Bio/processes for Sustainable Environment and Clean Energy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Indoor Air Quality of Public Places in Mumbai, India in Terms of Volatile Organic Compounds

Indoor air quality at nine locations viz. food courts, restaurant, bar, conference room, office and theater, which can be classified as public places have been monitored for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) content. Forty VOCs have been identified and one fourth of these are classified as Hazardous Air Pollutants. Levels of most VOCs are observed to be below the guideline values for public places and offices, as adopted by Hong Kong. Consumer goods are found to be predominant source of chlorinated VOCs in indoor air. Levels of benzene and carbon tetrachlorides were observed to be above the guideline values at all the locations. Effect of ozonisation on Total VOC concentrations have also been studied.     

Emissions of VOCs at Urban Petrol Retail Distribution Centres in India (Delhi and Mumbai)

Air pollution has assumed gigantic proportion killing almost half a million Asians every year. Urban pollution mainly comprises of emissions from buses, trucks, motorcycle other forms of motorized transport and its supporting activities. As Asia's cities continue to expand the number of vehicles have risen resulting in greater pollution. Fugitive emissions from retail distribution center in urban area constitute a major source. Petrol vapours escape during refueling adding pollutants like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene to ambient air. This paper discusses a study on fugitive emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) at some refueling station in two metropolitan cities of India, i.e., Mumbai and Delhi. Concentration of VOCs in ambient air at petrol retail distribution center is estimated by using TO-17 method. Concentration of benzene in ambient air in Delhi clearly shows the effect of intervention in use of petroleum and diesel fuel and shift to CNG. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model is used to estimate source contributions. At Delhi besides diesel combustion engines, refueling emissions are also major sources. At Mumbai evaporative emissions are found to contribute maximum to Total VOC (TVOC) concentration in ambient air.     

Developmental Processes, Changing Lifestyle and Traditional Wisdom: Analyses from Western Himalaya

Traditional knowledge and practices are important in prudent resource use and biodiversity conservation. The implications of modernization and changing lifestyle are discussed in the context of agriculture and resource use, the two sectors in which maximum modernization has occurred. The information was gathered through observations and structured interviews over three years (July 1996 to July 1999) of field work in the western Himalaya. It was observed that forest based subsistence agriculture has given way to the market dependant cash crop cultivation. That apart from loss of genetic diversity, has also resulted in the degradation of forests. The use of wild plants in the day-to-day activities has also declined and dependence on high value market products has increased. Currently, wild plants are used only if no other cheap substitute is available in the market or if the use is economically beneficial to the people. Thus, the knowledge gathered through ages of experience is eroding because of the activities geared for short-term economic benefits which, in long run, may not be sustainable.     

Competitive biomethanation using substrates in combination and by cross inoculation

Summary Quantitative studies on the biomethanation processes using a different biomass (goat dung, cow dung, buffalo dung, piggery waste, poultry waste and sewage) alone or in combination have been made. The dung samples have been found to be an efficient producer of biogas at a 1:2 dilution. Better yields of biogas are obtained in combination with other biomasses rather than when used alone. Judicious mixing of biomasses, however, is important. Competitive biomethanation of a biomass by other biomasses as a source for a wild population of microbes has been studied in vials using a cross-inoculation technique, i.e. using inoculum of one biomass on different sterile biomasses. The results show that the microbes are very specific and usually non-adaptive. Each inoculum outclasses others in using its natural biomass for methanation but reacts poorly when inoculated to other alien biomasses. Buffalo dung is to some extent adaptive in nature.Professor S.C. Lahiri is the senior author of this paper and he is ex-Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kalyani where Nilanjan Chakravorty is a research fellow. Dr G.M. Sarkar is a senior lecturer in the Department of Botany at Ranaghat College, Ranaghat, Nadia, West Bengal, India.     

Diversity of corals and benthic algae across the shallow-water reefs of Andaman Islands: managing the valuable ecosystems

The Andaman Islands characterize one of the relatively unexplored coral reef zones of the Indian subcontinent. A few benthic biodiversity studies have been carried out to date, but several coral and algal species still remain to be evaluated in terms of their abundance, vigour and conservation priority. In absence of a comprehensive, reliable dataset, inter-relationships between anthropogenic impacts and climate alterations with the coral reefs cannot be assessed authentically. This paper addresses the coupled themes of biodiversity and reef management in the Andaman Islands by examining the percentage cover of corals and benthic algae from shallow-water ecosystems across the coasts of Havelock, Neil, Ross, Jolly Buoy Islands and Chidiyatapu beach proximal to Port Blair. Four major reef types were observed: coral-dominated, algae-dominated, neutral setting and algae overgrowing dead reefs. Jolly Buoy Island had the highest percentage cover of scleractinian corals and crustose coralline algae. Turf algae were most abundant at the Ross Island, while other macroalgae showed highest abundance at Chidiyatapu. Overall species diversity values for corals and algae were highest at the Jolly Buoy and Chidiyatapu, respectively. Given that corals and algae are critical reef components, management paradigms must consider the abundance and frequency of both these biogenic entities in the seascape. The needs, expectations and objectives of the people dependent on coral reef ecosystems also need to be considered. Long-term monitoring is imperative in understanding the natural typology of reefs and managing the possible algal encroachments. Refined management efforts that include greater thrust on development of marine protected areas and reserves; establishment of connectivity between various coral ecosystems of the region; control of invasive algae; and increasing awareness among the local people as well as tourists will ensure continued support of ecosystem to maintain healthy reefs. Collectively, the results are used to promote some strategies to conserve the Andaman coral reefs and cope with the detrimental anthropogenic and climate changes in these coastal habitats.     

Seasonal variations in species composition,abundance, biomass and production rate of tintinnids (Ciliata: Protozoa) along the Hooghly (Ganges) River Estuary,India: a multivariate approach

The study is the first documentation of seasonal variations in species composition, abundance and diversity of tintinnid (Ciliata: Protozoa), in relation to water quality parameters along the stretch of the Hooghly (Ganges) River Estuary (HRE), eastern coastal part of India. A total of 26 species (22 agglomerated and 4 non-agglomerated) belonging to 8 genera has been identified from 8 study sites where Tintinnopsis (17 species) represented the most dominant genera, contributing up to 65 % of total tintinnid community followed by Tintinnidium (2 species), Leprotintinnus (2 species) and Dadayiella, Favella, Metacylis, Eutintinnus and Helicostomella (each with solitary species). The maximum (1,666 ind.?l^?1) and minimum (62 ind.?l^?1) abundance of tintinnids was recorded during post-monsoon and monsoon, respectively. A distinct seasonal dynamics in terms of biomass (0.005–2.465 μg C l^?1) and daily production rate (0.04–3.13 μg C l^?1 day^?1) was also noticed, accounting highest value during pre-monsoon. Chlorophyll a and nitrate were found to be potential causative factors for the seasonal variations of tintinnids as revealed by a stepwise multiple regression model. The result of ANOVA showed a significant variation between species abundance and months (F?=?2.36, P?≤?0.05). k-dominance curves were plotted to determine the comparison of tintinnid dominance between the investigated stations. Based on a principal component analysis (PCA), three main groups were delineated with tintinnid ciliates and environmental parameters. The changes in lorica morphology in terms of temperature and salinity, recorded for three dominant species, provided information on the ecological characteristics of the species assemblage in this estuarine system.     

Trace elements in surface sediments of the Hooghly (Ganges) estuary: distribution and contamination risk assessment

Our objective was to evaluate distribution and accumulation of trace elements (TEs) in surface sediments along the Hooghly (Ganges) River Estuary, India, and to assess the potential risk with view to human health. The TE concentrations (mg kg^?1 dry weight) exhibited a wide range in the following order: Al (31.801 ± 15.943) > Fe (23.337 ± 7584) > Mn (461 ± 147) > S (381 ± 235) > Zn (54 ± 18) > V (43 ± 14) > Cr (39 ± 15) > As (34 ± 15) > Cu (27 ± 11) > Ni (24 ± 9) > Se (17 ± 8) > Co (11 ± 3) > Mo (10 ± 2) > Hg (0.02 ± 0.01). Clay, silt, iron, manganese and sulphur were important for the accumulation of TE in the sediments as confirmed by factor analysis and Pearson correlation. The accumulation and dispersal of TEs were most likely to be governed by both tide-induced processes and anthropogenic inputs from point and non-point sources. Enrichment factor analysis and geoaccumulation index revealed serious contamination of the sediments with Se and As, while comparing the consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), adverse biological effects to benthic fauna might be caused by As, Cu, Ni and Cr. This investigation may serve as a model study and recommends continuous monitoring of As, Se, Cu, Ni and Cr to ascertain that SQGs with respect to acceptable levels of TEs to safeguard geochemical health and ecology in the vicinity of this estuary.     

Alternative amendment for soluble phosphorus removal from poultry litter

Background, aim, and scope  

Alum (aluminum sulfate) is the currently preferred chemical amendment for phosphorus (P) treatment in poultry litter (PL). Aluminum-based drinking-water treatment residuals (Al-WTRs) are the waste by-product of the drinking-water treatment process and have been effectively used to remove P from aqueous solutions, but their effectiveness in PL water extracts has not been studied in detail. Elevated cost associated with alum could be minimized by using the equally effective WTRs to remove soluble P from PL, and they can be obtained at a minimal cost from drinking-water treatment plants.     

Sol-gel-derived transparent metal oxide flexible field effect transistors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - ZnO and ZnO:Al thin films have been successfully synthesized by simple solution processable method at low temperature. Highly crystalline (002)...