 to November 2012. A systematic calculation of correlation coefficient among these 18 physico-chemical parameters was carried out using Microsoft excel spreadsheet. A correlation coefficient of 1.00 was found between the TA-HCO3- pair in Eachanur and V. Mallenahalli samples and the pair is perfectly correlated, whereas, ‘r’ value was 0.99 in Halkurke and Honnavalli samples and 0.97 in Albur samples. EC and TDS were perfectly correlated in Halkurke samples and for the same pair ‘r’ value was 0.99 in Eachanur, V. Mallenahalli and Honnavalli samples, whereas it was 0.85 in Albur samples. BOD and PO43- were perfectly correlated in Eachanur samples. When r > ± 0.5 was considered, a total of 22 positive and 3 negative correlations in Eachanur samples; 18 positive and 9 negative correlations in V. Mallenahalli samples; 31 positive and 2 negative correlations in Halkurke samples; 36 positive and 6 negative correlations in Honnavalli samples; and 18 positive and 5 negative correlations in Albur samples were found during the analysis. For a better interpretation of the results, the coefficient of determination was used in addition to ‘r’ value.Analysis of water quality of five tank water samples in Tiptur taluk through 18 physico-chemical parameters, namely WT, pH, DO, BOD, EC, TDS, TA, TH, CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, NO3-, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ was taken up during December 2010 to November 2012. A systematic calculation of correlation coefficient among these 18 physico-chemical parameters was carried out using Microsoft excel spreadsheet. A correlation coefficient of 1.00 was found between the TA-HCO3- pair in Eachanur and V. Mallenahalli samples and the pair is perfectly correlated, whereas, ‘r’ value was 0.99 in Halkurke and Honnavalli samples and 0.97 in Albur samples. EC and TDS were perfectly correlated in Halkurke samples and for the same pair ‘r’ value was 0.99 in Eachanur, V. Mallenahalli and Honnavalli samples, whereas it was 0.85 in Albur samples. BOD and PO43- were perfectly correlated in Eachanur samples. When r > ± 0.5 was considered, a total of 22 positive and 3 negative correlations in Eachanur samples; 18 positive and 9 negative correlations in V. Mallenahalli samples; 31 positive and 2 negative correlations in Halkurke samples; 36 positive and 6 negative correlations in Honnavalli samples; and 18 positive and 5 negative correlations in Albur samples were found during the analysis. For a better interpretation of the results, the coefficient of determination was used in addition to ‘r’ value.

A. M. Shivanna and G. Nagendrappa

Experimental Study of Bagasse Ash Utilisation for Road Application on Expansive Soil

Expansive soils show extensive volume and their strength changes at varying moisture content due to their chemical composition. This causes significant structural damage to foundations, including pavements. One way of overcoming these problems in soils is to stabilize them with admixtures. Owing to this fact, continuous researches have been carried out and still being carried out by individuals, firms and institutions on ways to improve the engineering properties of soils. The need to bring down the cost of soil stabilizers and the environmental damage has led to intense global research towards economic utilization of wastes for engineering purposes. Bagasse ash is a waste-product of the sugar refining industry. This study was carried out to determine the effect of bagasse ash utilization for road application on clay. The laboratory investigations are carried out to examine the index and engineering properties of the soil sample. The soil falls under CI category of Indian standard soil classification system. The experiments have been carried out to study the changes in the properties of soil such as plasticity characteristics, free swell index, pH, calcium carbonate content, total dissolved solids and cation exchange capacity using bagasse ash in varying percentages of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. The study shows promising results with effective utilization of bagasse ash in the improvement of soil strength.

C. Rajakumar and T. Meenambal

A Study on the Quantitative Measurement Method of Organoleptic Chromaticity for Sandy Water

Water landscape quality is an important part of environmental quality. However, in the environment impact assessment, there is no method at present that can quantitatively assess the colour changes of the water landscape affected by sediments. This paper presents a conception of organoleptic chromaticity according to the engineering requirement. Water organoleptic chromaticity is defined as a water chromaticity which is caused by both soluble substances and insoluble substances and observed directly by naked eyes. Using the spectrophotometry, it was found that the maximum absorption peak of coloured-turbid water occurred at 350nm which is defined as the characteristic wavelength of water organoleptic chromaticity. Based on the standard turbidity and chromaticity solutions, the metric system of organoleptic chromaticity was established. The absorbance of water with different turbidity and chromaticity showed that it is linear with the organoleptic chromaticity. Measuring the organoleptic chromaticity of different sandy waters, the results demonstrated that the metric system of organoleptic chromaticity could apply to the quantitative assessment of landscape quality for engineering sandy water in practical engineering.

Yali Yu, Xunchi Pu, Ran Li, Hong Jiang and Yong Li

Research on H2S Removal by the Ferric Oxide Process

The removal of hydrogen sulphide by using the method of dry desulphurization in a normal temperature iron oxide is introduced in this paper. The experiment has been conducted by using the ferric oxide as the desulphurizer in the waste red mud and added wood chips and calcium oxide for the removal of hydrogen sulphide. Also, the desulphurization efficiency of desulphurizer is researched in different drying temperatures and different ratio conditions, and the best condition of removing hydrogen sulphide is studied. The results of the studies show that the best conditions of removing hydrogen sulphide are 80% of red mud, 5% of wood chips and 15% of calcium oxide at 110°C drying temperature; 85% of red mud, 5% of wood chips and 10% of calcium oxide at 130°C drying temperature; and 70% of red mud, 5% of wood chips and 25% of calcium oxide at 150°C drying temperature. In three different drying temperatures, the best ratio is 85% of red mud, 5% of wood chips, 10% of calcium oxide, and the best drying temperature is 130°C. This test also provides technical support for further industrial utilization.

Jihong Zhou, Qi Jiang, Yamin Wen and Ronghe Liang

Anaerobic Treatment of MSW Using Leachate Recirculation Bioreactor: A Case Study of Rohtak City

Leachate recirculation is a leachate management technique and an option for faster stabilization of MSW. The objective of this research is to highlight the effects of leachate recirculation on waste stabilization in simulated bioreactor. The study was conducted in a laboratory in a cylindrical shaped bioreactor loaded with MSW waste maintained under controlled anaerobic condition. The leachate quality was regularly measured and operating parameters like pH, VFA, alkalinity, etc. were found in the optimum range of anaerobic degradation. The leachate recirculated bioreactor is an effective option for MSW management, as COD removal observed was 96% during the study period. These observations indicate that the leachate recirculation technique is a viable approach to treat landfill leachate and stabilize the MSW.

Snehlata, Rajesh Lohchab and Anil Nain

Effects of Climate Change on Vegetable Cultivation - A Review

World population is increasing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach about six billion by the end of year 2050. Increased hunger and malnourishment are challenging issues for all nations, especially those who are resource poor. Feeding of hunger-laden people of the world not only requires food in quantity but quality as well. Vegetables are protective foods embedded with vitamins, micronutrients, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds, which are necessary for correction of diseases and disorders. Moreover, cultivation of vegetables provides livelihood security through employment. But the complex process of growth and development is significantly affected by different agro-climatic factors and therefore, any environmental aberration due to climate change can impose unprecedented stress on this group of plants which may lead to complete failure of the crop in a grower’s field. Usually extreme temperatures, limited soil moisture, reduced availability of irrigation water, repeated flooding, increased acidity or salinity and soil erosion, high wind speed, increase in occurrence of hails and thunderstorms, frost damage and tsunamis etc., are the major limiting factors for optimum productivity besides the quality and consumer acceptance. Sudden change in climate also influences the status of soil fertility, occurrence of pests and diseases, host-pathogen interactions, soil microbial population and behaviour of the pollinators. Reduced production and productivity due to the development of genetically weakened seeds is the ultimate outcome of climate change which may invite a crisis in food reserve in the future. All these have significant effects on the total vegetable cultivation system on the planet, affecting the economic yield, which is of prime importance from grower’s point of view. Hence, there is a need to develop an understanding of the impacts and implications of climate change on vegetable cultivation for timely intervention to ameliorate its harmful effects.

B. V. G. Prasad and S. Chakravorty

Effects of FDI on Environment Pollution based on Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Pearl River Delta Region

Issues related to global climate change have attracted widespread attention around the world, and China is no exception. With the introduction of a huge number of foreign direct investment (FDI), carbon dioxide emission pollution, such as ocean acidification, has become a serious threat in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. This study constructs models to analyse the effects of FDI on carbon dioxide emissions in the PRD region, as well as to analyse the scale, technique and composition effects in the area. Results indicate that the introduction of FDI can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the region because the foreign capital could bring environmental-friendly and energy-saving technologies, reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, and lessen damage to the environment. In addition, foreign capital flowing into the secondary sector has caused more serious damage to the environment than those flowing into the tertiary sector. Therefore, the area should actively guide foreign investment into industries with lower pollution and lower emissions. At the same time, strict standards should be developed to slow down the inflow of foreign capital in sectors which are energy-intensive, environmentally damaging, and have low levels of value-added production.

Hao Guo, Jie Tang, Dong Wang, Furong Chen and Lianlian Lin

Potential of Household Rainwater Harvesting for Drinking Water Supply in Hazard Prone Coastal area of Bangladesh

The coastal region of Bangladesh has been identified as the most climate induced, hazard-prone, hard-to-reach area in Bangladesh. The conventional drinking water sources (rivers, ponds, groundwater) in the coastal area have become contaminated recently due to saltwater intrusion from the rising sea levels and frequent natural disaster. Household rainwater harvesting could be an alternative measure for reducing impact of climate change on water supplies because of the availability of rainwater. This study is to explore the potential of household rainwater harvesting for drinking purposes in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Rainwater harvesting is found technically feasible on the basis of rainfall pattern, household roof constructing material, and roof size. The annual rainfall of over 1900mm with inter annual variability of 0.18, makes the rainwater harvesting ideal in the coastal areas. Harvested rainwater can satisfy household monthly drinking water demand from March to October. The excess rainwater stored in September and October is sufficient to meet the demand in the dry months (November to February) provided there is adequate storage facility. The quality of stored rainwater was satisfactory from chemical parameters perspective and additional treatment is recommended for the harvested rainwater due to frequent detection of microbial contamination.

Gopal Chandra Ghosh, Sayka Jahan, Basabi Chakraborty and Asma Akter

Pollution Monitoring by Algae in a Sacred Water Body of Belgaum District

Biological evaluation is a useful alternative for rating the ecological quality of aquatic ecosystems, as biological communities amalgamate the environmental effects of water chemistry. To recognize the nature of species composition of phytoplankton and their significance, the present surveillance was made for a period of twelve months in a sacred water body in Belgaum district. The study exposed the occurrence of 50 phytoplankton species belonging to 26 genera. Among these, 19 genera are identified as most pollution tolerant genera. According to the list, dominant group was represented by Bacillariophyceae followed by Chlorophyceae and Euglenophyceae. The algal flora of this sacred water body showed the dominance of Scenedesmus, Pediastrum, Ankistrodesmus, Coelastrum, Cyclotella, Navicula, Nitzschia, Synedra, Melosira, Euglena, Lepocinclis and Phacus. These floating, inconspicuous primary producers of aquatic ecosystem are indicators of organic pollution. The present paper highlights the assessment of water quality status using pollution index based on the phytoplankton community of water.

B. S. Giriyappanavar and P. B. Shivalli

Wastewater Treatment of Industrial Enterprises Using Carbonate Sludge

In the present article, a perspective method of biological sorption process of wastewater treatment in the chemical industry is reviewed. This article focuses on the carbonate sludge produced by heat power stations that is used as a sorption material, and adsorption properties of carbonate sludge and its influence on activated sludge are considered. Sludge is a micro and mesoporous sorbent, which is confirmed by the sorption curves for formaldehyde and ammonia nitrogen. Removal of ammonia nitrogen and reduction of COD and BOD5 in aqueous solutions by means of carbonate sludge was investigated. It was observed that the maximum removal of COD, BOD5 and ammonium nitrogen was achieved at 600 mg/L dosage adsorbent carbonate sludge. This dose helped to reduce COD in water by 91% on the average, BOD5 by 98% and ammonium nitrogen by 94%. It was found that the biological sorption process is more effective than biological wastewater treatment. A modified biological wastewater treatment line was submitted to the Kazan Synthetic Rubber Plant (Russia).

A. Nikolaeva Larisa, G. Laptev Anatoliy and Ya. Iskhakova Regina

Stochastic Modelling of Monthly Rainfall Volume During Monsoon Season over Gangetic West Bengal, India

The aim of the present study is to find suitable probability distributions which describe best the monthly rainfall volume during monsoon (MRM) for each of the thirteen districts which constitute Gangetic West Bengal (GWB) meteorological sub-division of India. For this purpose, 18 continuous probability distributions are employed to examine the fitness of time series data of 113 years (1901-2013). The parameters of the distributions are estimated either by maximum likelihood, moments or L-moments method. Based on goodness of fit (GOF) tests viz., Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Anderson-Darling and Chi-Squared, three separate rankings are given to each of the distributions for all the districts. Further, a method of scoring, based on ranking, has been adopted to pick up the best fitted distribution for each district. Log-Logistic (LL) distribution comes out as the most suitable for five districts whereas, for a particular district, Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Pearson 5 (P5) distributions jointly rank first among all the distributions. Individually, P5 explains best the monthly rainfall of two districts while GEV is found to be most suitable for another district. Log-Pearson 3 (LP3), 3-parameter Dagum (D3), 4-parameter Generalized Gamma (GG4) and 3-parameter Generalized Gamma (GG3) are the others which are found to be most candidate distributions for one district each. Finally, MRM, for all the districts, is estimated for different return periods. Probability of occurrences of MRM, at various points of exceedance, has also been calculated.

Soumen Pal and Debasis Mazumdar

Foliar Carbon Isotope Discrimination and Water Sources of Mangrove Forests Along Natural Soil Salinity Gradients and Implications for Their Distribution Pattern

Field species composition investigation showed an obvious zonation pattern of three main species of mangrove forests along Zhangjiang estuary. Aegiceras corniculata was mostly found in upstream and Avicennia marina mainly distributed in intermediate and downstream, while Kandelia obovata grows across the estuary and a majority in upstream and intermediate. Foliar carbon isotope discrimination of the three species, decreased from both upstream to downstream and wet to dry season, indicated their increased water use efficiency to increased soil salinity and decreased availability of freshwater. Increased ocean water uptake ratio (increased d18O values) of all the three species from upstream to downstream further indicated their adaptations to decreased availability of freshwater. Decreased responses of water use efficiency in response to ocean water uptake ratio were also observed in all the three species. Significant relations observed in Avicennia marina and Kandelia obovata may indicate their higher adaptations to increased ocean water uptake than Aegiceras corniculata with no significant relationships, which may explain why the distribution of Aegiceras corniculata was confined to the low salinity area. All the results above, implicated that the zonation pattern of mangrove forests were linked to their physiological process on how water use efficiency responded to change of ocean water uptake ratio.

Minshen Huang, Qing Li, Tongchao Le and Fanglin Tan

Eco-friendly Solution to Mitigate the Toxic Effects of Hazardous Construction Industry Waste by Reusing in Concrete for Pollution Control

Pollution is a critical environmental issue. Currently an enormous amount of wastewater and fresh concrete waste aggregates are being produced by the ready mix concrete industry throughout the world. The concrete washout water and excess fresh concrete aggregates are hazardous for disposal due to their high pH value (pH >12). Improper disposal of such wastewater and fresh concrete aggregates results in high environmental pollution. This study envisages an overview of the current state of knowledge about the reuse of hazardous wastewater and concrete in an environmentally acceptable manner. This study was motivated by the necessity to recycle the wastewater and fresh concrete aggregates resulting from washing out the concrete mixing trucks. Laboratory investigation was conducted and from the test results, it is identified that the performance and properties of concrete is not affected by the reuse of this hazardous wastewater and recycled aggregates.

G. K. Arunvivek, G. Maheswaran and S. Senthil Kumar

Growth Characteristics of Platymonas subcordiformis and Oxyrrhis marina in Their Co-culture Systems

This study was aimed to investigate the growth characteristics of living diet Platymonas subcordiformis for aquaculture animals and its harmful organism Oxyrrhis marina in co-culture systems to provide experimental evidences for discussing their succession processes. The colour changes of culture media of P. subcordiformis and growth characteristics of O. marina and P. subcordiformis in co-culture were analysed by the combined methods of macro-observation, microscopic examination and microscopic counting. The results showed that with the decrease of the initial density of O. marina cell (0.65×104 cells mL-1, 0.37×104 cells mL-1 and 0.11×104 cells mL-1 in P. subcordiformis culture media), the time that the population of O. marina reached the stationary phase required longer, were 4d, 5d and 7d after inoculated by O. marina, respectively, and the death time of all cells of P. subcordiformis became longer, were 9d, 10d and 12d after inoculated by O. marina, respectively. After inoculation 9d, pale pink appeared in upper layer of culture media of P. subcordiformis in flasks and the density of O. marina was 2.10×105 cells mL-1. The results also indicated that the variation tendency of cell densities of O. marina and P. subcordiformis cultured in aquariums were consistent with that in flasks basically, pink flocs appeared in upper layer of culture media of P. subcordiformis after inoculation 12d and the density of O. marina was 2.10×106 cells mL-1. The experimental results showed that the feeding of O. marina on P. subcordiformis was affected by the initial concentration of O. marina, and P. subcordiformis populations were evolved to O. marina populations during the 15 days culture period, the colour of culture media appeared pale pink to pink depends on density of O. marina was confirmed, too. Also, the colour changes of P. subcordiformis culture media are indications of pollution by O. marina, which will be important for culture process of P. subcordiformis.

Xinlong An, Xuemei Li, Zhixia Li and Yanling Zhang

Application of D Numbers to the Environmental Impact Assessment of HighwayApplication of D Numbers to the Environmental Impact Assessment of Highway

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an important technique to ensure that possible effects of developmental projects have been fully identified and calculated for environment, and also its main purpose is accurate predicting, identifying and analysing the all positive and negative impacts on the natural and human environment. Assessment of the environmental impact requires a method or methods to do it. Due to the lack of sufficient knowledge, potential effects of projects are qualitative for nature, and they cannot be numerical exactly. One way to overcome this problem is using different types of uncertainty on EIA process. The theory of D numbers is a new provision of unreliable information and it is developed version of Dempster-Shafer theory. In this research, an assessment of environmental impact arising from the construction and operation of Ghomeishlou highway has been evaluated using D theory of numbers.

Leila Sepahvand

Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Bottom Sediment of Arthunkal Coast in Kerala, Southwest Coast of India

The present paper is an attempt to assess the macroinvertebrate communities in the bottom sediment along the coast of Arthunkal in Kerala, India in order to elucidate the community structure and the factors influencing the benthic faunal distribution. Samples were collected from five stations (Station I, II, III, IV, V) representing the depths of 5m, 10m, 15m, 20m and 30m from the coast during monsoon in the year 2012. Hydrological variables such as temperature, hydrogen ion concentration, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, salinity and inorganic nutrients were analysed. Sedimentological parameters such as temperature, hydrogen ion concentration, organic carbon and sediment texture were also analysed using standard methods. Biological indices were used in the calculation of taxa richness, general diversity and evenness. The correlation coefficient of chemical variables and benthic fauna were also computed. Macrobenthic fauna consisted of 43 taxa belonging to nine major groups. Macrobenthic fauna included foraminiferans, polychaetes, oligochaetes, nemertines, gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans, scaphopods and echinoderms. Polychaetes were the dominant group (71.59 %) followed by gastropods (23.86 %) and foraminiferans (26.47 %). Highest general diversity was recorded at station II and least at station III. Highest evenness was recorded at station II and the least at station V. All the stations revealed an alkaline nature. The sediment texture revealed variation between stations with a predominance of sand at station V and silt at station I. Percentage of organic matter is low in sandy sediments where total abundance of benthic fauna is high. Chlorophyll-a and inorganic nutrients were present only in negligible amounts indicating low productivity along the coastal waters of Arthunkal. As macrobenthic communities are key indicators of pollution and stress, the study will pave the way for Environmental Risk Assessment and monitoring of coastal waters.

Sinu J. Varghese and M. T. P. Miranda

Evaluating the Radiation Risk of Ionization Smoke Detector by MCNPX code; A Radioactive Contaminated Product

Ionization smoke sensors are the best smoke sensors; however, the small amount of radioactive source they include is no longer desirable since it makes recycling more complicated where the people encountered with radioactive waste. In this study, a conventional ionization type smoke sensor which contained americium-241 radioactive source modelled by Monte Carlo MCNPX code. The absorbed dose rate is calculated by MCNPX code where the human tissue meddled as a soft tissue material. The dosimetry results are comparable with the experimental safety margins. It concluded that if the ionization smoke sensors positioned at a right distance from the human body, so the radiation risk and the exposure hazard can be lower than the exposure level of the background radiation.

M. Khaleghi and M. Hashemi-Tilehnoee

Analyses of Diversion Water Input’s Influence on Water Quality of Dahuofang Reservoir

This paper selected Dahuofang Reservoir as the research area, analysed the relationship between water quality and diversion water input, determined the right weight of each index affected the water quality based on correlation analysis and entropy weight method. The results showed that after the diversion water input, the DO is 6739.17t, CODMn is 1735.00t, BOD is 625.83t, NH3-N is12.07t, TP is 12.5t, TN is 1860.75t, coliform-group is 1.38 ×1015. The correlation between the indexes of DO, CODMn, BOD, TN, coliform-group and water quality is significant after diversion water input. The affected right weights of the amount of TN, coliform-group and NH3-N input are more than 0.1, the highest right weight is of TN input (0.1804), followed by coliform-group (0.1173) and NH3-N (0.1165); the most slight one is TP (0.0164). In terms of comprehensive analysis, the influence of each index of diversion water input on water quality of Dahuofang reservoir, the order is TN>coliform-group>NH3-N>BOD>DO>CODMn>TP.

Fanbin Meng, Haifu Li, Fangli Su and Tieliang Wang

Strategies for the Decoupling Effect of Carbon Emission and Low Carbon in the Logistics Industry of Jiangxi Province: From the Perspective of Environmental Protection

Being one of the main sources of carbon emissions, logistics industry is an important area to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the environment pollution. Studying the decouple relation between carbon emission and economic growth can provide a theoretical basis for energy conservation and low carbon economy development. The LYQ analysis framework was introduced into the OECD and Tapio decoupling model to measure the decoupling effect between the carbon emission in logistics industry and the economic growth of Jiangxi Province China during the past 25 years (1989-2013). In the LYQ analysis framework, the decoupling elastic coefficient between the carbon emission in logistics industry and the regional GDP was converted into the products of the elastic coefficients of energy conservation, emission reduction, and value creation. The result shows that the relationship between the carbon emission and economic growth of Jiangxi Province is involved in overall decoupling status, in which the positive effects of the elastic coefficient of energy conversation and the elastic coefficient of emission reduction are the main factors, and the low elasticity coefficient of value creation at the early period becomes an obstacle to the decoupling status. What is more, several low carbon development strategies are put forward in the logistics industry from the perspective of environmental protection. This study has great theoretical and practical significance for the development of low-carbon economy in Jiangxi Province, China.

Zhijian Zhang, Cheng Zhang, Yaping Feng and Ningyuan Wu

Water Pollution and Relevant Preventive Measures in the Hechuan Segment of Fujiang River

Dissolved oxygen (DO), NH4+-N, total phosphorus (TP), CODMn and BOD5 in water in the Hechuan segment of Fujing River were monitored to assess water pollution in the river scientifically. Water pollution indexes were analysed and their pollution load-sharing ratios were calculated by using single pollution index method and Nemerow comprehensive pollution index method, respectively. Results show that the water quality in 25% of the monitored sections can be considered clean and the water quality of 75% of the sections can be considered slightly polluted in two water functional zones in the Hechuan segment of Fujiang River with water quality control targets of Level III and Level IV, respectively. Water quality declines from upstream to downstream. DO does not exceed standards in all the sections. NH4+-N significantly contributes to water pollution in all the sections; as a consequence, NH4+-N is a major pollution index in the entire Fujiang River. In some sections, TP, CODMn and BOD5 yield high pollution load sharing ratios. The distribution of the main pollution sources of different sections shows that the pollution indexes exceeding standards are mainly influenced by various pollution factors, such as cultivation, industrial wastewater, urban and rural domestic sewage, and agricultural non-point sources. Therefore, relevant preventive measures and recommendations are provided as a reference of the comprehensive control of water pollution in the Hechuan segment of Fujiang River.

Wei Zhang, Jianfeng Xia, Yalin Li, Mingqiang Yao, Sergei Sidorov and Shiyuan Gan

Change in Water Consumption and its Effect on the Land Cover of the Oasis in the Tarim River Basin, Xinjiang, China

Water resources have major effects on the temporal and spatial distribution of land use in oases and arid regions. To determine the response relation between water consumption and the land use of the oasis in the Tarim river basin, Xinjiang, China, we conducted a study analyzing the temporal and spatial synchronization in this basin by employing hydrological data, land-use maps (for 2000, 2005, and 2010), and the spatial analysis tool ArcGIS. Results show that the water consumption in the Tarim river basin fluctuated noticeably from 2000 to 2010 and was mainly concentrated in July. A close relationship was established between land-use type and water body, and the range of land fluctuation was related to the distance between these two variables. A turning point was observed two kilometers from the land site to the water body for most land-use types. The dynamic degree of unused land, forest land and grassland decreased continuously, whereas that of cultivated land, farmland and residential land increased continuously. The increase and decrease were primarily concentrated in the cultivated and unused lands, respectively. These findings also have implications in the exploration of water resources management, changing water consumption and its effects on the land use of oasis in Tarim river basin.

Honggang Zhao and Ruixin Lao

Evaluation of Environmental Purification Service for Urban Green Space in Nanjing

Urban environmental pollution intensifies with the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization. Urban green space plays an important role in improving the quality of urban environment. Statistical reports from 2002 to 2013 were analysed to estimate the environmental purification value of urban green space in Nanjing by using the production cost method and substituted expenses method. Results showed that the environmental purification value of urban green space from 2002 to 2013 increased from 0.212 billion to 0.354 billion RMB, showing an increase of 0.142 billion RMB and an annual average growth rate of 14% in the past 12 years. Carbon fixation and oxygen release of urban green space ecosystems are transferable in regional space; hence, these services can be performed by the natural ecosystems beyond the city. However, harmful gas absorption, dust detention and noise reduction of urban green space is not transferable in space and thus must be performed by the urban ecosystem. Therefore, aside from innovating technologies for pollution-reducing and pollution-controlling, increasing green space coverage, optimizing green plant distribution structure, and enhancing urban green space management must be executed to improve the urban ecological environment.

Zhenshan Wang, Shaoliang Zhang, Xuefei Wang and Yongjun Yang