Chemical aspects of Indian varieties of asbestos dust

Actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, chrysotile and tremolite varieties of asbestos from Indian mines were analysed for their chemical composition. Significant differences were found as compared with the composition of corresponding foreign varieties. The significance of this in relation to their possible toxic effects and the need for toxicological work with Indian varieties are discussed.     

Epichlorohydrin Crosslinked 2,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde Schiff Base Chitosan@SrFe12O19 (EP-DBSB-CS@SrFe12O19) Magnetic Nanocomposite for Efficient Removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from Aqueous Solution

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this paper, new epichlorohydrin crosslinked 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde Schiff base chitosan@SrFe12O19 magnetic nanocomposite (EP-DBSB-CS@SrFe12O19) was...     

The nexus of renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption,trade openness,and CO2 emissions in the framework of EKC: evidence from emerging economies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Emerging economies are experiencing considerable economic changes due to change in energy demand and CO2 emissions. To explore the link between energy...     

Residential Knowledge of Native Tree Species: A Case Study of Residents in Four Southern Ontario Municipalities

Environmental Management - In the past decade, municipalities across North America have increased investment in their urban forests in an effort to maintain and enhance the numerous benefits...     

Synthesis,characterization, and systematic studies of a novel aluminum selective chelating resin

A procedure is detailed for the selective analysis of trace aluminum by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer coupled with off-line column separation and preconcentration. Chelating resin was synthesized by covalent functionalization of Amberlite XAD-16 by 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole. The modified resin was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, energy dispersive x-ray analysis, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis, and minimum energy run. The optimum sorption was at pH 9?±?0.1 with corresponding t _1/2 of only 7 min. Many competitive anions and cations studied did not interfere at all in the selective determination of Al(III), at the optimized conditions. The resin shows maximum sorption capacity of 21.58 mg g^?1 and can be regenerated up to 75 cycles without any discernible capacity loss. The Langmuir isotherm model provides the better correlation of the experimental data (r ²?=?0.999) in comparison to Freundlich isotherm model, while the Scatchard analysis revealed homogeneous binding sites in the chelating resin. Analytical figures of merit were evaluated by accuracy (standard reference materials and recovery experiment), precision (RSD <5 %), and detection limit (2.8 μg L^?1). The applicability was demonstrated by analysis of trace aluminum in biological, environmental, and food samples.     

Flyash-based bricks: an environmental savior—a critical review

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The extraction of unsustainable natural resources like sand and topsoil for construction is disturbing ecological balance, affecting local...     

Numerical study of flow characteristics and pollutant dispersion using three RANS turbulence closure models

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The flow characteristics and pollutant dispersion around building are investigated numerically using three RANS turbulence closure models, i.e. Standard...     

Determinants of the ecological footprint in Thailand: the influences of tourism,trade openness,and population density

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper investigates the impact of economic growth, energy consumption, tourism, trade openness, and population density on the ecological...     

Decision framework for evaluating the macroeconomic risks and policy impacts of cyber attacks

Increased reliance on the Internet for critical infrastructure and the global nature of supply chains provides an opportunity for adversaries to leverage dependencies and gain access to vital infrastructure. Traditional approaches to assessing risk in the cyber domain, including estimation of impacts, fall short due to uncertainty in how interconnected systems react to cyber attack. This paper describes a method to represent the pathways of disruption propagation, evaluate the macroeconomic impact of cyber threats and aid in selecting among various cybersecurity policies. Based on state of the art agent-based modeling, multicriteria decision analysis, and macroeconomic modeling tools, this framework provides dynamic macroeconomic, demographic and fiscal insights regarding shocks caused by cyber attacks to the regional economy over time. The interlinkage of these models will provide a robust and adaptive system that allows policy makers to evaluate complex issues such as cybersecurity threats and their impacts on the geopolitical, social, environmental, and macroeconomic landscape.     

Comparative Biodegradation Studies of Non-poronized and Poronized LDPE Using Indigenous Microbial Consortium

Seventeen bacterial isolates were screened for the utilization of low density polyethylene (LDPE) as the sole carbon source, out of which five potential strains were selected for the development of a consortium. In vitro biodegradation efficiency of the consortium was studied for two differently textured forms of LDPE viz. non-poronized and poronized. Although, both the forms were acted-upon well by the consortium, but the degradation was found to be better in the poronized form. This was substantiated by λ-max shift, FTIR spectra and simultaneous TG-DTG-DTA. The analysis revealed the breakage and formation of chemical bonds in the polymer backbone, as a result of microbial activity. The biodegraded samples of non-poronized and poronized LDPE exhibited similar weight losses at 400 °C (24.12% and 24.48%, respectively) as compared to their controls (4% and 4.5% respectively), but the latter could achieve it with greater ease as reveled by its lower heat of reactions (ΔH values). The study signifies the influence of poronization of polyethylene on its rate of biodegradation.