Nitrogen and phosphorus leaching from growing season versus year-round application of wastewater on seasonally frozen lands

Land application of wastewater has become an important disposal option for food-processing plants operating year-round. However, there are concerns about nutrient leaching from winter wastewater application on frozen soils. In this study, P and N leaching were compared between nongrowing season application of tertiary-treated wastewater plus growing season application of partially treated wastewater (NGS) vs. growing season application of partially treated wastewater (GS) containing high levels of soil P. As required by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the wastewater applied to the NGS fields during October through March was treated such that it contained < or =6 mg L(-1) total phosphorus (TP), < or =10 mg L(-1) NO3-N, and < or =20 mg L(-1) total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). The only regulation for wastewater application during the growing season (April through September) was that cumulatively it did not exceed the agronomic N requirements of the crop in any sprayfield. Application of tertiary-treated wastewater during the nongrowing season plus partially treated wastewater during the growing season did not significantly increase NO3-N leaching compared with growing season application of nonregulated wastewater. However, median TP concentration in leachate was significantly higher from the NGS (3.56 mg L(-1)) than from the GS sprayfields (0.52 mg L(-1)) or nonirrigated sites (0.52 mg L(-1)). Median TP leaching loss was also significantly higher from the NGS sprayfields (57 kg ha(-1)) than from the GS (7.4 kg ha(-1)) or control sites (6.9 kg ha(-1)). This was mainly due to higher hydraulic loading from winter wastewater application and limited or no crop P uptake during winter. Results from this study indicate that winter application of even low P potato-processing wastewater to high P soils can accelerate P leaching. We conclude that the regulation of winter wastewater application on frozen soils should be based on wastewater P concentration and permissible loading. We also recommend that winter irrigation should take soil P saturation into consideration.     

Carcinogenicity of hexachlorocyclohexane (BHC) in pure inbred swiss mice.

Inbred Swiss mice were treated with technical BHC (1) orally with the diet or by intubation and (2) by skin painting. The total duration of the experiment was 80 weeks. There was no difference in body growth and mortality between the experimental and control groups. Symptoms of intoxication in the form of convulsions and tendency of circling in one direction with drooping ears were observed alongwith corneal opacity 40 weeks after the experiment. Oral BHC treatment resulted in a significant increase in the incidence of liver tumours and tumours of lymphoreticular tissue. Males and females were equally susceptible. Skin painting of mice did not significantly increase the incidence of tumour.     

The effects of coal-smoke pollutants on the growth, yield and leaf epidermal features of Abelmoschus esculentus moench

In Abelmoschus esculentus var. Pusa Sawani, coal-smoke pollutants, experienced close to a thermal power plant, led to decreases of plant height and stem diameter, jeopardised the production of leaves and flower buds and stimulated leaf and flower fall, leading to a decrease in the number of fruits set per plant. The length of fruits was affected a little, and the circumference and fresh weight suffered significantly, causing a decrease in plant yield. The net productivity of stems, roots and leaves incurred losses of 22.5%, 24.0% and 37.5%, respectively, and resulted in a 28.3% loss in the total net productivity of polluted plants. A decrease in stomatal density, aperture and index, and a lower density of epidermal cells of greater dimensions were observed on both the leaf surfaces. Abnormalities of the stomatal complexes were also observed on the upper surface of polluted leaves.     

Chemical fractionation and heavy metal accumulation in the plant of Sesamum indicum (L.) var. T55 grown on soil amended with tannery sludge: Selection of single extractants

A pot experiment was carried out to study the single and sequential extractions of metals in different tannery sludge amendment and the potential of the plant of Sesamum indicum L. var. T55 (sesame) for the removal of metals from tannery waste contaminated site. The metal extraction efficiency obtained with each extractants was slightly different and follow the order; EDTA>DTPA>NH(4)NO(3)>NaNO(3)>CaCl(2). The correlation analysis between extractable metals in the different amendments of sludge and metal accumulation in the plant (lower and upper parts) showed better correlation for most of the tested metals with EDTA extraction. In this study, a sequential extraction technique was applied on different amendments of tannery sludge. The results showed that Mn, Zn, Cr and Cd were mostly associated with Fe-Mn oxide fraction in most of the amendments, K and Ni was found in residual (RES) fraction, Fe and Cu was bound with organic matter (OM) and RES fractions and Na was associated with carbonate (CAR) fraction. The metal accumulation after 60 d of growth of the plant was found in the order of K>Na>Fe>Zn>Cr>Mn>Cu>Pb>Ni>Cd and its translocation was found less in upper part. The accumulation of toxic metals (Cr, Ni and Cd) in the plants was found to increase with increase in sludge ratio, in contrast, the accumulation of Pb decreased. In view of growth parameters and metal accumulation in the plant, it was observed that lower amendments (25%) of tannery sludge were found suitable for the phytoremediation of most of the studied metals.     

Changes in amino acid profile and metal content in seeds of Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) grown under various fly-ash amendments

Seeds of Cicer arietinum L. plants are edible and a valuable source of protein. Accumulation of toxic metals in the edible part of the plant, grown in fields close to fly-ash (FA) landfills, may pose a threat to human health. In the present study, the effects of FA and its amendments with different ameliorants viz., garden soil (GS), press mud (PM) and saw dust (SD), on total soluble protein contents, amino acid composition and metal accumulation in seeds were investigated in var. CSG-8962 and var. C-235 of C. arietinum. Plants accumulated adequate amounts of essential metals viz. Fe, Cu, Zn in seeds, while the toxic metals such as Cd and Cr were taken up in smaller quantities. The accumulation of Cr and Cd was less in var. C-235 than var. CSG-8962. Amendment of FA with PM enhanced the amount of soluble protein and amino acids in both varieties and was found to be superior among all tested ameliorants. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of amino acids showed better response in var. C-235 as compared to var. CSG-8962. Thus var. C-235 seems to be suitable for cultivation in FA contaminated areas due to more accumulation of essential metals and less accumulation of toxic metals in seeds. Application of PM may further improve the growth of plants and nutritional quality of seeds.     

Improving the feasibility of aquaculture feed by using microalgae

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aquaculture industry is an efficient edible protein producer and grows faster than any other food sector. Therefore, it requires enormous amounts...     

Comparative Response of Indigenously Developed Bacterial Consortia on Progressive Degradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate Film Composites

The global demand of bioplastics has lead to an exponential increase in their production commercially. Hence, biodegradable nature needs to be evaluated in various ecosystems viz. air, water, soil and other environmental conditions to avoid the polymeric waste accumulation in the nature. In this paper, we investigated the progressive response of two indigenously developed bacterial consortia, i.e., consortium-I (C-I: Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb10, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb11 and Bacillus sp. strain Rb18), and consortium-II (C-II: Lysinibacillus sp. strain Rb1, Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb13 and Pseudomonas sp. strain Rb19), against biodegradation behavior of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) film composites, under natural soil ecosystem (in net house). The biodegraded films recovered after 6 and 9 months of incubation were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy to determine the variations in chemical and morphological parameters (before and after incubation). Noticeable changes in the bond intensity, surface morphology and conductivity were found when PHB composites were treated with C-II. These changes were drastic in case of blends in comparison to copolymer. The potential isolates not only survived, but, also, there was a significant increase in bacterial diversity during whole period of incubation. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report which described the biodegradation potential of Lysinibacillus sp. as a part of C-II with Pseudomonas sp. against PHB film composites.     

Antioxidant properties and instrumental quality characteristics of spray dried Pangasius visceral protein hydrolysate prepared by chemical and enzymatic methods

Fish protein hydrolysates are digested form of protein with various bioactive properties where, the cleavages of molecular bonds of proteins can be broken by the enzymatic and chemical process. In this study, antioxidant properties of spray dried protein hydrolysate prepared from Pangasius viscera by using enzymatic (papain and pepsin), and chemical methods (hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide) were evaluated. Among the different treatments, pepsin-derived visceral protein hydrolysate showed the maximum antioxidant activity when used at higher concentrations. Essential amino acids (EAA) and hydrophobic amino acids are higher in papain-derived visceral protein hydrolysate. In pepsin-derived visceral protein hydrolysate, major proportion was contributed by glycine (Gly), glutamine (Glu), proline (Pro), and asparagine (Asp). Higher amount of aromatic amino acids are found in alkali-derived FVPH. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of pepsin fish visceral protein hydrolysate showed better globular structure than the other treatments. It can be concluded that among the different treatments, the visceral protein hydrolysate prepared with pepsin had better overall quality regarding antioxidant properties and papain in nutritional point of view.

     

Fluoride contamination in and around selected geothermal sites in Odisha,Eastern India: assessment of ionic relations,fluoride exposure and remediation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Fluoride contamination in groundwater is a major problem throughout the world as well as in India. High-fluoride content was reported in the hot...