Removal of melanoidin present in distillery effluent as a major colorant: a review

Effluent originating from distilleries contain large amount of dark brown coloured wastewater called molasses spent wash (MSW). This MSW is the unwanted residual liquid waste to dispose because of low pH, high temperature, dark brown colour, high ash content, unpleasant odour and high percentage of organic and inorganic matter. Dark brown colour of MSW is due to the presence of melanoidin pigment. It reduces sunlight penetration in rivers and lakes which in turn decrease both photosynthetic activity and dissolved oxygen concentration affecting aquatic life. So the disposal of this effluent is one of the critical environmental issues. A number of treatment processes have been employed for the distillery waste management. This review paper present an overview of the pollution problems caused by melanoidin and the technologies employed globally for its removal.     

Performance improvement potential of sensor embedded products in environmental supply chains

Environmental supply chain is a desirable alternative to traditional supply chain due to new and stricter environmental regulations by local governments and increasing consumer awareness towards environmental issues. The two most common types of environmental supply chains are reverse supply chains and closed-loop supply chains. In reverse or closed-loop supply chains, collected used products are subjected to one of four recovery options, viz., reuse, recycling, remanufacturing or disposal. Regardless of the chosen recovery option, all products are disassembled up to some level. However, there is a high level of uncertainty associated with the disassembly yield due to non-functional and/or missing components. Sensor embedded products (SEPs) is a viable approach to cope with this uncertainty since they involve sensors which can detect non-functional and/or missing components prior to disassembly. This study presents a quantitative assessment of the impact of SEPs on the various performance measures of a kanban-controlled disassembly line. First, separate design of experiments studies based on Orthogonal Arrays are carried out for conventional products and SEPs. Then, the results of paired t-tests comparing the two cases based on different performance measures are presented.     

Multi-route risk assessment from trihalomethanes in drinking water supplies

The USA is entering an era of energy diversity, and increasing nuclear capacity and concerns focus on accidents, security, waste, and pollution. Physical buffers that separate outsiders from nuclear facilities often support important natural ecosystems but may contain contaminants. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses nuclear reactors; the applicant provides environmental assessments that serve as the basis for Environmental Impact Statements developed by NRC. We provide a template for the types of information needed for safe siting of nuclear facilities with buffers in three categories: ecological, fate and transport, and human health information that can be used for risk evaluations. Each item on the lists is an indicator for evaluation, and individual indicators can be selected for specific region. Ecological information needs include biodiversity (species, populations, communities) and structure and functioning of ecosystems, habitats, and landscapes, in addition to common, abundant, and unique species and endangered and rare ones. The key variables of fate and transport are sources of release for radionuclides and other chemicals, nature of releases (atmospheric vapors, subsurface liquids), features, and properties of environmental media (wind speed, direction and atmospheric stability, hydraulic gradient, hydraulic conductivity, groundwater chemistry). Human health aspects include receptor populations (demography, density, dispersion, and distance), potential pathways (drinking water sources, gardening, fishing), and exposure opportunities (lifestyle activities). For each of the three types of information needs, we expect that only a few of the indicators will be applicable to a particular site and that stakeholders should agree on a site-specific suite.     

Spatial and seasonal distribution of nitrate-N in groundwater beneath the rice�Cwheat cropping system of India: a geospatial analysis

Increased use of nitrogenous fertilizers in the intensively cultivated rice (Oryza sativa)?Cwheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system (covers a 13.5-ha m area in South Asia) has led to the concentration of nitrates (NO₃-N) in the groundwater (GW) in Haryana State of India. Six districts from the freshwater zone were selected to identify factors affecting NO₃-N enrichment in GW. Water and soil samples were collected from 1,580 locations and analyzed for their chemical properties. About 3% (26,796, and 10,588 ha) of the area was estimated to be under moderately high (7.5?C10 mg l^???1) and high (>10 mg l^???1) risk categories, respectively. The results revealed that NO₃-N was 10?C50% higher during the pre-monsoon season than in the monsoon season. Nitrate-N decreased with the increase in aquifer depth (r ²?=?0.99). Spatial and proximity analyses using ArcGIS (9.2) revealed that (1) clay material in surface and sub-surface texture restricts N leaching, (2) piedmont and rolling plains act as an N sink, and (3) perennial rivers bring a dilution effect whereas seasonal rivers provide favorable conditions for NO₃ ^? enrichment. The study concludes that chemical N fertilizers applied in agro-ecosystems are not the sole factor determining the NO₃ in groundwater; rather, it is an integrated process governed by several other factors including physical and chemical properties of soils, proximity and type of river, and geomorphologic and geographical aspects. Therefore, future studies should adopt larger area (at least watershed scale) to understand the mechanistic pathways of NO₃ enrichment in groundwater and interactive role of the natural drainage system and surrounding physical features. In addition, the study also presents a conceptual framework to describe the process of nitrate formation and leaching in piedmont plains and its transportation to the mid-plain zone.     

Integrated process approach for degradation of p-cresol pollutant under photocatalytic reactor using activated carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite: application in wastewater treatment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Over the years, biodegradation has been an effective technique for waste water treatment; however, it has its own limitations. In order to achieve a...     

Evolution in mitigation approaches for petroleum oil-polluted environment: recent advances and future directions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Increasing petroleum consumption and a rise in incidental oil spillages have become global concerns owing to their aquatic and terrestrial toxicity....     

Histoenzymological study on the toxicity of copper sulphate in the digestive glands of Lymnaea luteola

During 24 and 48 hr of exposure, the digestive glands of Lymnaea treated with a lethal concentration of 0.038 mgl(-1) CuSO4 revealed intense activity of acid phosphatase in perilobular margin. On the other hand, same area of the gland showed moderate activity of ATPase during 24 and 48 hr of exposure. However, alkaline phosphatase showed average activity in perialveolar region and perilobular margin during 24 and 48, and 72 hr of exposure respectively The changes in the activity of these enzymes were nonsignificant in alveolar margin and perialveolar region of the gland. It is interesting to note moderate activity of acid phosphatase in perialveolar region during 24 hr of exposure.     

A comparative hydrobiological study of a few ponds of Barak Valley, Assam and their role as sustainable water resources

A hydrobiological study conducted in nine different ponds of a rural area of Barak Valley, Assam, showed that the concentrations of chemical parameters like dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, pH, conductivity alkalinity nitrate, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc are within the permissible levels of drinking water quality standard of WHO and ISI. However iron content was higher in most of the ponds. A clear indirect relationship between iron concentration and euglenoids has been observed. Major phytoplankton taxa present in the ponds are Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Bacillariophyceae and Euglenophyceae. The study reveals that rural ponds can be a very good source of water for drinking, domestic use and fishery and should be conserved at any cost.     

Characterisation of PM10, PM2.5 and Benzene Soluble Organic Fraction of Particulate Matter in an Urban Area of Kolkata, India

In this study, the relationship between inhalable particulate (PM₁₀), fine particulate (PM_2.5), coarse particles (PM_{2.5 – 10}) and meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind speed were statistically analyzed and modelled for urban area of Kolkata during winter months of 2003–2004. Ambient air quality was monitored with a sampling frequency of twenty-four hours at three monitoring sites located near traffic intersections and in an industrial area. The monitoring sites were located 3–5 m above ground near highly trafficked and congested areas. The 24 h average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 samples were collected using Thermo-Andersen high volume samplers and exposed filter papers were extracted and analysed for benzene soluble organic fraction. The ratios between PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were found to be in the range of 0.6 to 0.92 and the highest ratio was found in the most polluted urban site. Statistical analysis has shown a strong positive correlation between PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 and inverse correlation was observed between particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) and wind speed. Statistical analysis of air quality data shows that PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 are showing poor correlation with temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation. Regression equations for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 and meteorological parameters were developed. The organic fraction of particulate matter soluble in benzene is an indication of poly aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration present in particulate matter. The relationship between the benzene soluble organic fraction (BSOF) of inhalable particulate (PM₁₀) and fine particulate (PM_2.5) were analysed for urban area of Kolkata. Significant positive correlation was observed between benzene soluble organic fraction of PM₁₀ (BSM10) and benzene soluble organic fraction of PM_2.5 (BSM2.5). Regression equations for BSM10 and BSM2.5 were developed.     

Characterization and Identification of the Sources of Chromium, Zinc, Lead, Cadmium, Nickel, Manganese and Iron in Pm10 Particulates at the Two Sites of Kolkata, India

Monitoring of ambient PM₁₀ (particulate matter which passes through a size selective impactor inlet with a 50% efficiency cut-off at 10 μm aerodynamic diameter) has been done at residential (Kasba) and industrial (Cossipore) sites of an urban region of Kolkata during November 2003 to November 2004. These sites were selected depending on the dominant anthropogenic activities. Metal constituents of atmospheric PM₁₀ deposited on glass fibre filter paper were estimated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-AES). Chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) are the seven toxic trace metals quantified from the measured PM₁₀ concentrations. The 24 h average concentrations of Cr, Zn, Pb, Cd, Ni, Mn and Fe from ninety PM₁₀ particulate samples of Kolkata were found to be 6.9, 506.1, 79.1, 3.3, 7.4, 2.4 and 103.6 ng/m³, respectively. The 24 h average PM₁₀ concentration exceeded national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) as specified by central pollution control board, India at both residential (Kasba) and industrial (Cossipore) areas with mean concentration of 140.1 and 196.6 μg/m³, respectively. A simultaneous meteorology study was performed to assess the influence of air masses by wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, relative humidity and temperature. The measured toxic trace metals generally showed inverse relationship with wind speed, relative humidity and temperature. Factor analysis, a receptor modeling technique has been used for identification of the possible sources contributing to the PM₁₀. Varimax rotated factor analysis identified four possible sources of measured trace metals comprising solid waste dumping, vehicular traffic with the influence of road dust, road dust and soil dust at residential site (Kasba), while vehicular traffic with the influence of soil dust, road dust, galvanizing and electroplating industry, and tanning industry at industrial site (Cossipore).