Kinetic and isotherm error optimization studies for adsorption of atrazine and imidacloprid on bark of Eucalyptus tereticornis L.

The aim of this study was to establish the bark of Eucalyptus tereticornis L. (EB) as a low cost bio-adsorbent for the removal of imidacloprid and atrazine from aqueous medium. The pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), Elovich and intra-particle diffusion (IPD) models were used to describe the kinetic data and rate constants were evaluated. Adsorption data was analysed using ten 2-, 3- and 4-parameter models viz. Freundlich, Jovanovic, Langmuir, Temkin, Koble–Corrigan, Redlich–Peterson, Sips, Toth, Radke–Prausnitz, and Fritz-Schluender isotherms. Six error functions were used to compute the best fit single component isotherm parameters by nonlinear regression analysis. The results showed that the sorption of atrazine was better explained by PSO model, whereas the sorption of imidacloprid followed the PFO kinetic model. Isotherm model optimization analysis suggested that the Freundlich along with Koble–Corrigan, Toth and Fritz-Schluender were the best models to predict atrazine and imidacloprid adsorption onto EB. Error analysis suggested that minimization of chi-square (χ²) error function provided the best determination of optimum parameter sets for all the isotherms.     

Estimation of age-related vulnerability to air pollution: assessment of respiratory health at local scale

This paper demonstrates association of short-term variation in pollution and health outcomes within the same geographical area for a typical urban setting in the northern part of the UK from time series analysis. It utilises publicly available datasets for regulated air pollutants (PM??, NO?, SO?, CO and O?), meteorology and respiratory hospital admissions (and mortality) between April 2002 and December 2005 to estimate the respiratory health effect of pollution exposure, mainly in the elderly. Our results show that PM?? and O? are positively associated with respiratory hospital admissions in the elderly, specifically in the age group 70-79. CO effects seem to be concentrated on the most elderly age group (80+) whereas NO? seems to have the opposite age-related effect, with lower effects on the more elderly.     

Kinetics and isotherm modeling of azoxystrobin and imidacloprid retention in biomixtures

The paper reports the kinetics and adsorption isotherm modeling for imidacloprid (IMIDA) and azoxystrobin (AZOXY) in rice straw (RS)/corn cob (CC) and peat (P)/compost (C) based biomixtures. The pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models were used to describe the kinetics. The adsorption data were subjected to the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms. Results (r²_Adj values) suggested that the modified Elovich model was the best suited to explain the kinetics of IMIDA sorption while different models explained AZOXY sorption kinetics in different biomixtures (PFO in RS?+?C and RS?+?P; PSO in CC?+?P and Elovich in CC?+?C). Biomixtures varied in their capacity to adsorb both pesticides and the adsorption coefficient (K_d) values were 116.8–369.24 (AZOXY) and 24.2–293.4 (IMIDA). The Freundlich isotherm better explained the sorption of both pesticides. Comparison analysis of linear and nonlinear method for estimating the Freundlich adsorption constants was made. In general, r²_Adj values were higher for the nonlinear fit (AZOXY?=?0.938–0.982; IMIDA?=?0.91–0.970) than the linear fit (AZOXY?=?0.886–0.993; IMIDA?=?0.870–0.974) suggesting that the nonlinear Freundlich equation better explained the sorption. The rice straw-based biomixtures performed better in adsorbing both the pesticides and can be used in bio-purification systems.     

Towards greening a university campus: The case of the University of Maribor, Slovenia

The environmental performance of the University of Maribor (Engineering Campus) has been assessed on a life cycle basis. The following activities have been considered in the study: the use and operation of lecture theatres (construction and maintenance, heating, lighting and water consumption) and day-to-day consumption of sundries (paper and plastic bottles). The results indicate that the heating and construction of buildings are the ‘hot spots’ in the system, for most environmental impacts. Different waste management options for the plastic and paper, including recycling, incineration and landfill, have also been compared for environmental impacts and economic costs. The option combining 70% recycling, 29% incineration and 1% landfill has been found to be most economically and environmentally sustainable.     

Analytical solution of two-dimensional advection–dispersion equation with spatio-temporal coefficients for point sources in an infinite medium using Green’s function method

In the present study analytical solutions of a two-dimensional advection–dispersion equation (ADE) with spatially and temporally dependent longitudinal and lateral components of the dispersion coefficient and velocity are obtained using Green’s Function Method (GFM). These solutions describe solute transport in infinite horizontal groundwater flow, assimilating the spatio-temporal dependence of transport properties, dependence of dispersion coefficient on velocity, and the particulate heterogeneity of the aquifer. The solution is obtained in the general form of temporal dependence and the source term, from which solutions for instantaneous and continuous point sources are derived. The spatial dependence of groundwater velocity is considered non-homogeneous linear, whereas the dispersion coefficient is considered proportional to the square of spatial dependence of velocity. An asymptotically increasing temporal function is considered to illustrate the proposed solutions. The solutions are validated with the existing solutions derived from the proposed solutions in three special cases. The effect of spatially/temporally dependent heterogeneity on the solute transport is also demonstrated. To use the GFM, the ADE with spatio-temporally dependent coefficients is reduced to a dispersion equation with constant coefficients in terms of new position variables introduced through properly developed coordinate transformation equations. Also, a new time variable is introduced through a known transformation.     

Geo-spatial analysis of the temporal trends of kharif crop phenology metrics over India and its relationships with rainfall parameters

The Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies bimonthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data of 8?×?8 km spatial resolution for the period of 1982–2006 were analyzed to detect the trends of crop phenology metrics (start of the growing season (SGS), seasonal NDVI amplitude (AMP), seasonally integrated NDVI (SiNDVI)) during kharif season (June to October) and their relationships with the amount of rainfall and the number of rainy days over Indian subcontinent. Direction and magnitude of trends were analyzed at pixel level using the Mann–Kendall test and further assessed at meteorological subdivision level using field significance test (α?=?0.1). Significant pre-occurrence of the SGS was observed over northern (Punjab, Haryana) and central (Marathwada, Vidarbha and Madhya Maharashtra) parts, whereas delay was found over southern (Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh) and eastern (Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal) parts of India. North, west, and central India showed significant increasing trends of SiNDVI, corroborating the kharif food grain production performance during the time frame. Significant temporal correlation (α?=?0.1) between the rainfall/number of rainy days and crop phenology metrics was observed over the rainfed region of India. About 35–40 % of the study area showed significant correlation between the SGS and the rainfall/number of rainy days during June to August. June month rainfall/number of rainy days was found to be the most sensitive to the SGS. The amount of rainfall and the number of rainy days during monsoon were found to have significant influence over the SiNDVI in 24–30 % of the study area. The crop phenology metrics had significant correlation with the number of rainy days over the larger areas than that of the rainfall amount.     

Non-edible vegetable oil–based feedstocks capable of bio-lubricant production for automotive sector applications—a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Fossil fuel resource is on the draining stage which leads to an increment in the cost of the petroleum products. Nowadays, research is focused on the...     

Seasonal dynamics of Vibrio cholerae and its phages in riverine ecosystem of Gangetic West Bengal: cholera paradigm

The Gangetic delta is a century-old cholera endemic belt where the role of riverine–estuarine ecosystem in cholera transmission has never been elucidated. Seasonality, distribution, and abundance of environmental Vibrio cholerae O1/O139 and vibriophage in Hooghly riverine–estuarine environment and their correlation with cholera incidence pattern in West Bengal, India, have been analyzed for the first time across summer, monsoon, and winter months. A total of 146 water samples collected from two sites of the Hooghly River (Howrah and Diamond Harbour) were analyzed physicochemically along with cultivable Vibrio count (CVC), V. cholerae O1/O139, and vibriophages. V. cholerae O1 was detected in 56 (38.3 %) samples, while 66 (45.2 %) were positive for V. cholerae O1 phages. Flood tide, water temperature (31?±?1.6 °C), and turbidity (≥250 nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU)) significantly stimulated V. cholerae and vibriophage abundance in riverine ecosystem. Solitary existence of V. cholerae O1 and phages (p?V. cholerae O1 or V. cholerae O1 Φ) on the other. Significant association (p?V. cholerae O1 in aquatic environment implies the role of riverine–estuarine ecosystem in cholera transmission. A “biomonitoring tool” of physicochemical stimulants, tidal, and climatic variants has been proposed collating V. cholerae and phage dynamics that can forewarn any impending cholera outbreak.     

Discussion of “Mahmodinia,S., & Javan,M. (2021). Vortical structures,entrainment and mixing process in the lateral discharge of the gravity current. Environmental Fluid Mechanics, 21(5), 1035–1067”

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - The authors of the discussed paper presented an interesting study of the lateral gravity currents for the different flow conditions. The authors showed the...