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Study on Removal of Thallium from Wastewater by Chitosan/Fly Ash Composite Adsorbent

Thallium (TI) is a kind of emerging contaminant with strong toxicity. In this study, a low-cost, renewable, biologically low-toxic and environmentally friendly fly ash/chitosan (FACS) composite adsorption material was synthesized by combining the characteristics of chitosan and fly ash to remove thallium from wastewater. SEM, FTIR and XRD analyses showed that the adsorbent mainly contained silicate compounds, and the surface of the particles contained a large number of micro porous structures. The adsorption process was rapid, reaching the adsorption equilibrium after 60min. When the pH value was 8, FACS had the best adsorption effect on TI, which was not conducive to the adsorption of TI in either strong acid or strong base environment. The co-existence of Fe3+ and Mn2+ could facilitate the adsorption of TI by FACS. The adsorption isotherm data were better fitted for the Freundlich model, while the Second-order kinetic model was more suitable for describing the kinetic data. Since the main chemical bond composition and chemical groups of FACS would not change after the adsorption of TI, the removal rate of TI was still high when it was reused after desorption. Because of its simple operation, low cost and reusability, FACS is considered to have certain potential in the removal of TI from wastewater.

Li Hai-hua, Chen Jie, Hua Yong-peng, Yan Shao-feng, E. Zheng-yang and Su Hang

Assessment of Seasonal and Spatial Variation of Groundwater Quality in the Coastal Sahel of Doukkala, Morocco

The current research is set in the context of the impact of climate change at the regional level, particularly focused on seasonal variations and their influence on the physico-chemical characteristics of groundwater in the rural and urban areas of coastal Sahel of Doukkala. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the quality to explain the phenomena at the origin of the mineralization of groundwater. Two measurement campaigns of sampling were carried out on 30 wells, in 2016 and 2018 (dry and wet season). The water points were piezometrically surveyed. In situ, the same water points were measured for temperature, pH, and electrical conductivity, using a multiparameter conductivity meter and a pH meter. The chemical analysis was carried out at the Laboratory of Geosciences and Environmental Technics using volumetry (Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl- and HCO3 -) and spectrophotometry methods (SO4 2-, Na+ and K+); total dissolved solids (TDS) were computed by multiplying the EC by a factor (0.55 to 0.75), depending on relative concentrations of ions. Total hardness (TH) was calculated by taking the differential value between Mg2+ and Ca2+. For the reliability of the results obtained, we proceeded to the application of the ionic balance. The obtained water quality data was subjected to multivariate statistical techniques to evaluate homogeneity and heterogeneity between sampling water and to differentiate water quality variables for temporal variations.The elements are all significantly different among seasons. The dry season was positively associated with EC, TDS, Cl-, Na+, SO4 2- and K+ and negatively associated with temperature, and pH. The wet season was in contrast associated with high values of NO3 - and pH. These results show that the majority of well water in the study area represents strong mineralization that far exceeds standards, especially during the dry period, with an average EC of 416.04 ?S/cm, while the wet season is lower at 382.6 ?S/cm. The hydrochemical classification of water from the Piper diagram revealed only one hydro facies, which is the chlorinated sodium facies. In conclusion, the variability of groundwater quality could be explained by the fact that in the dry season, there is concentration and in the wet season, there is ionic dilution and may also reflect the effect of anthropogenic activity.

Imane EL Adnani, Abdelkader Younsi, Khalid Ibno Namr, Abderrahim El Achheb and El Mehdi Irzan

Adsorption of Methylene Blue Using Chemically Enhanced Platanus orientalis Leaf Powder: Kinetics and Mechanisms

The adsorption of methylene blue in an aqueous medium using two activated carbons AC1 and AC1 + H3PO4 was studied. The AC1+ H3PO4 adsorbent, which was inoculated with phosphoric acid, had better methylene blue removal capacity compared with AC1 adsorbent which had only thermal treatment. The optimum activation temperature for both adsorbents was 500°C while the suitable activation time was 180 min. The best pH in this investigation was 6. With AC1 + H3PO4 adsorbent, 100% removal of methylene blue was recorded for concentrations 20 to 100 mg.L-1 and the suitable adsorbent dosage was 3 g.L-1. The effect of temperature showed insignificant effect on the adsorption of methylene blue ions. The SEM results for AC1 + H3PO4 adsorbent showed better pores compared with AC1, an indication that the injection of phosphoric acid into it before the activation played a significant role in enhancing the porosity of the adsorbent surface.

Baba Imoro Musah, Lai Peng and Yifeng Xu

Comparative In Vitro Assessment of Hydrocarbon Degradation Potential of Pleurotus ostreatus MP 5 and Pleurotus ostreatus MTCC 1804

Mycoremediation, involving the use of fungus for bioremediation, is one of the promising cost-effective methods for cleaning up the carcinogenic and mutagenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in the environment. The present study deals with the isolation of white rot fungus from Chhattisgarh forest, India followed by identification based on ITS sequencing. Identification revealed MP 5 closely related to Pleurotus ostreatus isolate 6689 with 99% sequence similarity. Comparative primary screening assay of both the wild isolate and reference strain of Pleurotus ostreatus MTCC 1804 was performed by measuring the growth diameter of mycelia on minimal salt media enriched with 2% used engine oil (v/v). The fungal isolate MP 5 showed highest average growth rate. Confirmatory test was conducted via orbital shaking method and spectroscopic study was carried out at 600 nm which displayed degradation within 7 days and percentage of degradation was calculated. Level of degradation was 69.7 ± 0.351% and 64.7 ± 1.153% respectively for Pleurotus ostreatus MP 5 and Pleurotus ostreatus MTCC 1804. Degradation potential of both the isolates was evaluated in terms of chemical characterization via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) which revealed bands formation based on the presence of different functional groups indicating oxidative degradation of hydrocarbons.

Madhavi Tiwari, Ashish Saraf and Meghna Shrivastava

A Novel Approach to Utilize Used Disposable Paper Cups for the Development of Adsorbent and its Application for the Malachite Green and Rhodamine-B Dyes Removal from Aqueous Solutions

This study focuses on the removal of organic dyes, such as Malachite Green (MG) and Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) from an aqueous solution with the help of a novel adsorbent (activated carbon) with magnetic property prepared by used disposal paper cups (AC@PC) at 500°C. The synthesized AC@PC adsorbent was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and point of zero charge (pHZPC). Adsorption of MG and Rh-B onto the AC@PC adsorbent from aqueous solution was investigated systematically. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were also studied, however, it has been observed that Langmuir isotherm model was best fitted for both the dyes, which describe the adsorption behaviour at equilibrium. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order kinetic model describe the rate of adsorption. Kinetic study explained that the process of adsorption followed the pseudo-second order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy (?H°), entropy (?S°) and Gibb’s free energy (?G°) were also studied and revealed that the adsorption of MG was endothermic, whereas adsorption of Rh-B was exothermic onto the AC@PC. The prepared adsorbent shows potentially high adsorption properties for both the dyes.

Kshipra Shukla, Alka Verma, Lata Verma, Shalu Rawat and Jiwan Singh

Assessing Ecological Conditions of Microtopography for Vegetation Restoration on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Microtopographies affect large portions of the Chinese Loess Plateau after years of water erosion. Vegetation restoration has proven to be an effective way to conserve water and soil, however, studies of the influence of microtopography on naturally recovered vegetation on the Chinese Loess Plateau have long been absent. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of microtopography on the vegetation structure and plant diversity of naturally restored vegetation and compare the soil physicochemical properties of different microtopographies with those of undisturbed slopes on the Loess Plateau. We identified five types of microtopographies that are mainly shaped by runoff in the study area and examined vegetation structures, plant diversity, soil nutrients, and soil water storage compared with undisturbed slopes. The results show that vegetation communities on loess slopes are still in an early successional stage after 14 years of natural recovery. Vegetation diversity was significantly different among microtopographies. Four types of microtopography have better soil conditions for vegetation restoration; scarps are the exception. Our results suggest that microtopographies can create some better condition plots for precision designed artificial restoration of vegetation, which is necessary to accelerate the succession process on the Loess Plateau.

Huan Ma, Qingke Zhu, Xining Zhao and Yuan Liu

Analysis of Spatial Heterogeneity in Coupling Development of Industrialization and Resource Environmental Bearing Capacity

The contradiction between supply and demand of resource environment has become increasingly severe because of population expansion and the rapid development of industrial economy. Spatial quantitative evaluation of coupling strength and mutual promotion between industrialization and resource environmental bearing capacity based on panel data can facilitate industrialization and promote sustainable and healthy development of regional economy objectively, scientifically, and rationally. This study proposed a three-level comprehensive evaluation matrix for clustering and comparative analysis of 31 provinces in China to analyse the characteristics of spatial heterogeneity in the coordinated development of industrialization and resource environmental bearing capacity. First, a comprehensive evaluation index system for resource environmental bearing capacity was established based on the differences in resource environmental bearing capacities in various regions of China. Combined with the coordination degree for the evaluation model, the coordination between the resource environmental bearing capacity and the industrialization of the 31 provinces in 2018 was evaluated and compared based on their comprehensive evaluation index. Finally, a cluster comparison analysis was performed in the 31 provinces using the three-level comprehensive evaluation matrix of coupling development of regional economy and resource environmental bearing capacity. Moreover, the accuracy of the coordination degree model was verified according to the clustering results. Results show that the regions with good ordination between industrialization and resource environmental bearing capacity include East and North China. Meanwhile, the provinces with poor coordination mainly include Southwest and Northwest China. The resource environment still restricts the coordination between resource environmental bearing capacity and industrialization development. This study provides a reference for developing differentiated resource environment management measures and countermeasures in various regions in China.

Ying Huang, Zhi Zhou and Qin Qin

Real World Driving Dynamics Characterization and Identification of Emission Rate Magnifying Factors for Auto-rickshaw

Most urgent transport related problems in India are traffic congestion and concomitant air pollutant emissions. During traffic flow, the common causes of congestion in urban centres are pedestrian interruption, unregulated traffic signals, unregulated bus stoppages, and unauthorized roadside parking, which together, particularly during peak hours, create erratic traffic pattern causing higher emissions. In this study, we characterized auto-rickshaw driving dynamics by instantaneous measurements of speed and emission at different times of the day. Traffic speed is an important factor that is perceived by commuters. The speed variables and traffic volume are used as a base variable to examine the traffic flow patterns. The speed variables such as average speed (AS), velocity noise (VN, standard deviation of speed), and the coefficient of variation of speed (CV, the ratio of VN and AS) were examined with respect to traffic volume. The polynomial fit of CV shows three distinct zones of variations with increasing traffic volume, explaining the dynamics of traffic flow. Further, time, speed and mileage variable were investigated for the emission rate analysis in different traffic flow pattern. The analysis depicted that the combined factor of lower speed (speed ?12 km/h) and higher time of travel in correspondence cause higher emission rate. Similarly, vehicle mileage of ?52,000 km has significant impact on emission for pollutants CO, HC and NOx. The results provide real-time information on traffic flow characteristics and impacts of dynamic and age variables on emission rate in on-road driving conditions, which may be useful for the public and transport related agencies.

Arti Choudhary, Pradeep Kumar, Manisha Gaur, Vignesh Prabhu, Anuradha Shukla and Sharad Gokhale

Studies on use of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) in Biopesticide and Biofertilizer

Cashew is an immigrant tree from eastern Brazil and is regarded as one of the top three commercial crops of India. In general, Cashew nutshell contains 25-34% oil and was not much used earlier; however, commercial and industrial applications are being developed in the recent decade. In this present study, 100 kg of dried cashew shells yielded around 18.5 to 22.6% of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) while 58-63% of waste dark solid oil cake retained in extraction chamber. Eventually, these oil cakes were rich in fibre, protein and energy contents and offered as good alternative to traditional applications in the production of environmentally friendly organic fertilizer for vegetable crops. Also, this study investigated the safety of using CNSL cake as fertilizer for leaf & vegetable; and also noted improvised physico-chemical properties of soil which enhanced the soil fertility thereby leading to high crop yield and nutritional quality. Furthermore, CNSL was also proven to be a phytopesticide for eradication of serious pests, Odontopus varicornis, on cotton plant. Interestingly, toxicity study proved that the applications of CNSL was not only limited to biofertilizer but was also proven to be an effective biopesticide for the control of pest and insects.

C. Vasanth Pandiyan, Gunasekaran Shylaja, Gokul Raghavendra Srinivasan and Sujatha Saravanan

Multi-objective Ecological Operation of Reservoir in Luanhe River Based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

River ecosystem is one of the most important ecosystems, and it provides many ecosystem services for human beings. However, river health has also been damaged by over-exploitation and water pollution. In the process of reservoir operation, the ecological flow demand of rivers should be fully considered and multi-objective ecological dispatch of reservoirs should be implemented. On basis of the traditional particle swarm optimization (PSO), the improved PSO with adaptive random inertia weights (ARIW) is proposed to deal with the problem of ecological optimal operation of the reservoir in the paper. According to the evolutionary process, based on the probability distribution density function of triangle, the inertia weight can be adjusted randomly and adaptively to meet the global or local optimization requirements. By typical mathematical function, the improved PSO algorithm is compared with traditional PSO and genetic algorithm (GA) and is proved to be more efficient and accurate. Taking Panjiakou Reservoir on the mainstream of Luanhe River in China as an example, the multi-objective ecological optimal dispatch of the reservoir has been analysed and calculated with the improved PSO algorithm under different targets years, considering flood control, water supply, and ecological demand. The research results can provide reference for developing rationally Luanhe River water resources, and making scientifically ecological dispatch plan of the Panjiakou reservoir.

Hai-tao Chen, Xiao-nan Chen, Lin Qiu and Wen-chuan Wang

Macroscopic Factors Decomposition of Methane Emissions from Livestock Based on the Empirical Analysis of 31 Provinces in China

This paper builds a factor decomposition model of methane emissions from livestock from the three dimensions of technology, economy, and population, by using the panel data covering 31 provincial regions in China during 2003-2016, and aims to reveal the macroscopic causes of methane emissions from livestock. The research shows that technical, economic and population factors of methane emissions from livestock have diminishing marginal contribution. The methane emissions from intestinal fermentation are mainly restricted by livestock’s physiological structure. Following increase or decrease of livestock feeding quantity, it changes with a relatively stable parameter and has little controllability. Methane emissions from faecal management are limited little by livestock’s physiological structure and it is largely controllable. The government should increase technical input to reduce methane emission factors of livestock, deal with livestock manure through resource utilization, and reduce raising scale by using a certain market mechanism in due course.

Wenjie Yao and Huili Wang

Field Research on Nitrogen Removal Performance of Aerobic Denitrifiers in Source Water Reservoir by Mixing Aeration

Changes of total nitrogen (TN), organic matter, microbial metabolic activity, aerobic denitrifying bacteria and aerobic denitrifying genes (nirS and nirK) in water and surface sediments under mixing aeration were studied in Heihe Jinpen Reservoir. Results showed that compared with the control area, the total nitrogen concentration of water and surface sediments in the enhanced area decreased by 29.7%~49.2% and 17.9%. Metabolic activity of microorganisms increased by more than 14%, the utilization rate of carbon source increased by 30% and the McIntosh diversity index of microorganisms increased by 20%. The number of aerobic denitrifiers and genes of aerobic denitrifiers was also increased by 20%. Illumina high-throughput DNA sequencing results showed that the proportion of aerobic denitrifiers such as Acidovorax increased from 0.01% to 0.15%, showing an increase of 15 times. The production practice showed that mixed aeration can improve the metabolic activity and denitrification characteristics of indigenous aerobic denitrifiers, providing theoretical support and technical guarantee for denitrification and carbon removal of slightly polluted source water.

Zhou Zi-zhen, Huang Ting-lin, Gong Wei-jin, Li Yang, Liu Yue, Zhao Fu-wang, Zhou Shi-lei and Dou Yan-yan

Environmental Pollution and Energy Efficiency of Regional Transportation Industry: A Case Study of Jilin Province, China

The transportation industry is the fundamental and strategic industry for social and economic development. However, this industry becomes a considerable barrier against green, sound, and sustainable economic and social development due to the rapid increase in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. Transportation industry becomes one of weakness of energy saving and emission reduction with its increasing energy consumption and carbon emission. Environmental pollution caused by the transportation industry can be relieved effectively by increasing energy efficiency. A case study based on Jilin Province, China is carried out. First, environmental pollution types caused by regional transportation industry are analysed. Second, energy efficiency of transportation industry in eight prefecture-level cities in Jilin Province from 2011 to 2017 is determined using the DEA-Malmquist index. Finally, measures to control environmental pollution caused by the transportation industry are proposed. Results show that in Jilin Province, environmental pollution caused by the transportation industry manifests through increasing energy consumption, pollution from car exhaust, and degree of traffic jams. In its eight prefecture-level cities, the average energy efficiency change index of transportation industry is 1.054, which is higher than 1. The means of technological efficiency and progress are 0.973 and 1.084, respectively. The mean pure technological efficiency of energy use slightly increases, while the mean scale efficiency decreases significantly. Results can provide beneficial references for full understanding on energy consumption and environmental emission of transportation industry in Jilin Province. This understanding can lead to the exploration of scientific and reasonable energy-saving and emission-reduction ways and countermeasures, aiming to offer decision-making references for energy saving and emission reduction of the transportation industry in Jilin Province.

Rongbo Wu

Preparation of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Graphene Oxide Composites and Their Adsorption Properties

The polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide (PVA/GO) hydrogel was prepared. It was confirmed that the adsorption performance of polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide hydrogel composite material was improved, and it does not cause secondary pollution. According to adsorption experiments, it was found that PVA/ GO adsorbent with a content of 30 % graphene oxide has the best comprehensive performance. The suitable environment of adsorption was under 25°C, 12-18 h for adsorption time and acidic conditions. The suitable adsorbent dosage was 0.3g and the suitable concentration of the dye was 10 mg/L.

Yanyan Dong, Manuel J. Lis Arias, Chengye Hu, Wendan Wu, Liping Liang, Xinlan Mou and Xu Meng

Comprehensive Assessment of Water Supply Benefits for South-to-North Water Diversion in China from the Perspective of Water Environmental Carrying Capacity

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China is an important measure to promote the ecological civilization construction in the receiving areas. Since the operation of the east and middle routes, the comprehensive benefits are more and more remarkable. It is very significant to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensive benefits of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The idea of quantitative evaluation by the improved degree of the carrying capacity of regional water environment after water diversion is put forward in this paper. On the basis, combining with variable fuzzy set and cloud theory, a new comprehensive assessment model is established. According to the evaluation index system of water environmental carrying capacity and the index values of research area, the linear difference function value is generated randomly by triangular forward cloud generator, and then the variable fuzzy comprehensive evaluation is carried out. Taking Haihe River Basin and Beijing City as typical research areas respectively, the comprehensive benefits of water supply from the diversion project in 2030 are analysed. The comprehensive evaluation method with variable cloud model considers both “good” and “bad” aspects and considers both randomness and fuzziness. Results show that the model is feasible and efficient. It is worth popularizing and applying.

Haitao Chen, Xiaonan Chen, Lin Qiu and Wenchuan Wang

Centrifugal Reduction Treatment Process for High-Water-Content Sludge in Oilfield

To ensure that injection water quality reaches the standard, oil field sewage stations adopt a continuous sludge dredging process to reduce the content of suspended solids and sand. A large amount of highwater- content oily sludge is produced, which results in increased costs of transportation and subsequent harmless treatment. Therefore, a sludge reduction treatment is necessary. A set of centrifugal reduction processes for oily sludge was designed in this study, with the horizontal screw centrifuge as the key piece of equipment. In the laboratory, CPAM flocculant was screened. In the field test, the effects of four factors rotational speed, differential speed, the feeding quantity of sludge, and flocculant dosage on the reduction effect were determined. The results show that when the rotational speed is higher, the differential speed is lower, and the feeding quantity of sludge remains lower, and the flocculant dosage remains higher, after treatment, the water content of the sludge is lower and the solid content of the sludge is higher. The optimal parameters of the centrifugal reduction process were determined using an orthogonal experimental design as follows: rotational speed 2,607 rpm, differential speed 8 rpm, the feeding quantity of sludge 7 m3/h, and flocculant dosage 100 g/m3. After treatment, the average water content of the sludge decreased from 92.75% to 56.57%, and the average solid content of the sludge increased from 2.30% to 36.72%. The split ratio of the water-outlet and sludge-outlet was in the range of 8.71:1 to 12.57:1, and the corresponding sludge reduction ratio was 89.70% to 92.63%, confirming successful sludge reduction.

Xingwang Wang, Xiaoxuan Xu, Wei Dang, Changchao Hu, Zhiwei Tang and Bei Wei

Nitrogen Occurrence Characteristics and Reason Analysis in Different Trophic Status Freshwater Lakes

Based on one-year monitoring about the different trophic status freshwater regions of Lake Taihu, the temporal-spatial distribution and occurrence characteristics of nitrogen in the water, porewater, and sediments and their correlation with main aquatic environmental factors were analysed. The results showed that the concentrations of TN in overlying water and sediment ranged from 0.22 to 7.74 mg/L and 551.5 to 1542.8 mg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of NO3-N in overlying water, sediment, and porewater ranged from 0.04 to 3.86 mg/L, 14.3 to 42.5 mg/kg, and 0.01 to 0.72 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations of NH4 -N in overlying water, sediment, and porewater ranged from 0.03 to 0.25 mg/L, 17.7 to 78.2 mg/kg, and 0.41 to 7.03 mg/L, respectively. NH4 -N in overlying water had no significant spatial-temporal variation and the annual mean of NH4 -N in sediments was highest in Meiliang Bay. The annual mean of TN and NO3-N in overlying water and sediments was highest in Western Taihu Lake. The spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of NH4 -N and NO3-N in porewater were roughly consistent with those in sediments. Nitrogen in the sediment occurs in the form of organic nitrogen. Nitrogen in the overlying water was principally of NO3-N in Meiliang Bay and Gonghu Bay, and was principally of organic nitrogen in Xukou Bay. In the Western Taihu Lake, nitrogen in the overlying water was principally of NO3-N in summer and fall, and organic nitrogen in spring and winter. The results suggest that the type of organic matter in sediments was an important factor affecting the nitrogen occurrence characteristics and trophic status in aquatic environment. The correlation analysis showed that TN and NO3-N in overlying water was positively correlated with various forms of nitrogen in sediments, indicating that there was a strong exchange of nitrogen nutrients between water and sediments.

Yu Wan, Nan Shan, Sichen Tong, Yao Chen and Jia He

Heavy Metal Accumulation of 13 Native Plant Species Around a Coal Gangue Dump and Their Potentials for Phytoremediation

This study was designed to investigate the heavy metal accumulation characteristics of 13 native plant species and associated rhizosphere soils around Taoyuan coal gangue dump and to determine their potentials for phytoremediation. The mean concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb and Cr in rhizosphere soils were 46.70, 0.43, 16.86 and 109.67 mg·kg-1, respectively. According to the pollution load index, the soils were strongly contaminated by Cd, moderately contaminated by Cu, slightly contaminated by Cr and uncontaminated by Pb. The concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb and Cr in shoots of the 13 plant species ranged as 1.86-33.10, 0.10-0.94, 2.04-14.72 and 0.49-9.03 mg·kg-1, respectively, while in roots ranged as 0.44-91.56, 0.31-1.82, 4.83-50.49 and 0.37-99.63mg·kg-1, respectively. No plant species satisfied the concentration criteria of hyperaccumulator, but two high Cd-enriched species of M. falcata and C. japonicum, whose BCF and TF values were all greater than one, were recorded. Based on the Individual Phytoremediation Factors (IPF), S. viridis showed the strongest remediating capability per a single plant for Cu, while M. falcata, S. viridis, C. eragrostis and C. japonicum had relatively strong remediating capability per a single plant for Cd. The four plant species were proposed to be preferentially taken as the candidates for phytoremediation.

Yafen Han, Qi Li and Na Liu

Selecting Environmental Indicators for Sustainable Smart Cities Mission in India

Government of India (GOI) initiated Smart Cities Mission in June 2015. In order to guide the process, evaluate the performance, and finally move towards making a Sustainable Smart Cities program, the objective is to develop software based Environmental Decision Support System for Sustainable Smart Cities in India (EDSS-SSCI). Identification and finalization of indicators to be used in the framework for evaluation of Sustainable Smart Cities in Indian context is the objective of the present study. The analyses indicate that Smart Cities Mission guidelines of GOI include 14 performance parameters related with environment, out of which 11 qualify the criteria required for being considered as environmental indicator as per World Bank Environment Development (WBED) considerations and 3 of them do not meet the requirements in terms of clarity of design and quantification for development costs. Further, a set of 20 additional environmental performance indicators are identified from the available literature on requirements of Sustainable Cities, many of which are generally used as monitoring parameters in various programs of GOI. Subjecting these 20 additional indicators for suitability as environmental indicators based on WBED criteria and City Key Indicators criteria result in finalizing a set of 13 indicators which meet all requirements and qualify to be used in development of framework for EDSS-SSCI. 10 of these indicators are already part of monitoring programs of Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), 2 have been suggested by Bureau of Standards (BIS 2016) and 1 considered important by Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA 2016). Thus, taking 11 environmental indicators from Smart Cities Mission Guidelines and 13 selected indicators for Sustainable Cities, a total of 24 environmental indicators are finalised to be used in the framework of EDSS-SSCI for benchmarking, performance evaluation and guiding the investment plans for most effective resource utilization under Indian conditions.

Prabhat Kumar Singh, Shruti and Anurag Ohri

Impact of Carbon Nanotubes as Additives with Cotton Seed Biodiesel Blended with Diesel in Ci Engine - An Experimental Analysis

In the present global scenario, fossil fuels are facing challenges due to escalating costs, increasing demand and impact on environmental pollution. In internal combustion engines, the emission characteristics and economy of the fuel are controlled by the chemical and physical properties of the fuel. Various additives are being used to act like catalysts with the fuels to improve quality of fuel, to obtain better combustion and to reduce exhaust emissions. At the time of combustion process, fuel instability reactions get accelerated by the catalysts which improve the performance of the engine. In this study, the B10, B15 and B20 fuel blends of cotton seed oil and diesel were mixed with the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as an additive to analyse the performance and exhaust emissions of a CI engine. The carbon nanotubes were mixed with each fuel blend with the concentration of 50 ppm. All the tests were carried out for different engine loads. Tested characteristics were power, brake thermal efficiency (BTE), specific fuel consumption (SFC), and analysis of exhaust gases like hydrocarbons (HC), CO2, CO, and smoke. The experimental results showed that there was significant reduction of SFC and improved combustion by addition of CNTs. It was also observed that the exhaust emissions, CO, HC, and smoke percentage got decreased by the influence of CNTs.

G. Ninawe and M. Tariq

Factors Influencing the Environmental Performance of Prefabricated Buildings: A Case Study of Community A in Henan Province of China

Various problems of traditional cast-in-place buildings, such as heavy energy consumption, severe environmental pollution, and low labour productivity, have hindered the development of the construction industry. Prefabricated buildings have a direct bearing on national economic development and transformation of people’s lifestyles because of their high economic, environmental, social, and safety benefits. The technological research and development level for prefabricated buildings and system policies in China are still in the initial stage, and the environmental performance and influencing factors of prefabricated buildings limit their large-scale implementation. The literature in developed countries regarding the environmental performance and influencing factors of prefabricated buildings was first reviewed in this study. Community A in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province was used as the case study. AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) was applied to measure the factors influencing the environmental performance of prefabricated buildings, and policy suggestions were proposed to improve their environmental performance. Results indicate that developed countries tend to construct prefabricated buildings in large areas because of their remarkable economic, environmental, social, and safety benefits. Measurement results of Community A in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province show that the main environmental pollution factor of prefabricated buildings is waste discharge, accounting for 40%, followed by noise pollution, energy consumption, and dust pollution. The environmental performance of prefabricated buildings can be improved by promoting their development, reducing their environmental pollution, establishing a standard prefabricated concrete system, enhancing the environmental standards for buildings, expanding the application scope of prefabricated concrete, encouraging environmental technology innovation of buildings, cultivating prefabricated building bases, and strengthening environmental governance of construction sites. The findings will serve as reference in determining the main factors influencing the environmental performance of prefabricated buildings, establishing an evaluation system for the environmental benefits of prefabricated buildings, promoting their improvement and optimized development, and enriching and perfecting an evaluation research system for their comprehensive benefits.

Jin Zhao, Yi Wang and Zhengwei Ma

LSTM-based Air Quality Predicted Model for Large Cities in China

In this paper, the LSTM model is used to predict the PM2.5 concentrations in five representative Chinese cities with the GDP exceeding 1 trillion Yuan, including Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan. The PM2.5 concentration data in 2015-2017 are selected for training, and the results are optimized to achieve an efficient solution by adjusting the parameters. Based on the optimized solution, a test is carried out to predict the PM2.5 concentration in 2018, and the results are compared with the real value obtained from the monitoring centre. According to the comparison results, the correlation coefficient of Wuhan and Chengdu is 0.86724 and 0.80070, which are the highest in these five cities. While the correlation coefficient of Shenzhen and Shanghai, are 0.78225, 0.72147, Beijing, as the capital city of China achieved the lowest correlation coefficient which is 0.64118. The LSTM-based predictive model has relatively good reliability and transferability. More effective predictive results can be achieved by implementing deep learning to analyse PM2.5 concentration.

Shuyue Zhang, Minfeng Lin, Xiuguo Zou, Steven Su, Wentian Zhang, Xuhui Zhang and Zijie Guo

Changes in the Microbial Succession During Sewage Sludge Composting and its Correlation with Physico-Chemical Properties

Sewage sludge composting is a process entailing a continuous succession of microorganisms. To understand the microbial mechanisms involved in sewage sludge composting, we performed an aerobic static composting of sewage sludge and sawdust (ratio = 3:1 m/m) in medium-scale bioreactor systems. The associated changes in physico-chemical parameters (i.e., temperature, organic matter, pH, ammonium nitrogen) were studied parallelly to those in the microbial (i.e., bacteria, fungi, archaea) succession. Additionally, we discussed correlations between these physico-chemical parameters and the microbial communities. The results showed that the pile temperature went through mesophilic phase, thermophilic phase, and cooling phase. The pile temperature reached a maximum of 78.68°C by day 3 and remained above 55°C for more than 6 days, complying with the harmless composting requirements. The organic matter content decreased gradually, the pH increased after a first decrease and the NH4 +-N content showed a consistent trend. The dominant bacteria during composting were Ureibacillus, Bacillus, Sphaerobacter, and Thermobifida, while the dominant fungi were unclassified_f_ Trichocomaceae, unclassified_d_Eukaryota, Hypocrea and Thysanophora; finally, the dominant archaea were Methanobrevibacter, Methanosaeta, Methanobacterium, and unclassified_k_norank. The composting stages were characterized by different microbial compositions. The mesophilic phase presented a relatively uniform proportion of bacterial genera, while the thermophilic and cooling phases were dominated by Ureibacillus and Bacillus, respectively. The fungus unclassified_f_Trichocomaceae played a major role during the mesophilic, thermophilic, and cooling phases, while unclassified_d_Eukaryota played a major role during the mesophilic and thermophilic phases. For what concerns the archaea, Methanobrevibacter played a major role in the mesophilic, thermophilic, and cooling phases, Methanosaeta during the mesophilic and thermophilic phases, and Methanobacterium during the thermophilic and cooling phases. Additionally, the bacterium Ureibacillus and the archaea Methanospirillum were positively correlated with temperature, while the bacteria norank_Pem15, norank_JG30-KF-CM45 and the archaea Methanosphaera were negatively correlated with temperature. The fungi Thysanophora, unclassified_d_ Eukaryota, and unclassified_p_Ascomycota were negatively correlated with pH. Moreover, the bacterium norank_c_1-20, the fungi Trichosporon, norank_o_Saccharomycetales, unclassified_o_Pleosporales, and the archaea Methanosaeta, Methanomethylovorans were positively correlated with organic matter. On the other hand, the bacteria Bacillus, Thermobifida, the fungus unclassified_f_Trichocomaceae, and the archaea Methanobrevibacter were negatively correlated with organic matter. Finally, the bacteria Bacillus, Thermobifida, the fungus unclassified_f_Trichocomaceae, and the archaea Methanobrevibacter were positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen, while the bacterium norank_c_1-20, the fungi Trichosporon, norank_o_Saccharomycetales, unclassified_o_Pleosporales, and the archaea Methanosaeta, Methanomethylovorans were negatively correlated with ammonium nitrogen. This paper provides new solid bases to understand changes in microbial composition and their correlation with physico-chemical parameters during sewage sludge composting.

Chuang Ma, Bin Hu, FU-Yong Liu, Ai-Hua Gao, Ming-Bao Wei and Hong-Zhong Zhang

Numerical Analysis of Growth of Coal-fired Particles Promoted by Condensation of Water Vapour in Oversaturated Environment

A kinetics model was established to investigate the effects of condensation of water vapour on the growth of coal-fired particles. The effects of operating parameters on particle growth were numerically studied, including growth time, supersaturation, flue gas temperature, and particle number concentration. The results showed that almost all the particles could grow rapidly more than 2.7 microns in tens of milliseconds. When initial supersaturation is constant, the higher the temperature of flue gas, the larger the amount of condensable vapour and the final diameter of particles. Moreover, when the gas temperature is constant, the higher the degree of saturation, the larger the driving force for vapour condensation and the particle size distribution becomes narrower. Additionally, with the increase of particle number concentration, the competition between particles for water vapours become more intense, and the final diameter for particles are smaller.

Ju Gao, Ting-fang Yu, Lin Wang and Run-guo Chen

The Use of Mercury-Resistant Bacteria to Enhance Phytoremediation of Soil Contaminated with Small-scale Gold Mine Tailing

In the phytoremediation process, there is an interaction between plants and microorganisms in the soil. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of mercury-resistant bacteria on phytoremediation of soil contaminated with small-scale gold mine tailings that contain mercury. Two isolates of mercury resistant bacteria (Brevundimonas vesicularis and Nitrococcus mobilis) were applied to Paspalum conjugatum as a mercury accumulator plant that was grown for 70 days on gold mine tailing-contaminated soil. Ammonium thiosulfate was used as a chelating agent to stimulate mercury extraction by the plant. After P. conjugatum was harvested (60 days), the remaining soil in the pot was planted with maize until the maximum vegetative period. The results showed that the application of mercury-resistant bacteria and ammonium thiosulfate increased 157-162% of P. conjugatum biomass compared to that without the application of mercury-resistant bacteria. The application of mercury-resistant bacteria with ammonium thiosulfate in soil phytoremediation with P. conjugatum reduced 18% and 20% mercury content in the soil contaminated with small-scale gold mine tailings containing mercury. The decrease in mercury content in the soil due to the application of B. vesicularis and N. mobilis in soil phytoremediation with P. conjugatum increased biomass production of a maize plant by 131% and 145%, respectively.

Reni Ustiatik, Siska Nurfitriani, Amrullah Fiqri and Eko Handayanto

Performance Study of Cellulose Acetate Blended Polyvinylchloride Membranes

In this paper, polymeric membranes were prepared by uniformly dispersing the cellulose acetate, polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone particles in a polyvinyl chloride matrix for resolving the demand for azeotropic mixture separations. The polymeric membranes were characterized using SEM, FTIR and XRD analysis. The results show that the blending of cellulose acetate and plasticizer diethyl phthalate significantly improved the separation performance of the membranes. The selectivity was increased by adding cellulose acetate up to 2% wt and polyethylene glycol 1% wt. Pervaporation setup was used to separate azeotropic mixture using the prepared membrane. The optimum results were obtained for dehydration of alcohol where the composition plasticizer was 0.5% wt. Based on the findings of the research, it was observed that the PVC membrane can be modified with CA and PEG due to their hydrophobic nature. The results show that the synthesized membrane can be used for removal of water from alcohol.

Pawan Kumar and Vijay Laxmi Yadav

Extraction and Spectrophotometric Estimation of Fe3+, Cd2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ From Industrial Effluents Using Synthetic Supramolecular Ligand

Increased water pollution due to toxic heavy metals is becoming a serious threat that has been faced by the entire world in the last few decades. To overcome this problem a suitable complex ligand was designed for removal of Fe3+, Cd2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ from the effluents. The work incorporated the synthesis of (4Z)-4-((2Z)-2-(2,5-dihydro-2,3-dimethyl-5-oxo-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-ylimino) ethylidene amino)-1,2- dihydro-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenylpyrazol-3-one (Supramolecular Ligand) by the condensation method and confirmed by FTIR and 1HNMR spectroscopic methods. The batch extraction experiments designed to examine the effect of various experimental parameters on the extraction efficiency of heavy metals. The experimental results depicted that up to 30 min time for supramolecular ligand is enough for the significant extraction of all the metals under study. The pH level, slightly acidic to the neutral condition is favourable for maximum extraction of metals. The percent extraction at optimized conditions of time and pH were found to be 98.29, 96.63, 96.95 and 95.64% for Fe3+, Cd2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ respectively. The extraction efficiency was governed by chloroform as a solvent. Simple to synthesize, faster extraction of metals, slightly acidic to neutral pH conditions for extraction are the characteristic features of the compound which governs its applicability.

Sachin Patil, Milind Kondalkar, Umesh Fegade, Sanjay Attarde and Sopan Ingle

2-D Unsteady Flow Modelling and Inundation Mapping for Lower Region of Purna Basin Using HEC-RAS

Present investigations utilize two-dimensional flow modelling abilities of (HEC-RAS) Hydrologic Engineering Centres River Analysis System for flood inundation mapping in the downstream area of Purna basin, exposed to recurrent flooding. Floods are natural disasters, which cause loss of life and damages to properties and nature. 2-D Hydrodynamic model is utilized to assess geomorphic viability of floods in downstream side of Purna basin. In this research study, downstream region geometry of Purna river basin, the flood plain of the study area and historical observed flood data of unsteady flow have been used to develop the 2-D hydrodynamic model. For analysis of flooding, a reach of 20 km of river situated downstream of Purna River basin has been considered. Point-by-point fundamental terrain data is taken from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 30-meter resolution image and is utilized to produce the (2D) two-dimensional flow area and stream geometries. River flow information like daily discharge during rainy months, slope available along the river reach from Mahuva gauging station close to Navsari city is utilized for the unsteady flow modeling. Depth of water, velocity distribution and water surface height obtained after 2D flow simulation are utilized to decide the degree of flooding. RAS-mapper is an effective tool in HEC-RAS, which can be utilized for inundation of research area. For unsteady flow analysis, each time step was done based on inflow hydrograph using RAS mapper tool in HEC-RAS, which gives the spatial distribution of the river flow. The outcomes from this research examination can be utilized for disaster management, flood management, early warning system by authorities in addition to infrastructure growth decisions.

Azaz Khan I. Pathan and P. G Agnihotri

Removal of Nickel and Iron from Metal Injection Moulding Industry Effluent by Adsorbent Method: A Comparative Study

In the present investigation, the efficiency of rice husk in removal of nickel and iron from metal injection moulding industry effluent has been investigated. Adsorption was carried out in a batch experiment to investigate the parameters such as initial metal ion concentration, adsorbent dose, pH and contact time, under constant shaking of 100 mL sample in a heavy rotatory shaking apparatus for 2 hours. Analysis of physico-chemical characteristics of effluent was also carried out. The results revealed that maximum adsorption capacity of rice husk was about 92.84% for nickel using 8 g and about 90.12% for iron using 9 g at pH 9. Due to its good uptake capacity, rice husk has proved to be an excellent low-cost adsorbent for removing nickel and iron from effluent. The result showed that the percentage removal of nickel was high compared to iron.

Akshatha K. U. and Hina Kousar

Numerical Investigation of Heterogeneous Nucleation of Supersaturated Water Vapour on Coal-fired PM10

The kinetic model is adopted to describe heterogeneous nucleation of supersaturated water vapour on coal-fired PM10. To verify the accuracy of the kinetic model, it is compared with the Fletcher model and experimental data. Additionally, the comparison for condensation and evaporation coefficients and the relative importance of two diffusion condensation mechanisms are systematically analysed during embryo growth process. Furthermore, the influence of vapour temperature on nucleation rate and critical supersaturation for coal-fired PM10 are researched. The results show that the predicted critical supersaturation for Kinetic model is far closer to the experimental data compared with the Fletcher model. What is more, once the embryo radius rn reaches the critical embryo radius r*, it can grow spontaneously, and the indirect surface diffusion mechanism is more important than the direct addition mechanism to embryo growth, the value of RTO is always above 100. It is also found that increase in the vapour temperature is conductive to nucleation process, which can increase the nucleation rate and decrease the barrier of nucleation free energy.

Ju Gao, Ting-fang Yu, Run-guo Chen, Hao-jie Zhang and Lin Wang

Estimation of Evaporation Trends in Six Major River Basins of China Using a New Nonlinear Formula of the Complementary Principle of Bouchet

Evaporation (Ea) is a key component of the hydrological cycle. Under the impact of global change, Ea has changed significantly, both globally and regionally. A number of methods have been developed to estimate Ea and its trends. Among them, methods based on the complementary principle of Bouchet estimate Ea using only routine meteorological data as inputs and greatly simplify the Ea estimation. In this study, a new nonlinear formulation of this principle was tested for estimating Ea trends in 6 major river basins of China. The results indicate that the estimated annual Ea trends were in good agreement with that obtained from the water balance approach with the relative errors ranging from -12.0 to 11.2%. In addition, in two humid basins of this study, decreasing Ea trends were estimated from decreasing potential evaporation, although the nonlinear formulation is based on the complementary principle between Ea and potential evaporation. One advantage of the method is that only routine meteorological data are required as inputs and that it can be used to estimate Ea trends, wherever such data are available.

Jing Guo, Guodong Zhang, Fahong Zhang, Jiali Guo, Xiaozhong Sun and Biyun Sheng

Pb(II) Adsorption onto Urea Treated Leucaena leucocephala Leaf Powder: Characterization, Kinetics and Isotherm Studies

The use of Leucaena leucocephala leaf powder treated with urea (treated-ULLP) as an alternative adsorbent for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions has been investigated. The adsorption studies were performed under batch mode and focused on the effects of pH, adsorbent dosage and initial Pb(II) concentrations. The pseudo-second order kinetics model fitted well the adsorption data with the values of correlation coefficient (R2) > 0.97. Large amounts of hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amine as detected by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer suggested that these functional groups were responsible for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions. Treated-ULLP demonstrated a good potential for Pb(II) ions removal with the maximum adsorption capacity of 90.09 mg/g, calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model.

Noor Fhadzilah Mansur, Megat Ahmad Kamal Megat Hanafiah and Mardhiah Ismail

Degradation of Methylene Blue Wastewater by Fe2+ Coupling Persulphate Using Online UV-Vis Spectrophotometry

Online UV-Vis spectrophotometer technology as accurate, convenient and fast monitoring method was used to detect instantaneous dye concentration in aqueous medium. Ferrous ion coupling with Persulphate to degrade methylene blue (MB) exhibited a very high degradation rate, and therefore online UV-Vis spectrophotometer showed great advantage in this study. The effects of ferrous ion concentration, sodium Persulphate concentration, pH value and initial MB concentration on MB degradation were investigated. The online spectrophotometer could minimize the systematic error caused by the termination of adding chemicals and manual operation. At room temperature, the optimal condition was acquired with 73.6% MB removal after 100s at neutral medium when initial ferrous dosage and sodium Persulphate were 1.25 mmol/L and 0.2 mmol/L, respectively. Fe2+/S2O8 2- system exhibited a great degradation efficiency in acidic or neutral environment.

Wanchao Duan, Hang Xu, Hongna Ren, Qihui Men and Hangfei Fan

Analysis and Quantification of Airborne Heavy Metals and RSPMs in Dehradun City

Air pollution is becoming a major environmental and public health problem worldwide. Exposure to different air pollutants has several adverse effects on human health. In the present study, we attempt to determine the concentration of respirable suspended particulate matters (RSPMs) and levels of the heavy metals in ambient air of Dehradun city. The RSPM concentration of all the areas under study were well under the NAAQ standard limit. The Ghantaghar area reported the maximum RSPMs of 87.5507 ?g.m-3. The samples collected from four different locations of Dehradun were primarily analysed for heavy metals like Pb, Fe, Cr and Cd using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The measured concentrations were compared with the standard safe limits provided by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It is seen that all the heavy metals, as well as the RSPM, are well under permissible safe limits set by USEPA, OSHA, and CPCB. It can, therefore, be concluded that the ambient air quality of Dehradun, in terms of heavy metal contamination as well as RSPM concentration in air is safe. Strict monitoring of heavy metal emissions in air should be done regularly to maintain the ambient air of Dehradun area as healthy.

Abhinav Srivastava, Arnab Mondal, N.A. Siddiqui and S.M. Tauseef

Adsorption Process of Ammonia Nitrogen in Solution by the Modified Biochar from Corn Straw

The biochar was prepared by pyrolyzing corn straw at 773 K temperature under an oxygen-limited condition. Then, the gained biochar samples were further modified with MgCl2 solution through mixing method for 3 h at the speed of 120 rpm. The physicochemical properties of the modified biochar from corn straw were investigated by surface area analysis, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra. The adsorption experiments of ammonia nitrogen in aqueous solution by modified biochar were carried out. The results showed that the modified biochar contains high surface area, rough surface and a lot of oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption process fits well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics equation and Langmuir isotherm equation. The adsorption mechanism of modified biochar to NH4 + ion in aqueous solution includes ion exchange and physical adsorption. The ion exchange is primary in the process of adsorption.

Ruolin Xu, Li Han, Chengcai Huang, Hao Zhang, Rui Qin, Linli Zhang and Muqing Qiu

Imperious Approach Towards Justifiable Strategic Lake Sediment Regulation

Lakes are extremely appreciated for the ecological, aesthetic and recreational values supporting rich biodiversity. As such, their preservation is of supreme importance. A global common problem of sedimentation that eventually seems to be responsible for eutrophication should be immediately attended to, before the degradation begins, since the restoration measures are expensive and may go beyond control. Erosion causes detachment, transportation, and deposition of sediments and is the prime source of contamination where it accumulates in lakes and interrupts the ecological processes and functioning in the lake ecosystem, hence it is important to determine the risk to design management strategies for control. For the present investigation, thematic layers slope identification, NDVI, LULC, lineament density and RUSLE were employed to compute spatially distributed erosion and contaminant sources for the lake Ekrukh of Solapur district of Maharashtra State, India. The research identifies five hazardous erosion zones as; low, moderate, high, very high and severe, through the applied model and dictates formulation and implementation of innovative control strategies preventing soil and water (surface) pollution. The Soil Erosion in Maharashtra, Technical Bulletin, 2001 (Challa et al. 2001) was also referred to for the studies.

Shekhar Salunke and Balbhim Chavan

Bacteriological Quality Assessment of Groundwater and Surface Water in Chennai

Water bodies have played a vital role throughout civilizations in the growth and continue to be a factor of importance in the modern economic growth of all the contemporary societies. Contamination of water sources with microbes can occur through rainfall overflow and agricultural inputs, mixing with sewage effluents. Water acts as a medium for the proliferation and dissemination of bacteria which causes human disease. Therefore, consumption of safe water is one of the most important requirements in public health. A total of 20 water samples were collected from both surface and groundwater from in and around Chennai. The MPN index of the surface water was found to be high when compared with groundwaters. Total coliform count of as many as 1100 MPN/100 mL and greater were obtained. A total of 11 different bacterial species were identified from both ground and surface water samples. The prevalence of bacterial isolates was of Staphylococcus aureus, CoNS, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholera, Salmonella typhi, Aeromonas hydrophila and Citrobacter freundii. These organisms were resistant to many classes of antibiotics. The facts on multiple antibiotic resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from water and the resistance patterns suggested that there has been an indiscriminate use of the antibiotics tested. High occurrence of these multiple antibiotic resistant organisms in the drinking water distribution system could potentially pose a threat to humans consuming this water.

SK. Jasmine Shahina, D. Sandhiya and Summera Rafiq

Use of Pyrophyllite as Soil Conditioner in Lettuce Production

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the possibility of the use of aluminosilicate minerals in order to maintain and improve soil productivity. The unique ion-exchange and adsorption properties of pyrophyllite minerals indicate the possibility of its application in agriculture as soil conditioner. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the application of pyrophyllite could reduce the use of mineral fertilizers in lettuce production without adverse effects on its yield and quality. The experiment was carried out from November 2018 to April 2019 inside a polyethylene covered greenhouse in Gornji Moranjci, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The following quality parameters were analysed using standard methods: ascorbic acid content, total phenolic content, total antioxidant capacity and content of potentially toxic heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn and Mn) in lettuce. The results of this study showed that the substitution of fertilizers with pyrophyllite in amount of 25% and 50% of recommended fertilizer rate under experimental conditions increase lettuce yield and total antioxidant capacity compared to the control treatment, i.e. 100% recommended fertilizer rate. The results of this study also support the hypothesis that pyrophyllite could be used as remediation material in polluted soils by heavy metals. However, further investigation is necessary to confirm these hypotheses across different soil ecosystems.

Senad Murtic, Cerima Zahirovic, Lutvija Karic, Josip Jurkovic, Hamdija Civic and Emina Sijahovic

Nutrient Limit Estimation for Eutrophication Modelling at Sengguruh Reservoir, Malang, Indonesia

Sengguruh Reservoir located in Malang Regency has important function as sediment barriers for Sutami Reservoir. The water contains many organic matters that will cause eutrophication. The effect of eutrophication can reduce biodiversity in the reservoir. The purpose of this study is to identify the trophic status of Sengguruh Reservoir using TSI method and to estimate the nutrient limit (nitrate and phosphate) to predict the eutrophication using quantile regression approach. The results show that Sengguruh Reservoir is in heavy eutrophic state. On the other hand, the nutrient limit estimation to predict heavy eutrophication is 0.853 mg/L for nitrate and 0.862 mg/L for phosphate.

Evellin Dewi Lusiana, Nanik Retno Buwono, Mohammad Mahmudi and Pramunita Putri Noviasari

Concrete Construction Waste Pollution and Relevant Prefabricated Recycling Measures

Architectural construction has expanded continuously in recent years as a response to China’s accelerating urbanization, thus further leading to the dramatic increase of concrete usage. This expansion may cause serious threats to the ecological environment because the production and construction of traditional concrete materials may consume abundant resources, such as coals and limestone, and thus emit air pollutants. Prefabricated concrete buildings can significantly reduce the use of water, timber, thermal insulation materials, and cement mortar, thereby decreasing construction waste and carbon emissions greatly. Based on the review of the measures for concrete construction waste recycling in developed countries, this study summarized the types of hazards of concrete construction waste pollution, analysed the advantages of prefabricated concrete constructions, and proposed prefabricated recycling measures of concrete construction wastes. Results demonstrate that developed countries have relatively perfect concrete construction waste recycling systems. The hazards of concrete construction wastes are mainly manifested by the embezzlement of lands, water pollution, atmosphere pollution, soil pollution, and damage to physical health. The advantages of prefabricated concrete construction are manifested by high production efficiency, energy conservation, environmental protection, and overall high quality. Finally, several recycling measures were proposed, including strengthened policy support to prefabricated concrete construction; appropriate relevant laws, regulations, and standard systems; improved prefabricated construction enterprises; and enhanced environmental protection in prefabricated construction sites. Research conclusions can serve as a reference for understanding the hazards of concrete construction-induced environmental pollution, recognizing the advantages of prefabricated concrete construction mode, increasing prefabricated concrete market shares comprehensively, and alleviating environmental pollutions.

Zhang Jie and Chen Nan

Evaluation of Iron and Manganese Levels from Ramgarh Lake, Gorakhpur, U.P., India

Natural waters vary in chemical composition and the factors controlling the composition include physical, chemical and biological processes. Water is one of the most important natural resources for all the living organisms because it is required for various metabolic activities. In addition, water is required for various domestic purposes, irrigation and power generation and the industries. Amongst various organic components, the iron and manganese are an important trace metal required for all the biological systems. The occurrence of iron and manganese, in the present study, was reported from Ramgarh Lake in Gorakhpur, India. Two sampling stations were selected for the present study. The iron and manganese have several effects due to their high concentration. The study was carried out for one year (January 2017 to December 2017). The significance of iron and manganese is discussed in the present investigation.

Mahima Chaurasia and Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava

Biological Remediation of the Municipal Solid Waste Leachate - A Case Study of Hyderabad Integrated MSW Limited

A prominent issue associated with the handling of municipal solid waste is the generation of a highly toxic semi-solid matter namely, leachate. The consequences of mishandling the aforementioned are widespread. Hence, the present study tried to take an initiative to remediate the same in an eco-friendly way. The research included a detailed investigation of the existing conditions in terms of quality, quantity, climatic condition, etc. The entire study primarily focused on the biodegradability of the toxic pollutants with the help of EM.1 solution procured from Pragati Enterprises and bringing down the pollution level during the treatment tenure. The major three parameters of interest include chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and total dissolved solids (TDS). A pilot pond of 7.5 kL capacity was prepared at the east corner of Hyderabad Integrated MSW facility to facilitate the practical studies. Four major remediates, i.e. coir pith powder, Bokashi balls, EM culture, and Bokashi powder were added weighing 34 MT, 560 kg, 10.5 kL, and 75 kg respectively, over the due course of 4 months and successive reduction in pollution levels were noted. Depletion in the level of all the prior-mentioned parameters was observed ranging 42.6%, 45.4%, and 37.8% respectively for COD, BOD and TDS. Furthermore, a notable reduction in obnoxious odour was observed around the pilot plant after the 15th day of the initiation of the operation. It signifies the feasibility of the experimented technology towards the treatment of municipal solid waste leachate (MSWL), and hence the study recommends the usage of the same as a potential pre-treatment before the tertiary purification units.

Konda Durga Sindhu Sree, Surya Narayan Dash and Anagani Leelavathi

Detoxification of Glucose, Ammonium and Formaldehyde Using Nitrification and Plant Processes

The purpose of this study was to obtain the removal efficiency values from glucose, ammonium and formaldehyde based on toxicity units. The nitrification process is applied using nitrifying bacteria and the process of plants using water hyacinth. The toxicity tests used were bacterial respiration test and test with batch reactor system for plants. The results show that the EC50 value of formaldehyde was smaller than ammonium and glucose. Formaldehyde was the most toxic substance among these substances, but its detoxification efficiency was high; this may be due to an antagonistic effect (from toxic to less toxic) mixture of substances.

Denesya Natalia Paris and Sarwoko Mangkoedihardjo

The Removal of Phosphorus in Solution by the Magnesium Modified Biochar from Bamboo

The eutrophication of water would cause the quality of the water to deteriorate and the algae to grow in large quantities. The recovery of phosphorus from sewage can not only purify the water quality, but also achieve the recycling of phosphorus. Its environmental and economic benefits are considerable. In this study, bamboo was used as raw material and modified with MgCl2 solution to prepare Mg-loaded biochar from bamboo (Mg@B). The adsorption experiments of phosphorus in solution by Mg@B were carried out. The adsorption kinetics of phosphorus by Mg@B was depicted by pseudo-first order kinetic and pseudo-second order kinetic models. The results showed that the surface of Mg@B is covered with the compound of Mg(OH)2. The adsorption process fits well with the pseudo-second order kinetics equation. The predominant process is chemisorption, which involves a sharing of electrons between the adsorbate and the surface of the adsorbent. The factor limiting the rate of reaction is primarily the number of surface-active sites of the adsorbent. The mechanism of Mg@B adsorbing phosphate ions in solution has physical adsorption, electrostatic adsorption and chemical precipitation.

Jing Dai, Xitong Zheng, Hong Wang, Hao Zhang, Linli Zhang, Tianbiao Lin, Rui Qin and Muqing Qiu

Real-time Detection of Cyanide in Surface Water and its Automated Data Acquisition and Dissemination System

Use of cyanide in developing countries is rampant, especially in gold mining areas. Though it could cause serious environmental problems, cyanide contamination is of less priority for government monitoring because of the limited resources. The current detection and monitoring schemes of cyanide are the conventional and expensive laboratory-based methods, which need technical capabilities to conduct the actual testing and preparing manual data recording, making it tedious and too laborious. More efforts were directed towards digitizing the data recording from manual laboratory analyses as the manual data recording usually cause problems like delayed information, lost data, and erroneous data entry. Hence, the goal of this study is to provide a cost-effective and zero manual-recording measurement method for cyanide in water samples. This work focuses on the design of electrochemical measuring devices with the same capability with the portable or benchtop-type of cyanide meter but with an automated and realtime data recording using global system for mobile communications (GSM) technology. Results of this study showed that with the existing GSM technology and infrastructure of the new monitoring system, the measurements are comparable to that of a commercial bench-type cyanide meter with an R-squared (R2) of 0.9907. It was also noted that data being recorded were intact during wireless transmission testing using the GSM Network. The results obtained suggest that wireless communication using GSM Technology could be applied to environmental monitoring. Importantly, the newly developed online system for cyanide monitoring offers significant advantages over the conventional techniques such as low-cost, easy deployment, and ease of use. It can increase spatiotemporal data for better analysis of the data. The automated data acquisition and display through cellular phones are also made readily-available.

Alexander T. Demetillo, Rey Y. Capangpangan, Melbert C. Bonotan, Jeanne Phyre B. Lagare and Evelyn B. Taboada

Assessment of Agricultural Environmental Pollution Based on Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation: Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China

The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important production area of grains, oil, livestock, and aquatic products across three regions in China; thus, its agricultural environment is of particular importance. However, the agricultural environment of the Yangtze River Economic Belt has been polluted for a long time by three industrial wastes, agricultural fertilizers, pesticides, and livestock wastes. Although effort to prevent and control pollution has been increased in recent years, the situation remains severe. The assessment of agricultural environmental pollution was explored by using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and the data from the 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt in the period of 2008- 2016. The results show that agricultural environmental pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt is at a serious level on the basis of research on the current situation of such pollution, the use of relevant environmental pollution index data of the provinces and cities in the region from 2007 to 2016, and the performance of fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Countermeasures to improve agricultural environmental pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt are proposed. They include strengthening the control of pollution caused by the three industrial wastes, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and livestock) and the environmental education of farmers through various forms.

Honglei Huang

First Identification of the Chlorophyte Algae Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Korshikov) Hindák in Lake Waters of India

The species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is a freshwater microalga belonging to Chlorophyceae. It is one of the best-known bioindicators in eco-toxicological research. It has been increasingly prevalent in many freshwater bodies worldwide. They have been since times used in many landmark toxicological analyses due to their ubiquitous nature and acute sensitivity to substances. During a survey of chlorophytes in effluent impacted lakes of Attibele region of Southern Bangalore, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata was identified from the samples collected from the Giddenahalli Lake as well as Zuzuvadi Lake. This is the first identification of this species in India. Analysis based on micromorphology confirmed the status of the organism to be Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata.

Vidya Padmakumar and N. C. Tharavathy

Reducing the Dust Generation of Haul Road by Improving Water Holding Capacity with the Application of Synthesised Polyacrylamide at Laboratory Condition

Surface mining method enormously affects the environment in terms of fugitive dust emission than underground mining method. All the several sources of dust emission from opencast mining, haul road transportation system are the main source of fugitive dust. In this research article, a biodegradable polyacrylamide (PAM) was used to suppress dust generation from haul road of mine. It improves the moisture carrying capacity of haul road than the water. PAM has been synthesized by free radical polymerization process using ceric ammonium nitrate initiator. It was characterized by 1H NMR, IR & intrinsic viscosity measurements, whereas size distribution of haul road dust was measured by sieve analysis. Laboratory work has been carried out to investigate the water holding capacity of haul road dust particles using PAM solution and compared with only water for 8 hours duration. The temperature of the chamber was kept constant at 35°C while relative humidities (RH) varied from 40% to 70%. It was observed that moisture retention of dust with the application of PAM solution and only water were 25.65% and 20.4% at 70% RH and 7.14% and 1.65% at 40% RH, respectively after 8 hours.

Vivek Kumar Kashi, N. C. Karmakar, S. Krishnamoorthi, Ekta Sonker, Pubali Adhikary and Rudramani Tiwari

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