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Total and Soluble Aluminium Concentration and Suspended Particles Size Distribution Impacted by Sulphate and Silica After the NaOH Neutralization of Al-bearing Acid Mine Drainage

A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sulphate and silica on both, total and soluble aluminium concentrations in Al-bearing acidic rock discharge (ARD) treatment by NaOH. Independent variables included pH and different molar Al:SO4 and Al:Si:SO4 ratios. The experimental results showed that either sulphate or silica or both in combination influenced discharge of total and suspended Al concentrations. Sulphates reduced the soluble Al concentration by forming basaluminite, which is more insoluble than amorphous aluminium hydroxide. Particle size distributions after settling showed that the fraction and diameters of particles decreased with increasing sulphate concentration. Elevated silicate results in increasing the total aluminium level in the supernatant after 48 hours of settling. The co-presence of sulphate with silica encouraged the formation of Si(OH)4, rather than Al-silica precipitates. However, the silica decreased the size of particles in the supernatant after settling, thus increasing the effluent particulate-bound Al concentration.

Gaolei Zhao, Kaili Wang, Peng Zhang, Ruifeng Liang, Kefeng Li and Xunchi Pu

Methylene Blue Adsorption on Aloe vera Rind Powder: Kinetics, Isotherm and Mechanisms

In this work, untreated rind of Aloe vera (URAV) was applied as an adsorbent for removing a cationic dye, methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions under batch experiments. Adsorption parameters such as pH, URAV dosage, contact time and MB concentration were varied to determine the efficacy of MB removal. MB was more favoured to be removed at pH > 3 and URAV showed a fast adsorption process as the time required to achieve equilibrium was 30 min. The maximum adsorption capacity recorded from the non-linear expression of Langmuir isotherm model was 356 mg/g at room temperature (300 K). Both, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, were appropriate to predict the MB adsorption kinetics. Among the plausible adsorption mechanisms detected from the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and the pH studies were hydrogen bonding, n-P and P-P interactions, and electrostatic attraction. Owing to the fast removal and high adsorption capacity of MB, URAV can be applied as an adsorbent for MB removal from wastewater.

Megat Ahmad Kamal Megat Hanafiah, Siti Zubaidah Mohd Jamaludin, Khadijah Khalid and Shariff Ibrahim

Effect of Cement Content in Vegetation Concrete on Soil Physico-chemical Properties, Enzyme Activities and Microbial Biomass

The vegetation concrete eco-restoration technology is a slope restoration technique used to strengthen slope stability and restore slope vegetation. The key issue in the entire technique is the composition of vegetation concrete suitable to the slope stability and re-vegetation. The objective of this study is to determine the appropriate cement content in vegetation concrete in the application of vegetation concrete eco-restoration technology. A series of systematically designed experiments were conducted on Cynodon dactylon and Medicago sativa with different cement content treatments to assess the effects of cement on the soil physico-chemical properties, enzyme activities and microbial biomass. The soil organic matter (SOM), soil total nitrogen (TN), enzyme activities and microbial biomass were significantly lower in high cement content treatments. A multi-index fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was established to calculate the SBAI value, which can comprehensively evaluate how soil enzyme and microbial biomass characterized the quality change under different cement contents. The SBAI values of high cement content vegetation concrete were smaller than those of low cement content. Moreover, the SBAI value declined sharply when cement content reached 8%. And the SBAI values of unplanted sites were smaller than planted sites. The research found the quality of vegetation concrete reduced remarkably when cement content exceeded 8%. The 4-8% cement content appeared to be the appropriate range of cement content in vegetation concrete for the two studied species when plant growth and soil quality be taken into account.

Bingqin Zhao, Lu Xia, Dong Xia, Daxiang Liu, Zhenyao Xia, Wennian Xu and Juan Zhao

Copper-Induced Morphological, Physiological and Biochemical Responses in the Cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum Meg 1

The cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum Meg 1 was exposed to Cu2+ for seven days to assess its Cu2+ removal potential and the changes brought about in its morphology, physiology and biochemistry on Cu2+ exposure. Cu2+ binding was established by the EDX study. Identification of various functional groups on the cell surface involved in Cu2+ binding was done by FTIR analysis. AAS study showed that the organism was able to remove 96.3% Cu2+ from the medium supplemented with 3 ppm Cu2+. Cellular distribution analysis indicated internalization of 6.1% Cu2+. Another study showed that the maximum Cu2+ removal was a surface phenomenon that did not require energy. The IC50 value for Cu2+ was determined to be 9 ppm as growth was compromised by 50.5%. We used a sub-lethal dose of 3 ppm for all the experiments which are 3-fold higher than the WHO recommended value for Cu2+ (1 ppm) in drinking water. At this concentration, various photosynthetic pigments were reduced by 35.3% (chlorophyll a), 31.3% (phycocyanin), 17% (allophycocyanin), 21.3% (phycoerythrin) and 16% (carotenoids). Photosynthetic PSII activity and respiration rate were also compromised by 45% and 46.2%. Heterocyst frequency, nitrogenase and glutamine synthetase activities were declined by 18.5%, 14.8% and 16.2%. Bright field and SEM images showed distinct morphological changes, where there was filament breakage, disintegration and degradation of individual cells as well as cell elongation, distortion and shriveling. The cyanobacterium generated 436.4% more ROS compared to the control cells.

Rabbul Ibne A. Ahad and Mayashree B. Syiem

Cause Analysis of Sudden Water Pollution Accidents Based on Fuzzy Fault Tree: Taking the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China as an Example

This study aims to explore the causes of sudden water pollution accidents in the main canal of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China. Triangular fuzzy function and fault tree analysis method were combined, and qualitative and quantitative fuzzy fault tree analyses of sudden water pollution accidents in main canals of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China were conducted. Results show that the probability of sudden water pollution accident in the main canal of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project is 0.0205%, which is in accordance with the actual situation. The instantaneous deterioration of water quality, excessive water quality, artificial poisoning, and terrorist attacks have the greatest impacts on sudden water pollution accidents, followed by vessel traffic accidents and geological hazards, and finally by road traffic accidents. The conclusion provides a decision-making reference for the prevention and treatment of sudden water pollution accidents in the main canal of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project.

Hongyan Li and Yu Chu

Impact of Climate Change on Precipitation in Zambeze River Basin in Southern Africa

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that there is a consensus that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases will result in climate change, which will cause the sea level to rise, increase frequency of extreme climatic events such as intense storms, heavy rainfall events and droughts. This will increase the frequency of climate-related hazards, causing loss of life, social disruption and economic hardships. There is less consensus on the magnitude of change of climatic variables, nonetheless several studies have shown that climate change will have an impact on the availability and demand for water resources. Southern Africa lies in one of the regions of the world that is most susceptible to climate variability and change. In southern Africa, climate change is likely to affect nearly every aspect of human well-being, from agricultural productivity and energy use to flood control, municipal and industrial water supply as well as wildlife management, since the region is characterized by highly spatial and temporally variable rainfall, and in some cases, scarce water resources. This study presents the future change projection in precipitation under RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios of the CanESM2 outputs using the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) for 50 stations in Zambeze River basin during the two future periods: near future (2031-2060) and far future (2071-2100). For assessment of climate change, the baseline period (1979-2013) was partitioned into two periods for SDSM calibration (1979-1996) and validation (1997-2013). The results show that SDSM was not a very robust method for the simulation of precipitation for this study area, the model could not replicate observed precipitation very well. This is due to its conditional nature and high variability in space. The results also showed that there is a decrease in monthly precipitation during wet period (October-March) and an increase during the dry period (April-September). The upward monthly increase in projected precipitation expected is in August (300%, 325%) with RCP4.5 and maximum decrease in March (38%) with RCP4.5 for all scenarios for NF and FF respectively, and the projected annual precipitation is expected to decrease with time for all scenarios. It was observed that the maximum decrease will range from 7-21.8% for near future (NF) and 2-21% for far future (FF).

Felix Banze, Jiali Guo and Shi Xiaotao

Comparison of Spatiotemporal Variations and Pearson Correlation Coefficients of PM2.5 between Jiangsu Province and the State of North Carolina

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is an important air pollutant, which can lead to visibility degradation and adverse health effects. In recent years, heavy and large-scale haze has been a serious issue caused by regional high PM2.5 concentrations in China. On the contrary, the most areas of United States have been PM2.5 attainment regions due to well-established air pollution control strategies. The comparison of PM2.5 mass concentrations, both in China and United States, can provide good evaluation regarding the seriousness of air pollution in China. This research aimed to compare the PM2.5 pollution, both in Jiangsu Province of China and the State of North Carolina of United States, to evaluate the spatiotemporal variations of PM2.5. The 13 PM2.5 concentration monitoring prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu Province and 11 PM2.5 concentration monitoring cities in North Carolina have good quality data, and provide the 24-hr average data to evaluate the spatial and temporal variations of PM2.5 mass concentration in both the regions. Furthermore, Pearson correlation coefficient was introduced to investigate the relationship between each pair of cities, and the results show that Pearson correlation coefficients were proportional to the distance in Jiangsu. However, there was no strong correlation between the cities in North Carolina. The comparison of PM2.5 in Jiangsu and North Carolina may provide some implications for the key reasons leading to the regional high PM2.5 and the establishment of effective PM2.5 control strategies in China.

Xiuguo Zou, Shuyue Zhang, Siyu Wang, Yan Qian and Shuaitang Zhang

Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals in Tropical Coastal Sediment of the Northern Malacca Strait, Malaysia

Spatial distribution of eight heavy metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Co, Cd) in surface sediments of northern Malacca Strait were investigated. Samples were taken from 18 stations in June, 2013. The concentrations of metals ranged between 1.70-5.75% (Al), 1.13-3.19% (Fe), 117.53-323.19 µg/g (Mn), 30.14-79.42 µg/g (Zn), 8.88-29.28 µg/g (Pb), 3.51-16.58 µg/g (Cu), 2.16-5.93 µg/g (Co) and 0.00-0.50 µg/g (Cd). The mean concentrations of the studied metals were in decreasing order as follows: Al > Fe > Mn> Zn > Pb > Cu > Co > Cd. Higher concentrations were found in the nearshore area of Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis and Langkawi Island. Pearson correlation explicates that most metals are predominantly from the assortment sources. Based on the enrichment factor value, all metals, except Pb, fall in the category of deficiency to minimal enrichment. Geoaccumulation index and pollution load index revealed that this area was not polluted with the studied metals. This work is vital to disclose the status of heavy metal sink to surficial sediment, thus any changes in concentration are easily monitored and appropriately managed.

Hasrizal Shaari, Nur Sakinah Abdul Razak, Wan Mohd Afiq Wan Mohd Khalik, Noor Azhar Mohamed Shazili and Joseph Bidai

Integrated Technologies for Low Cost Environmental Monitoring in the Water Bodies of the Philippines: A Review

Water is an important commodity that is becoming scarce due to man-made and natural destruction. The Philippines has abundant water resources but the rapid development, anthropogenic activities, and poor policy implementation in the country leads to the deterioration of water quality in its water bodies. Water quality monitoring (WQM) is a tedious and costly process that can impinge countries with limited resources. On the other hand, emerging technologies on wireless sensor network, energy harvesting, remote sensing, and geographic information system (GIS) have been the focus of various researches in order to achieve a precise, periodic, real-time, and low-cost water quality monitoring. In this work, these enabling technologies are reviewed to evaluate their applicability in the assessment, management, and rehabilitation of contaminated water bodies in the Philippine context. To carry out this study, the water quality monitoring program, existing technologies being employed, and the challenges in implementing a nationwide and comprehensive WQM processes were identified. Then, an overview of the qualitative state of the water resources in the country is sought in order to accentuate the need for more suitable alternative techniques.

Michelle V. Japitana, Eleonor V. Palconit, Alexander T. Demetillo, Marlowe Edgar C. Burce, Evelyn B. Taboada and Michael Lochinvar S. Abundo

Research on the pH of Discharged Acidic Wastewater and its Mathematical Model of Turbulence

The discharge of acidic wastewater impacts the acidity of the receiving water. The interplay process can directly determine the level of water pollution and the living environment of aquatic organisms. However, in contrast to the weighted combination model commonly applied for the concentration of other pollution factors, consistency diffusion and ion balance are also combined determinants for changes in mixed water acidity. This leads to complexity in accurately calculating the pH. This paper analyses the process of ion balance. Considering the influence of carbonic acid on the pH, the authors constructed a two-dimensional turbulent mathematical model based on the pH of discharged acidic wastewater. The research was carried out through experiments on mixing acidic wastewater and standing water, discharging the water pool through an open channel to examine the simplified calculation method and developing calculation model for the pH. The results show that in the complete mixing experiment, which considers the influence of carbonic acid balance, the estimated result is consistent with the actual measured result with a maximized relative error of 2.9%. In the still water pool experiment, the authors supposed that the pH model of acidic wastewater discharge is influenced by dispersion effects, and diffusion and ion balance can relatively accurately simulate changes in the receiving water pH. The consequence is that the simulated value is in accordance with the actual measured value.

Jilong Li, Ran Li and Liqiang Chao

Evaluation of Agricultural Soil Quality in Khandesh Region of Maharashtra, India

Being agronomy as a major profession, soil and water are key resources for the Indian subcontinent. Modern agro practices and anthropogenic human activities are mainly responsible for degradation of agricultural soil. The present investigation deals with the cultivated soil quality in the Khandesh region of Maharashtra state. The study area comprises Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar districts of Khandesh region. The soil quality analysis was conducted over three districts of the region. Total 108 soil samples were collected and processed for physicochemical characterization. The results were processed with linear regression with respect to pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, EC-SAR graphs with 95% CI and PI, ESP-SAR model, Bland-Altman plot and ternary diagrams. The statistical tools viz. one variable statistics, a coefficient of correlation and other ratios were applied for the data analysis. The result shows, calcium, sodium and potassium concentrations are under the prescribed limit. However, magnesium concentration is between 836.77 and 1762.63 mg/kg, which is high as compared to other exchangeable cations. Finally, the results show unbalancing of soil minerals with higher salinity in the area. Regular monitoring and remediation will help to maintain soil quality of the area in the near future.

S. T. Ingle, S. N. Patil, P. M. Kolhe, N. P. Marathe and N. R. Kachate

Evaluation of Influence Factors in Virtual Water Flow

Virtual water trade provides a new way to solve the problem of uneven distribution of water resources in regional entities. An evaluation index system with 13 indexes of three levels was established to identify the influence factors in virtual water flow. A consistency test was completed, and the weight value of each index was calculated by using the analytic hierarchy process. Results show that the most important factor that affects the degree of virtual water flow is the water footprint per capita, with a weight of 0.27. The sum of weights of per-capita water footprint, per-capita water resources, dependency index, food security index, food self-sufficiency, and water-resource pressure index is up to 0.79, which indicates that the six influence factors determine the virtual water flow. The conclusions provide references in formulating measures to alleviate water resource shortages.

Xiangchun Guo

Effects of Initial Moisture Content on Phenanthrene Degradation Behaviour During Sludge Composting

The influence of different initial moisture content on the degradation of phenanthrene was studied during sewage sludge composting under the same aerobic fermentation conditions. Wood chips were used as amendment and the moisture content of mixture was adjusted to 56.21% (treatment 1) or 60.89% (treatment 2). The results showed that initial moisture content has a significant effect on sewage sludge composting, the composting of two treatments all lasted 12 days. In addition, variations in moisture content led to different temperature tendencies, with the temperature of treatment 1 increasing faster than that of treatment 2, while the thermophilic stage of treatment 2 lasted for longer than that of treatment 1. The overall oxygen content, moisture content, volatile solids, pH, and total nitrogen content of the two treatments were basically the same. Microbial degradation of phenanthrene during sewage sludge composting primarily occurred in the rapid heating stage and thermophilic temperature stage, and a portion of the 4-5 ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons would concentrate relatively. The phenanthrene degradation rate of treatment 1 and treatment 2 were 52.37% and 45.64%, respectively. Based on the phenanthrene degradation efficiency, an initial moisture water content of 56.21% should be used during the sewage sludge composting.

Chuang Ma, Fu-yong Liu, Ming-Bao Wei, Jing-jing Du, Nan Liu and Hong-zhong Zhang

Assessment and Evaluation of the Conservative Character of the Calcite Residual Alkalinity in Drain Waters – A Case of Saline Soils Under an Arid Mediterranean Climate

The residual alkalinity (RA) is a tool that allows to foresee the direction of evolution of concentrations of the different dissolved ionic species and consequently of the chemical facies of the solutions. The 13 samples of the studied water were collected from open drains of two sites located in the irrigated and semi-arid plains of the Cheliff Basin (Algeria). These samples cover a wide range of salinity (ionic power between 0.025 mol L-1 and 0.739 mol L-1 and show a neutral reaction to slightly alkaline from 7.04 to 7.63. The evolution of chemical composition of waters during their concentration shows that the activities of Na+, Ca++, Mg++, K+ and SO42- seem to evolve from a very divergent way regarding the concentration factor. The intensity of Na+ ions activity is the one that predominates (R²=0.96). All the waters show an anionic chemical facies of chloride type and a cationic chemical facies of sodium type, and are saturated with respect to calcite. The alkalinity rises with the concentration factor, reaches a maximum, then decreases due to its non-conservative nature. The diminution of the RAcalcite and the increasing activities of Ca2+ ions in a proportional way to the concentration factor (R²=0.87) confirms the conservative character of the RAcalcite in these salted environments. Its sense of evolution can condition the observed salinization way in soils, which is of a neutral saline type. This process is less restrictive for the agricultural development of lands of that nature.

Karim Ouamer-ali, Youcef Daoud and Kaddour Djili

Improved Cold Flow Properties and Combustion Analysis of High Viscous Castor Oil and its Biodiesel in a CI Engine

Vegetable oils are desirable as alternate fuels with ignition quality equivalent to diesel and its combustion characteristics, but unsuitable for direct operation in compression ignition (CI) engines as fuel because of their high viscosity in nature. Hence, fuel and engine based modifications are being tried to improve the performance of the CI engines. The high viscous oil does not evaporate quickly even after it is injected into the hot combustion chamber. Therefore, converting the high viscous vegetable oil into biodiesel improves the evaporation and hence combustion. There are two major problems related to the use of biodiesel as fuel are its oxidation stability and cold flow performance. In this investigation, castor oil, having a very high viscosity of 226.2 cSt at ambient temperature, is used as a fuel. The test results show a significant increase in the brake thermal efficiency from 23.5% (neat castor oil) to 29.7% with castor oil biodiesel (COME) operation. CO and HC emissions of the engine are less with castor oil biodiesel. The smoke emission reduces marginally with castor oil biodiesel to 69% at full load, but it is still higher than diesel fuel 57%.

T. Prakash, V. Edwin Geo, Leenus Jesu Martin and B. Nagalingam

Energy Consumption Status and Energy Efficiency of Transportation Industry: The Case of China

Transportation industry is an important pillar in China’s economic development and one of the main industries that consumes fossil energy and emits pollution gases. Decreasing the pollutant emission during the energy consumption process by improving energy efficiency of the transportation industry can realize coordinated development of transportation industry and ecological environment. The existing literature regarding estimation of energy efficiency in the transportation industry was reviewed firstly. Then, energy consumption status of transportation industry in China was summarized. In addition, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was presented to estimate transportation energy efficiency. Results demonstrate that the transportation industry’s energy consumption status can be manifested by sustainable rapid growth of total energy consumption, continuous high proportion of energy consumption of the transportation industry in total energy consumption, and year-by-year growth of energy utilization efficiency. The mean values of industrial energy overall technical efficiency, industrial energy pure technical efficiency and industrial energy scale efficiency are 0.994, 0.998, and 0.996. Moreover, the overall conditions of the energy input and output efficiency in the transportation efficiency are benign and stable. The conclusions in this study are important positive reference for adjusting energy consumption structure, realizing energy conservation and emission reduction objectives, and improving economic efficiency and technological progress in terms of energy utilization of the transportation industry.

Cheng Zhang and Zhaoyu Yu

Comparative Analysis of Carbon Cloth and Aluminum Electrodes Using Agar Salt-Bridge Based Microbial Fuel Cell for Bioelectricity Generation from Effluent Derived Wastewater

Renewable and clean forms of energy are one of society’s most crucial needs. In the meantime, two billion individuals on the planet lack satisfactory sanitation and the monetary intends to breathe cost of it. In this work, we have attempted to address both of these human needs. Every year huge amount of expenses are carried out by industries to incorporate chemicals and electricity consumption for running water plants. Given the wealth disparity in India, present work explores a microbial fuel cell for production of bioelectricity. It contains two chambers, which are connected with a salt bridge (H- shaped) structure. At the same time, it brings down the BOD and COD level of the wastewater and decrease the toxicity. These devices use bacteria as the catalyst to oxidize the organic and inorganic matter and generate electricity. Electrons are produced by the bacteria and transferred to the anode (negative terminal) and flow to the cathode (positive terminal) with the help of conducting appendages. Two setups have been tried to check the different possible results with carbon cloth and aluminum mesh as electrodes. Carbon cloth arrangement shows peak open circuit voltage recorded as 540 mV and Al mesh shows peak open circuit voltage recorded as 400 mV. Carbon cloth gives consistent generation of electricity, whereas aluminum mesh gives some fluctuations in electricity generation. H- shaped systems are shown to be acceptable for the basic parameters of research, such as examining power production using new materials.

Debajyoti Bose, Amarnath Bose, Deepak Kundani, Deepika Gupta and Himanshu Jain

Geometrical Modelling and Analysis of Automotive Oxidation Catalysis System for Compliance with Environmental Emission Norms

Diesel engines find application in automotive and industrial areas owing to their higher thermal efficiency and longer life. The exhaust emissions from diesel engines pose a serious threat to environment and human health. Combined use of diesel oxidation catalyst filter (DOC), diesel particulate filter (DPF) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is found to reduce the exhaust emissions from the diesel engine. A detailed literature survey has been carried out in this paper to determine the current state of art. It was found that the regeneration of soot trapped in the filter is difficult and also it is reducing the life of the filter. Microwave technology has been proposed for conducting active regeneration of the filter without causing any damage to filter substrate. As an initial phase of the work, three dimensional model of DOC has been developed in SOLIDWORKS software. The flow analysis of the designed model is then carried out by importing the model to ANSYS FLUENT 16.2 as an IGS file. Geometric design of the model is validated by the results of simulation, and pressure drop is found to be in the acceptable range.

Caneon Kurien and Ajay Kumar Srivastava

CPB Modified Cornstalk Biochar for Enhanced Adsorptive Removal of Acid Orange II

Cornstalk biomass was utilized to prepare biochar as an adsorbent substrate. In order to significantly improve adsorption capability of the cornstalk biochar, a cationic surfactant hexadecylpyridinium bromide (CPB) was immobilized onto the cornstalk biochar, generating CPB-modified cornstalk biochar. CPB-modified cornstalk biochar performed slightly better than CPB-modified wheat straw biochar during adsorptive removal of an azo dye Orange II (ORII). It was observed that the adsorption capability of the raw cornstalk biochar for ORII was improved by as much as 183.5% after modification by CPB. The adsorption kinetics of the raw cornstalk biochar and the CPB-modified cornstalk biochar were compared and investigated at neutral solution pH. The experimental points were simulated by both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models using linear and non-linear fitting methods. Both linear and non-linear simulation results indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was more suitable to describe the adsorption kinetics, which demonstrates that the adsorption process might be chemisorption. Additionally, the calculated qe value from non-linear pseudo-second-order model for the CPB-modified cornstalk biochar is 44.29 mg/g, which is much close to the experimental value of 44.20 mg/g.

Guoting Li, Huiyuan Li and Qinying Yuan

Evaluation of Urban Water Balance Using Decision Support System of Varanasi City, India

Degradation of freshwater resources has become a major issue of this century in many parts of the world. In order to ensure urban sustainability, decision support system (DSS) is a useful tool to help in water balance and to predict the various scenarios according to the scope of reuse. In the present paper, a framework for decision support system for urban water balance (DSSUWB) has been proposed. A graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed incorporating seven wastewater treatment technologies (WWTT) with six treated wastewater reuse options and two disposal options. The developed system has been validated using available data for Varanasi city (Uttar Pradesh, India). The indicative results suggest that the annual groundwater extraction is 89.1 MCM and annual water balance is estimated as -100.4 MCM which is too low. However, forecasted demand for the next 15 years will be increasing significantly by 37%. The estimated annual storm water of 55.3 MCM and untreated wastewater of 73 MCM requires a proper management which may contribute to help in future water balance. Three scenarios were considered for water reuse, which show that if water reuse capacity increased to 20%, 30% and 50%, then the water balance will improve by 32.9%, 49.27% and 82.12% and water extraction will reduce by 24.1%, 36.14% and 59.10% respectively. Hence, wastewater treatment technology selection has to be made considering the potential of reuse and there is requirement of separate infrastructure for storm water within urban boundary.

Satya Prakash Maurya, Anurag Ohri and Prabhat Kumar Singh

Relationship Between Environmental Pollution and Industrial Restructuring: Hubei Province in China

Patterns of industrial structure have a direct impact on the general allocation of resources and the types and quantity of pollutants, which are closely linked with the quality of production and living environment. The traditional development mode featured by high input, high consumption and high pollution inevitably causes serious environmental pollution. To analyse the quantitative relationship between industrial structure and principal emissions of environmental pollution, the present situation of environmental pollution in Hubei Province of China was analysed, and a comprehensive correlation coefficient was calculated between industrial structure and emissions of environmental pollution using the method of grey comprehensive correlation coefficient. Results show that environmental pollution in Hubei Province is mainly caused by a considerable amount of emissions from industrial wastes, intensification of environmental pollution from unreasonable industrial structure, and the high proportion of nonrenewable energy consumption. The overall relevance is relatively high on the comprehensive correlation degree between the variables of the three major industries (primary, secondary, and tertiary industries) and the three types of industrial wastes (waste gas, waste water, and waste residues) in Hubei Province. The correlation degrees between the variables of the three major industries and wastewater, secondary industry and waste gas, and solid wastes and the three major industries exceed 0.9, 0.8245, and 0.6854, respectively. Related industries, such as mining, manufacturing, electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply, construction, transportation, warehousing, and post office, have strong correlation degrees with the three types of waste, as evidenced by the grey comprehensive correlation degree above 0.8. The conclusion can be used to further understand the dynamic relationship between industrial structure and the environment, and it also helps identify the main environmental polluters, thereby providing a reference for precise industrial restructuring and coordinated development between the economy and the environment.

Deqiang Geng and Long Wang

Assessment of Saltwater Intrusion and Role of Sea Level Rise (SLR) Along the Coast of Thiruvananthapuram District in Kerala, India

Indian coastal aquifers constitute the second richest groundwater resources after Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain. Millions of people in India use groundwater for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Increased sea level, over-exploitation of groundwater and modification in hydrological cycle have resulted in reducing groundwater levels, which lead to saltwater intrusion. Kerala is one among the most thickly populated states in India, especially the coastal area of the state. The present study investigates the groundwater salinization due to saltwater intrusion in the coastal area of Thiruvananthapuram district and inundation analysis due to sea level rise through geo-spatial technologies. As remote sensing aided with geospatial tools can quantify the extent of inundation level along coastal areas, those results are correlated with salinity analysis to identify the impact of sea level rise on groundwater salinization.

Remya R., Arun Nath R., Akhil T., Suresh Babu D.S. and Ramachandran K.K.

Study on Using Green Plants to Remove Contaminants from Soil Through Phytoremediation

Contamination of heavy metals represents one of the most pressing threats to water and soil resources, as well as human health. Phytoremediation can be used to remediate metal-contaminated sites. The aim of this study was to assess the accumulation of eight heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils and shoots of four different native plant species collected from the industrial area of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The plants were Cyperus laevigatus, Cassia italic, Rhazya stricta, Anabasis setifera. The results showed that the mean values of concentrations of heavy metals in the soils followed the sequence Cd > Cu > Pb > Ni > Zn > Cr > Mn > Fe, while in plants the trend was Cd > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cu > Zn > Mn > Fe. The four local plant species in the industrial zone grew without apparent toxicity. High concentrations of Fe and Mn were found in plants and soils from which the plant species were taken. The investigated species could accumulate Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, and this indicated that most native plant species were effective in uptake and transferring more than one element from soil to shoot. Consequently, the results showed that most plant species in the industrial area of Riyadh might be suitable for heavy-metal extraction of Fe and Mn from contaminated soils and to be candidates for phytoremediation.

A. A. Alsheikh and M. B. Kirkham

Empirical Study on the Relations between China's Export Trade Development and Environmental Pollution

China's foreign trade has greatly improved, and its export trade has grown steadily for a long time, thus providing a solid foundation for economic prosperity and development. However, environmental pollution caused by export trade has become increasingly prominent due to an extensive export trade model with low pollution punishment standards and ineffective government policy and management. To analyse the causes of environmental pollution caused by China's export trade and to quantitatively measure the relations between export trade and environmental pollution, the literature on the relations between China and other countries export trade and environmental pollution is firstly reviewed. Then, the cointegration measurement method is adopted to quantitatively measure the above relations. Existing literature indicates an uncertain relationship between foreign trade development and environmental pollution, wherein three viewpoints exist, namely, adverse, beneficial, and complex theories. Considerable pollution-intensive and resource-intensive industries, lacking of environmental protection awareness of enterprises, and insufficient environmental protection management of export trade by the government are the principal reasons for environmental pollution caused by export trade. Furthermore, a long-term cointegration relationship exists among industrial gas emissions, industrial solid waste emissions, industrial wastewater discharges, and total exports. Granger causality tests of industrial gas emissions and industrial solid waste emissions present the changes in total exports. The results have a positive reference value for further understanding the relationship between environmental pollution and export trade, thereby promoting the development of trade economy and ecological environment, and strengthening environmental regulation and supervision in export trade.

Liling Zhao

Photodegradation of Methylene Blue Dye in Aqueous Medium by Fe-AC/TiO2 Composite

A novel magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite has been synthesized by sol-gel method. The synthesized magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The average crystalline size of magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite was calculated by using Scherrer equation and it was found to be 10.8 nm. The magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite exhibit paramagnetic property analysed by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature, which helps to easily separate the composite using an external magnet. The photodegradation activity of magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite under UV light was studied using the aqueous solution of methylene blue dye. The effect of various parameters such as catalyst loading, pH and initial concentration of the dye on degradation of methylene blue dye in aqueous medium has been investigated. The maximum degradation of methylene blue dye concentration in aqueous medium was obtained at pH=10 and 240mg/L of magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite for 10mg/L concentration of methylene blue dye. The magnetic Fe-AC/TiO2 composite was investigated for its recycle efficiency which showed an effective degradation rate of more than 85% even after 5 cycles. Finally, the results prove that photodegradation of methylene blue dye in aqueous solution using magnetic composite was very effective under UV irradiation.

B. Saritha and M. P. Chockalingam

Application of Electrocoagulation Process for Decolourisation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME)

In this study, the decolourisation of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) was investigated by electrocoagulation (EC) batch reactor utilizing aluminium plate electrodes. POME was characterized physicochemically for colour, chemical oxygen demand (COD), pH, conductivity and turbidity. The colour of POME was observed to be dark brown of 2707 PtCo with a high organic content of COD at 3909 mg/L and high turbidity at 755 NTU. The electrical conductivity was at 12.82 mS. The influence of various operating parameters such as pH (3 to 11), applied voltage (5 V to 20 V) and plate gap (7.5 to 11.5 cm) to the POME colour removal were investigated as well. The highest colour removal was spotted at pH 5, applied voltage of 20 V and plate gap of 9.5 cm with corresponding colour removal percentage of 89, 79 and 78%, respectively. The EC flocs examined using FESEM exhibited the amorphous spherical and rod-like shape structure.

Shariff Ibrahim, Nur Syuhaidah Mohd Aris, Borhannuddin Ariffin, Yahaya Hawari and Megat Ahmad Kamal Megat Hanafiah

Adsorption Performance of Polyvinyl Alcohol onto Sediments of Yellow River

In this study, adsorption performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) onto sediments of Yellow River was systematically investigated. Results showed that the sediments could effectively adsorb PVA so as to decrease its dissolved amount in the natural water. Kinetic experiments indicated that a rather rapid uptake of PVA occurred and the removal percentage could reach 60.2% by 24 h. Non-linear fitting method succeeded in discerning that both Toth and Koble-Corrigan models best fitted the experimental data, indicating the possible mono layer and physical adsorption of PVA on the sediments. Langmuir isotherm model also simulated the adsorption isotherm data better, and at 288 K, the maximum adsorption capacity of 356.56 mg/g for PVA uptake was obtained by Langmuir isotherm model. Both, the increase of temperature and solution pH values, would reduce the uptake of PVA. At the same time, the co-existing anions could inhibit the uptake of PVA to some extent. This research would be useful in the risk assessment and subsequent treatment and utilization of the Yellow River. It could also be a reference for other pollution adsorption performances onto the sediments in different rivers.

Yiping Guo, Yujie Guo, Zhao Ye, Lingfeng Zhu and Guoting Li

Kinetic Study and Effect of Coexisting Ions on the Adsorption of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) by Activated Carbon Fibres

A synthetic polymer pollutant, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), is widely detected in wastewaters and natural waters. In this study, commercial activated carbon fibres (ACF) were tentatively used for adsorptive removal of PVA. Adsorption kinetics and the effect of coexisting ions on the adsorption of PVA were investigated. Kinetic models including pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich models were used to simulate the kinetic data. The correlation coefficients of nonlinear pseudo-second-order and Elovich models are all above 0.969. The correlation coefficient of linear pseudo-second-order kinetic model is above 0.999, which is especially higher than those of linear pseudo-first-order model. The kinetic study indicates that both pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetic models could describe the adsorption kinetics better. It can be inferred that chemisorption occurred between the PVA molecules and ACF while rate-determining step might be diffusive in nature. It is worthy to mention that most of the uptake occurred within the initial 120 min. Nitrate anions have no significant influence on PVA adsorption. For the common inorganic anions such as bicarbonate, phosphite and sulphate, the inhibition was observed with increasing concentrations. The presence of humic acid inhibited the PVA uptake as well.

Weisheng Chen, Mingzhao Shen, Ahmad Ali Khan and Guoting Li

Environmental Pollution in Construction Sites and Corresponding Green Construction Measures

Many construction projects have been completed in the urbanization process in China. Long construction period and large-scale and complicated process are the most prominent characteristics of construction projects. Construction projects are sensitive to many factors and cause enormous environmental pollution. Effective green construction measures can control potential environmental pollution. To analyze types of environmental pollution in construction sites, some environmental protection measures based on the philosophy of green construction were proposed. In this study, existing studies on environmental pollution in construction sites and green construction around the world were reviewed. Types of environmental pollution caused by architectural construction and the principle and control keys of green construction were summarized. Research results demonstrated that noise pollution, light pollution, water pollution, solid waste pollution, and dust pollution were the major types of environmental pollution in construction sites. The core of green construction is to control existing and potential pollutants in construction sites throughout the project. Finally, some green construction measures were proposed, including establishing an environmental management system, strengthening environmental supervision, perfecting construction environmental management, and determining environmental technological management rules. Research conclusions provide positive references to understand types of environmental pollution in construction sites, establish green construction environment, save energies and reduce consumptions during construction, and protect the construction environment.

Yan Shuai-ping

Biodiesel Wastewater Treatment and Power Generation Using Earthen Membrane Microbial Fuel Cell

Addressing the global energy needs and limited resources in the form of sustainable technologies should be ideally non-combustion based and have reduced net CO2 emissions. Microbial Fuel Cells or MFCs can be part of this sustainable development and in the process support the water infrastructure as well. MFC research is evolving rapidly as a promising alternative. In this study, an attempt has been made to produce low cost MFC without involving any costly membrane. The wastewater used in this MFC was biodiesel based, the intention being the feasibility to treat wastewater from biofuel processing. The total dissolved solids or TDS of the wastewater initially was 4420±30 ppm on the first day which decreased to 3360±20 ppm after nearly three weeks of operation. Open circuit voltage or OCV was recorded around 800±10 mV, and the electricity production using a 100 W resistor produced around 0.0041±0.0003 mA, power density peaked at 0.15±0.03 mW/cm2. System architecture included graphene as a conductive anolyte, aluminum mesh as cathode and a commercially available earthen pot structure as membrane. XRD analysis of membrane showed feasibility of operation, which can be essential for future designs wherein low cost membranes can be integrated for sustainable power generation and wastewater treatment.

Debajyoti Bose, Deepali Yadav, Ravi Kumar Patel, Anubhav Dhoundiyal, Laxman Gusain and Anubhav Tyagi

Utilization of Biomass Waste of Pulp and Paper Industry for Production of Sodium Lignosulphonate (SLS)

The surfactant of sodium Lignosulphonate (SLS) is obtained from lignin isolation from the black liquor pulp and paper biomass waste. The obtained lignin is reacted with sodium bisulphite (NaHSO3) forming the SLS. This research studies the SLS synthesis process using three variables: temperature, pH and weight ratio of lignin and sodium bisulphite. Response surface methodology with the central composite design was used to optimize the process variables. The optimum conditions for making SLS from biomass-based lignin waste were obtained at 79.67°C, pH 8.32 and 4.58 bisulphite lignin ratio. Under these conditions, the highest yield of SLS was 89.96%. The SLS obtained has characteristics similar to SLS made from pure lignin with bisulphite. These characteristics include: water content 24.62% w/w, ash content 32.23% w/w, organic compounds 41.76% w/w, volatile matter 5.14% w/w and density (solids) 1.12 g/mL. Based on the FTIR spectra, the resulting SLS also has similarities.

Bambang Pramudono, Hapsoro Aruno Aji, Slamet Priyanto, Tutuk Djoko Kusworo, Suherman, Edi Untoro and Puspa Ratu

Method of Measuring Tree Height and Volume Based on CCD SmartStation

Forest stock volume is an important factor for evaluating the status of forest resources and management level of the forest. It is also an important index to evaluate the ability of the forest to reduce the risk of climate change. Standing timber volume is the basis for accurate assessment of forest stock volume. In order to quickly and accurately measure the volume of standing timber and solve the problems and shortcomings of the traditional measurement methods of volume, this paper presents non-contact and nondestructive method of measuring tree height and volume, which uses CCD as a measuring tool and takes measuring principle of close-range photogrammetry as a basis. The method obtains the photograph by the CCD camera and the exterior element, when the photograph is shot by the total station’s goniometry and ranging function, and takes surface, which crosses the center of the tree and is perpendicular to the main optical axis of the camera, as the solution surface. Extracting coordinates of feature points of standing timber in the photograph, calculates diameter at any height of standing timber, which achieves measurement of height and volume of standing timber under the model of single-photo solution and multi-photo solution of correction and merging. In order to simplify the operational procedures of the field, through the observation of one pole and 160 standing timber, the optimal observation distance of this method is 15 m, and the optimal observation angle is 0°, and the accuracy of the single-photo mode is better than the multi-photo mode of correction and merging. The results show that the precision of tree height measurement method is 98.41% and the measurement accuracy of volume is 98.01%, which can meet the precision requirements of forestry investigation. This provides a new idea of data acquisition for the establishment of timber volume tables and forestry surveys, which is of some reference value.

Yang Liyan, Feng Zhongke, Liu Yingchun, Liu Jincheng and Sun Renjie

Development of EST-Derived SSR Markers for Tasar Ecoraces and their Application in Genetic Diversity Analysis

The wild tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta polyphagous sericigenous lepidopteran insect, producing tasar silk of commercial importance is distributed in various parts of India as ecoraces, with variations in phenotypic traits like fecundity, voltinism, cocoon weight, silk ratio, etc. In spite of their superior quality silk, they encounter problems like their gradual decrease in number and identification. These populations are very difficult to separate based on morphological traits. The assessment of genetic structure of each population is considered as prerequisite for understanding and preserving natural biodiversity. Hence in the present investigation, genomic DNA of distinct populations of A. mylitta was extracted and screened for polymorphism by using EST-derived SSR markers. The DNA profiles based on these markers suggest that they could be effectively utilised for identifying the genetic variability among tasar ecoraces. The alignment of sequences obtained from genomic PCR products has identified potential EST-SSR marker to recognise single nucleotide polymorphism by comparing various tasar ecoraces.

Renuka, G., NagaTeja Natra and Shamitha G.

Effect of Solution pH and Isotherm Study on Adsorption of PVA Using Activated Carbon Fibre

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a widely used water-soluble polymer, though it is difficult to degrade by bio-treatment. Dyeing wastewater contains a lot of PVA, which has become one of the most important water pollution sources. In this research, PVA was efficiently removed by activated carbon fibre (ACF) in a batch adsorption system. Effect of solution pH, and adsorption isotherm were emphatically studied. By the study of pH effect, it was observed that near-neutral solution pH conditions were more favourable for the adsorptive removal of PVA. For the isotherm study, Langmuir model described the adsorption isotherm better than Freundlich model, with a maximum PVA adsorption capacity of 6287.4 mg/g at 288 K. The changes of enthalpy and entropy of the adsorption processes are 12.38 KJ mol-1 and 43.7 J mol-1 k-1, respectively. The negative value of Gibbs free energy change and the positive value of enthalpy also demonstrated that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic. All these results indicated that the ACF is a suitable adsorbent for the removal of PVA from water.

Xiao Mi, Mingzhao Shen, Jingrong Zhai, Mengpei Ren, Rongchang Peng and Guoting Li

Removal of Ammonia Nitrogen in Wastewater by Indirect Mechanism Using Electrochemical Method with Platinum Electrode as Anode

In this study, platinum (Pt) electrode was used as an anode to remove ammonia in the wastewater by electrolysis. The batch experiments were carried out with various ammonia concentrations in the synthetic wastewater at ambient temperature with and without chloride ions. The results indicated that the optimal condition was pH = 7.0 and current density of 10 mA/cm2. The added NaCl concentration had a significant effect on both, the ammonia removal rate and energy consumption. The ammonia removal performance was 99% with initial ammonia concentration of 25 mg/L after 70 min electrolysis at i=20 mA/cm2; pH 7.0 and 0.03% NaCl. The response functions described the correlation of four variables with NH3 concentration, and NH3 removal efficiency was determined by the response surface methodology (RMS), ANOVA tool with R2NH3-N = 0.945 and R2Eff = 0.871.

Pham-Hung Duong, Cong-Minh Pham, Ngoc-Han T. Huynh and Yong-Soo Yoon

Environmental Pollution and Measurement of Low-Carbon Logistics Efficiency in China’s Logistics Industry

The rapid growth of transportation brought about by the emerging logistics industry has resulted in substantial air, water, and noise pollution. Low-carbon logistics can effectively accomplish energy conservation and emission reduction, ultimately reducing environmental pollution and achieving coordinated development of the logistics industry and ecological environment. To further analyse the environmental pollution caused by the development of China’s logistics industry, the efficiency of low-carbon logistics was measured. The literature on environmental pollution and low-carbon logistics efficiency caused by China and other countries logistics development has been combed, and then the causes of environmental pollution have been summarized. The DEA-BCC model was employed to measure the low-carbon logistics efficiency of 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) in China in 2016. Results show that the development of logistics industry in developed countries is early with relatively perfect system, thus causing less contamination. On the contrary, the pollution is more serious in developing countries because the logistics development mode is extensive. The logistics industry in China accounts for relatively high proportions of road transportation, causing air, water, and noise pollution. The provinces with a comprehensive efficiency value of 1 comprise only 20% of the national total, indicating that the overall low-carbon logistics efficiency in China is low. The provinces with a comprehensive efficiency value of 0.8 accounted for 36.67%, all located in the central and western regions of China. Policy recommendations for developing low-carbon logistics were put forward in five aspects, namely, improving the regulations on low-carbon logistics, establishing a carbon trading credit registration system, building a sound logistics recycling system, actively exploring low-carbon logistics education, and vigorously developing low-carbon logistics technologies. The research results of the study have a positive significance for fully understanding the status quo of environmental pollution caused by the logistics industry. The conclusions obtained can help promote low carbonization of the logistics industry and realize the coordinated development of the logistics industry and environment.

Meilong Shi

Study on the Probability Distribution of Environmental Pollution Risk Caused by Sewage Irrigation in Farmland

The shortage of water resources is the bottleneck that restricts China's economic and social development, especially the shortage of water in agriculture is even more serious. The intensification of industrial and domestic sewage discharges has led to the pollution of the water quality in all major water areas, and as a result, agriculture faces the serious challenge of water quality-induced water shortage. Within a long period of time, irrigation of farmlands with sewage is inevitable and there will be increase but no decrease. Though a lot of research has been done on the risk of environmental pollution caused by sewage irrigation, these studies do not have a deep and quantitative analysis of the degree of environmental risk caused by irrigation of farmlands with sewage. Based on the assumption that the degree of environmental risk caused by irrigation of farmlands with sewage can be correctly reflected, this paper studies the probability distribution of environmental risk caused by irrigation of farmlands with sewage through inference, calculus and non-parametric test, and by making use of the actual data, draws the conclusion through calculation that the probability distribution of the degree of environmental risk caused by irrigation of farmlands with sewage has normal distribution (0.275, 0.015).

Xin Huanga and Hongliang Lib

Phytoremediation as an Effective Technology for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Dump Yard Soils

A study was conducted for the comparative evaluation of different plants and their parts on the phytoaccumulation of heavy metals from the contaminated soil of Laloor, a major waste dump yard of Thrissur city Kerala, India. Initial content of heavy metals under study for the soil is 198.6 mg kg-1 for Pb, 11 mg kg-1 for Co, 57 mg kg-1 for Ni, 105 mg kg-1 for Cr and 0.5 mg kg-1 for Hg. A pot culture study was conducted with vetiver, marigold and sunflower plant. Upon harvest, the different plant parts were harvested, cleaned, separated and analysed for total heavy metal content using ICP OES. Results revealed that vetiver was found to be a translocator of Cr and other metals like Ni, Pb, Co and Hg were mostly stabilized in the root. Marigold translocated all the heavy metals from soil except Co, whereas sunflower behaved as phytostabiliser for Pb and translocated Co, Ni and Cr. The bioconcentration factor was higher for vetiver compared to sunflower and marigold. On the basis of removal ratio, vetiver was found to be the most efficient in the removal of heavy metals as per the order Cr>Ni>Co>Pb.

V. Divya Vijayan and P. K. Sushama

Fractal Characters of Soil Erosion Spatial Pattern in the Watershed on Loess Plateau, China

In order to study quantitative indexes and characteristics of soil erosion on the Loess Plateau, degree of complexity and stability of erosion patterns are discussed. The fractal characteristics of soil erosion spatial patterns in the Dalihe River basin were evaluated by combining them with measurements extracted from the soil erosion database of the Loess Plateau, illustrated using GIS. Results demonstrate that fractal characteristics of spatial patterns of soil erosion intensity are obvious in the Dalihe River basin. Indeed, the results show that fractal dimension reflects the degree of soil erosion complexity at certain scales of observation, is indirectly related to soil erosion degree of complexity at certain scales of observation, which indirectly corresponds to the level of difficulty to implement soil-water erosion management. In addition, the fractal characteristics of soil erosion spatial patterns in the Dalihe River basin show that patch shapes correspond with size. In other words, when the patch size is about 0.2 km2, scale conversion is observed in spatial patterns of soil erosion intensity and complexity of patch shape also changes. However, at patch sizes greater than 0.2 km2, the two dimensional feature was gradually enhanced for a single patch, while with the patch size less than 0.2 km2, the point feature was gradually enhanced. Thus, the order of complexity in spatial patterns of soil erosion intensities in the Dalihe River basin is drastic erosion > extreme erosion > serious erosion > moderate erosion, and thus the order of priorities for the implementation of management controls on soil erosion should be moderate erosion > serious erosion > extreme erosion > drastic erosion.

Cheng Shengdong, Hang Penglei, Feng Zhaohong, Li Zhanbin and Zhang Tiegang

Biodegradation of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) by Halophilic Bacteria Isolated from Solar Saltpans, Kovalam, Chennai

Saltpan is an extreme environment, which inhabit organisms that survive at very high salinities, high temperatures and withstand severe solar radiations. Halophilic bacteria have been isolated from different hypersaline conditions like salt lakes, natural and artificial solar saltpans. In the present study, a total of two overlaying saltpan water samples were collected from different sites of saltpans from Kovalam in Chennai, of which 8 distinct halophilic bacterial isolates were obtained. Optimization of growth parameters of the isolated halophilic bacteria was done in order to determine the optimum NaCl, temperature, pH and LDPE source required for their growth. The optimum NaCl, temperature, pH, and LDPE source required for their growth were as follows: 20%, 40oC, pH 9-10 and 0.5% LDPE source. Out of the 8 isolates which were tested, only two of them showed some measure of hydrophobicity. Clear zone assay was done to detect the biodegradation of LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) by halophilic bacteria. Of the 8 isolates 2/8 (28%) isolates showed clearance around the colony showing their potential to degrade LDPE. SEM analysis of LDPE film treated with the halophilic bacterial isolate showed that there were several cracks and pits on the surface which developed after 60 days of treatment in comparison to the control film. The halophilic bacteria Nesiotobacter exalbescens and Bacillus vietnamensis were perhaps for the first time reported from the hypersaline lakes of Chennai in this study.

Summera Rafiq, Fahmida Fathima, SK. Jasmine Shahina and K. Vijaya Ramesh

Green Building Development in China from the Perspective of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction and the Corresponding Environmental Protection Measures

Rapid development of the traditional construction industry in China has caused increasingly prominent problems, such as environmental deterioration, resource wastage, and depletion of energy resources. To respond to the country’s policy of comprehensive energy saving and emission reduction, the construction industry must pay attention to requirements for environmental friendliness, quality, and energy conservation of buildings despite the pursuit of swift development. Industrialization of green buildings is an essential strategy to ensure energy conservation and emission reduction, and relieve environmental pollution caused by traditional construction activities. To comprehend the development status and problems in China’s construction industry, this study reviews successful experiences of developed countries in implementation of green building. Subsequently, problems of the green building industry in China and relevant causes are analysed. Finally, specific environmental protection measures are proposed. Research results demonstrate that the “green building” launched by western developed countries can achieve sound development in China. Problems with the development of China’s green building industry are mainly manifested by imbalanced regional development, few green buildings in service, poor capacity building, and insufficient green reconstruction projects. Moreover, green building is difficult to promote in China because of an imperfect legal and regulatory system, a poor market atmosphere, inadequate evaluation of the label management system, and the absence of implicit implementation techniques of a standard system. The proposed suggestions include a reasonable layout of green buildings, strengthening supervision throughout the green construction process, updating the technological standard system, and promoting the concept of green building. Research conclusions provide a theoretical basis for the construction department to understand the status of the green building sector and barriers against its development so that relevant development policies can be implemented.

Ji ying Qin

Degradation of Azo Dyes Wastewater by Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron

Wastewater from fabric and yarn dyeing impose serious environmental problems because of their colour and potential toxicity. The release of coloured wastewaters in the ecosystem is a dramatic source of aesthetic pollution, eutrophication, and perturbations in aquatic life. Decolorization of their high colour and organic concentration is serious. In this decade, innovation methods have been developed such that nanoscale zero valent iron particles applied in environmental treatment have emerged dynamically and promptly. In this study, it was attempted to decolourize azo dye wastewater using the nanoscale zero valent iron particles. The effects of pH in solution, the zero valent iron dosage, reaction time and the initial dye concentration on the degradation rate were investigated. The results showed that those factors played an important role on the degradation of the dye by the nanoscale zero valent iron.

Muqing Qiu, Luyi Qi, Chengguang Chen and Yunchu Liu

A New Combination Treatment System of Ozonation and Electrocoagulation for C.I Acid Red 114 Dye Removal from Dyeing Wastewater

In this study, a combined system integrating an ozonation reactor and electrocoagulation (EC) reactor was investigated to remove C.I Acid Red 114 (AR 114) dye in the synthetic dyeing wastewater. The separated EC and ozonation systems were performed as control experiments as well. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) of each system was determined. These systems were operated with 100 mg/L AR 114 dye wastewater at determined optimal conditions. The results showed that colour, dye and CODcr were highly removed by the combined system with only the HRT of 2 min in the ozonation reactor and 0.85 min in the EC reactor. Their average efficiencies were archived up to 93%, 94.25% and 80.6%, respectively. In addition, the energy consumption, volume and mass of waste sludge were evaluated to be low (0.4 kWh/m3, 30 L/m3 and 77 g/m3). When compared between the combined system and the control systems based on the same decolorization performance, the results indicated that the combined system has shorter HRT, less energy consumption than others and less waste sludge generation than the separated EC system.

Ngoc-Han T. Huynh, Pham-Hung Duong and Yong-Soo Yoon

A Study on Indoor Air Pollution Among Rural Masses

People in rural areas were found to be largely exposed to indoor air pollution by their usage of dirty fuels and biomass in kitchens. The other household conditions prevailing among rural poor masses such as lack of ventilation facilities, indoor kitchen without separation, smoking habits at home, cattle rearing at home etc. make them vulnerable to indoor air pollution. At this outset, this paper aimed to analyse the impact of indoor air pollution in Veeranam village of Salem District, Tamil Nadu. A sample of 150 households has been selected using simple random sampling. A significant association was found between (<0.001) types of kitchen facilities, ventilation facilities, smoking habits at home and respiratory illnesses. A statistically significant difference was found in medical expenses incurred by households in different types of kitchens (P<0.001). The paper suggests the implementation of proper guidelines to rural masses to switch over to clean fuels.

J. Sathya and J. Gayathri

Ecological Degradation and Driving Forces in the Source Region of the Yellow River, China

The source region of the Yellow River, located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is the typical environmentally fragile region of Chinese eco-environment. As the important water source supplying area of Yellow River, the source region is known as “plateau’s water tower”. There inhabit large quantities of rare wild animals. In this study, based on land ecological classification and field investigation, we used landsat images obtained in 2000 and 2015 to establish databases. From spatial distribution pattern variations and type transformation trend, the spatial changes and dynamic transfers of landscape ecotypes in the source region were analysed by using the analytical methods of landscape ecological spatial patterns. Results show that the unique natural conditions of the source region are more harsh and fragile. There have been phenomena of grasslands deterioration, desertification and wetlands shrinking, and water yield in the upper reaches of the Yellow River has been decreasing in recent years. In the source region, the serious eco-environmental problems have been caused by climate changes, rodent damages and human activities.

Q. G. Liu

Decolorization and Mineralization of Azo Dye-Acid Orange 7 by Salt-tolerant Mixed Cultures Developed with Anaerobic and Aerobic Circle Method

Salt-tolerant mixed cultures proficient in complete decolorization and mineralization of azo dye - Acid Orange 7 (AO7) were developed through anaerobic and aerobic circle method. The salt-tolerant culture performed well in the medium containing no carbon source and 5 g/L yeast extract and could degrade 60 mg/L of AO7 within 48 h efficiently under static and shaking condition. The suitable pH range for the mixed cultures was 6-7. Decolorization and mineralization efficiency was found to be unchanged under salt concentration of 20 g/L NaCl. Microbial community composition based on 16S rDNA gene analysis showed that the dominated genera involved in the mixed cultures were Lactococcus, Acinetobacter and Bacteroides. With UV-Vis analysis, it is speculated that AO7 was degraded to sulfanilic acid and 1-amino-naphtol first. The two chemical intermediates were further mineralized to low-molecular-weight organic acids with the broken aromatic rings. The developed mixed cultures might be a promising alternative for treatment of saline azo dye wastewater.

ChenFeng Deng, Siwen Wang, Qiaonan Wang, Luyun Wang, Lei Yan and Yuling Zhu

Optimized Bio-Fuel Formulation by Taguchi’s Approach and its Effect in DI CI Engine on the Performance and Emission Characteristics

Use of biodiesel in compression ignition engine is widely recognized due to its reduced exhaust emissions, enhanced carbon dioxide cycle, less toxicity and improved safety. Biodiesel derived from vegetable and biological sources encompasses a substantial quantity of saturated FFA, which leads to increased kinematic viscosity. The present work aims at comparing the feasibility of using the methyl esters of cottonseed and alga (Stoechospermum marginatum) oil separately in a compression ignition engine. The bio-oils were transesterified through base catalysed transesterification using methanol and potassium hydroxide as catalyst. Addition of n-butanol up to 10% improves the physico-chemical properties of fuel, thereby promoting enhanced combustion. The test fuels were formulated on analysing their stability through Taguchi’s approach in design of the experiments. The L9 orthogonal array show cast a stable blend as mineral diesel 80%, biodiesel 20% and n-butanol oxygenate 10% for 21 days without precipitation. The performance and emission analysis of the test fuel blends showed higher brake thermal efficiency with lower brake specific energy consumption for algal biodiesel blends. The oxygenated blends of algal biodiesel emitted lesser carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and smoke in comparison with cottonseed biodiesel.

Hariram V., Godwin John J., Seralathan S. and Micha Premkumar T.

Study on the Oxidation Process of As(III) in Acidic Wastewater Containing Arsenic by Electrolysis and Ultrasonic Coupling

The ultrasonic and electrochemical combination oxidation technology was used to treat the acid wastewater containing arsenic in this work. To clarify the oxidation process of As(III) to As(V) in the anode region under the electrolysis and ultrasonic coupling, the oxidation process of As(III) under different influence factors (time/electrolysis voltage/arsenic concentration/ultrasonic power) was studied in a sulphuric acid-arsenic mixture system. The results show that trivalent arsenic oxidation efficiency can be increased when ultrasound is added in the process of electrolysis. The oxidation rate of trivalent arsenic is 25.49% higher than that produced by simple electrolysis when the electrolytic time is 120 min. The increase of electrolysis voltage can increase the oxidation efficiency of arsenic when the voltage is less than 6V. Below 1.1540g/L, the increase of arsenic concentration can promote the oxidation of As(III). The increase of ultrasonic power can promote the oxidation of As(III). However, the excessive ultrasonic power will cause the problem of acoustic shielding, resulting in excessive energy consumption and other problems. As a result, the oxidation efficiency of arsenic decreases.

Linbo Li, Zhao Yang, Zeli Yu, Tao Hong and Yuhong Tian

Effect of Copper Sulphate (CuSO4.5H2O) and Pre-cold Treatment on Labellum Explants in Endangered Orchid Taxa

The regenerative competence in Labellum (petal) explants in Coelogyne ovalis and Vanda cristata depends significantly on physiological stage of donor tissue, pre-cold treatment, genotype and medium components. Juvenility of tissue emerged as the major factor controlling the activation of proliferative loci in labellum explants. The efficacy of PGRs in regeneration is species specific; Kn was effective in C. ovalis cultures and BAP in those of V. cristata. The maximum callus induction and growth in labellum explants was observed on medium supplemented with cytokinin to auxin in ratio of 10:1. The regenerated plantlets were acclimatized and transferred to pots filled with moss, pinebark, brick and charcoal pieces mixture with 90% survival.

Vishal Sharma