Big concerns with small projects: Evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of small hydropower projects in India

Although Small Hydropower Projects (SHPs) are encouraged as sources of clean and green energy, there is a paucity of research examining their socio-ecological impacts. We assessed the perceived socio-ecological impacts of 4 SHPs within the Western Ghats in India by conducting semi-structured interviews with local respondents. Primary interview data were sequentially validated with secondary data, and respondent perceptions were subsequently compared against the expected baseline of assured impacts. We evaluated the level of awareness about SHPs, their perceived socio-economic impacts, influence on resource access and impacts on human–elephant interactions. The general level of awareness about SHPs was low, and assurances of local electricity and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. Additionally most respondents faced numerous unanticipated adverse impacts. We found a strong relationship between SHP construction and increasing levels of human–elephant conflict. Based on the disparity between assured and actual social impacts, we suggest that policies regarding SHPs be suitably revised.     

Amelioration of toxicopathological effects of cadmium with silymarin and milk thistle in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cadmium is an important widely distributed heavy metal in the environment due to its several industrial uses, while milk thistle is an important herb...     

超声-紫外光协同催化体系降解水中菲

以纳米TiO_2为催化剂,采用超声-紫外光协同催化体系降解水中菲,并考察了菲降解率的影响因素。实验结果表明:不同类型TiO_2对菲降解率的大小顺序为锐钛矿型TiO_2P25型TiO_2金红石型TiO_2;超声-紫外光协同催化体系对菲的降解率大于单独超声体系或紫外光催化体系,且均遵从一级反应动力学规律;在超声频率为60k Hz、声强为0.233 W/cm2、TiO_2投加量为0.06 g/L、pH为4.0、H_2O_2浓度为19.59 mmol/L的条件下降解75 min后,超声-紫外光协同催化体系对初始质量浓度为0.96 mg/L的菲的降解率可达76.78%。     

天然有机物对零价铁去除水体中砷的影响研究

在研究零价铁对水体中砷去除动力学的基础上,着重探讨了天然有机物腐殖酸对零价铁除砷的影响.并对零价铁的腐蚀产物进行了分析.结果表明,水体中的砷可以通过在零价铁腐蚀产物上的吸附得到快速去除.腐殖酸显著降低了砷的去除率,这归因于腐殖酸与零价铁腐蚀产生的铁离子形成络合物,阻止了Fe(OH)3(或Fe(OH)2)沉淀的产生.腐殖酸浓度越高.砷的去除率越低.1.00 mg腐殖酸最多可以络合约0.75 mg铁离子.当铁离子与腐殖酸的络合达到饱和后,零价铁进一步腐蚀产生的铁离子可形成Fe(OH)3(或Fe(OH)2)沉淀,这些沉淀物可吸附水体中的腐殖酸和砷,从而加速砷的去除.冷冻干燥后的零价铁腐蚀产物的结构以无定型为主,含有少量的结晶化合物,包括γ-Fe2O3、γ-FeO(OH)和Fe3O4等.腐殖酸的存在可进一步增加腐蚀产物中的无定型成分.光电能谱(XPS)分析结果显示,吸附在腐蚀产物上的砷为5价,没有发现5价砷被还原成3价砷.在应用零价铁修复砷污染水体时,应考虑腐殖酸的影响.     

Modeling watershed-scale effectiveness of agricultural best management practices to reduce phosphorus loading

Planners advocate best management practices (BMPs) to reduce loss of sediment and nutrients in agricultural areas. However, the scientific community lacks tools that use readily available data to investigate the relationships between BMPs and their spatial locations and water quality. In rural, humid regions where runoff is associated with saturation-excess processes from variable source areas (VSAs), BMPs are potentially most effective when they are located in areas that produce the majority of the runoff. Thus, two critical elements necessary to predict the water quality impact of BMPs include correct identification of VSAs and accurate predictions of nutrient reduction due to particular BMPs. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of BMPs using the Variable Source Loading Function (VSLF) model, which captures the spatial and temporal evolutions of VSAs in the landscape. Data from a long-term monitoring campaign on a 164-ha farm in the New York City source watersheds in the Catskills Mountains of New York state were used to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of BMPs. The data spanned an 11-year period over which a suite of BMPs, including a nutrient management plan, riparian buffers, filter strips and fencing, was installed to reduce phosphorus (P) loading. Despite its simplicity, VSLF predicted the spatial distribution of runoff producing areas well. Dissolved P reductions were simulated well by using calibrated reduction factors for various BMPs in the VSLF model. Total P losses decreased only after cattle crossings were installed in the creek. The results demonstrated that BMPs, when sited with respect to VSAs, reduce P loss from agricultural watersheds, providing useful information for targeted water quality management.     

The Avoidance Responses of Daphnia magna to the Exposure of Organophosphorus Pesticides in an On-Line Biomonitoring System

In this study, avoidance behavior of the freshwater cladoceran Daphnia magna Straus was used as indicator to assess the early stress of accidental organophosphorus pesticide (OP) contamination. The movement behavior was detected by a multi-species biomonitoring system. There was obvious concentration–response relationship between the OP stress and the behavioral response even at sublethal exposure. A rising OP stress resulted in a significant decrease of response time to escape (RTE; p<0.05). In comparison of different OPs, it was found that there was a power regression between RTE and the toxic unit of OPs. Therefore, the avoidance behavior of D. magna was a sensitive indicator of sublethal OP stress, and the power relationship could be used to predict the early warning thresholds of more OPs in the on-line biomonitoring system.     

Zero-valent iron and iron oxide-coated sand as a combination for removal of co-present chromate and arsenate from groundwater with humic acid

The combination of zero-valent iron (Fe⁰) and iron oxide-coated sand (IOCS) was used to remove Cr(VI) and As(V) from groundwater in this study. The efficiency and the removal mechanism of Cr(VI) and As(V) by using this combination, with the influence of humic acid (HA), were investigated using batch experiments. Results showed that, compared to using Fe⁰ or IOCS alone, the Fe⁰-IOCS can perform better on the removal of both Cr(VI) and As(V). Metal extraction studies showed that As(V) was mainly removed by IOCS and iron corrosion products while Cr(VI) was mainly removed by Fe⁰ and its corrosion products. Competition was found between Cr(VI) and As(V) for the adsorption sites on the iron corrosion products. HA had shown insignificant effects on Cr(VI) removal but some effects on As(V) removal kinetics. As(V) was adsorbed on IOCS at the earlier stage, but adsorbed/coprecipitated with the iron corrosion products at the later stage.     

Efficacy of electrical resistivity and induced polarization methods for revealing fluoride contaminated groundwater in granite terrain

The accumulation of fluoride (F) in groundwater is a common phenomenon in India and worldwide. Its location can be identified through a direct hydrochemical analysis, which was carried out in Kurmapalli watershed (located 60 km SE of Hyderabad city), Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India affected by F contamination. The results of the hydrochemical analysis showed that F varied from 0.71 to 19.01 mg/l and its concentration exceeded the permissible limit (i.e., 1.5 mg/l) in 78% of the total 32 samples analyzed. The highest F value (19.01 mg/l) was found near Madnapur village, which is located in the central part of the watershed. Resistivity and induced polarization (IP) surveys were also carried out to reveal the zones where elevated F-contaminated groundwater exists. The objective of this paper was to highlight the utility of resistivity and IP surveys, using hydrochemical constituents as constraint, for the successful delineation of such contaminated/polluted groundwater zones in the granite area.     

Allometric models for the estimation of above- and below-ground biomass of Jatropha curcas L. in semi-arid regions of Southern India

Jatropha curcas L. (Jatropha) is an important multipurpose tree valued for oil. In India, plans are underway to bring substantial area under this crop for meeting the biofuel requirements of the country. A study was conducted to develop allometric relationships in Jatropha to predict various biomass-related components (above ground and below ground) using easily measurable attributes, viz. collar diameter, tree height, number of branches, crown diameter, and crown depth. Further, it was aimed to establish the reliability of these relationships using an independent dataset obtained from varied management situations. Destructive sampling was carried out during the rainy season of 2011, when Jatropha plants were eight years old. Highly significant allometric relationships (F-values significant at 1% level) were obtained while predicting various biomass components (above, below, and total) using easily measurable attributes with R² values ranging from 0.89 to 0.98. Of all the predictors, collar diameter exhibited a highly significant relationship with total dry biomass per plant (R² = 0.97). The allometric relationships developed were validated with an independent dataset. The allometric relationships developed would serve as valuable tools for estimating total dry biomass production and carbon sequestration with reasonable accuracy in Jatropha systems, as they are proposed to be taken up in substantial area in the years to come.