Residential solid waste generation and classification study of ten headquarter cities of Azad Jammu & Kashmir,Pakistan

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Effective municipal solid waste collection and disposal system is not possible without reliable solid waste generation and classification data...     

Elimination of Cs+ from aquatic systems by an adsorbent prepared by immobilization of potassium copper hexacyanoferrate on the SBA-15 surface: kinetic,thermodynamic, and isotherm studies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - For elimination of cesium from aqueous solutions, mesoporous SBA-15 was synthesized and employed as the support for immobilization of potassium copper...     

Health risk assessment of potentially harmful elements and dietary minerals from vegetables irrigated with untreated wastewater,Pakistan

In the developing world, vegetables are commonly grown in suburban areas irrigated with untreated wastewater containing potentially harmful elements (PHEs). In Pakistan, there is no published work on the bioaccessibility aspect of PHEs and dietary minerals (DMs) in sewage-irrigated soil or the vegetables grown on such soils in Pakistan. Several industrial districts of Pakistan were selected for assessment of the risk associated with the ingestion of vegetables grown over sewage-irrigated soils. Both the total and bioaccessible fraction of PHEs (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, and Pb) and DMs (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, Ca, Mg, and I) in soils and vegetable samples were measured. The concentrations of these PHEs and DMs in sewage-irrigated and control soils were below published upper threshold limits. However, compared to control soils, sewage irrigation over the years decreased soil pH (7.7 vs 8.1) and enhanced dissolved organic carbon (1.8 vs 0.8 %), which could enhance the phyto-availability of PHEs and DMs to crops. Of the PHEs and DMs, the highest transfer factor (soil to plant) was noted for Cd and Ca, respectively. Concentrations of PHEs in most of the sewage-irrigated vegetables were below the published upper threshold limits, except for Cd in the fruiting portion of eggplant and bell pepper (0.06–0.08 mg/kg Cd, dry weight) at three locations in Gujarat and Kasur districts. The bioaccessible fraction of PHEs can reduce the context of dietary intake measurements compared to total concentrations, but differences between both measurements were not significant for Cd. Since the soils of the sampled districts are not overly contaminated compared to control sites, vegetables grown over sewage-irrigated soils would provide an opportunity to harvest mineral-rich vegetables potentially providing consumers 62, 60, 12, 104, and 63 % higher dietary intake of Cu, Mn, Zn, Ca, and Mg, respectively. Based on Fe and vanadium correlations in vegetables, it is inferred that a significant proportion of total dietary Fe intake could be contributed by soil particles adhered to the consumable portion of vegetables. Faecal sterol ratios were used to identify and distinguish the source of faecal contamination in soils from Gujranwala, Gujarat, and Lahore districts, confirming the presence of human-derived sewage biomarkers at different stages of environmental alteration. A strong correlation of some metals with soil organic matter concentration was observed, but none with sewage biomarkers.     

The effect of greenhouse vegetation coverage and area on the performance of an earth-to-air heat exchanger for heating and cooling modes

The underground temperature at a depth of about 3–4 m is almost constant all the year round. In summer, the underground temperature is lower than the ambient temperature, but in winter it is vice versa. This potentiality is considered for greenhouse cooling and heating by using an earth-to-air heat exchanger (EAHE). This paper considers the effects of two parameters as independent variables including the area of greenhouse and the percentage of vegetation coverage inside the greenhouse on the performance of an EAHE system during both cooling and heating modes. The inside temperature, the thermal energy exchange and the coefficient of performance (COP) of the system were considered as dependent variables. The results showed that both greenhouse area and the percentage of vegetation coverage inside the greenhouse had significant effects on the performance of the EAHE system during both cooling and heating modes. However, the COP of the EAHE system was higher in the cooling mode (4.32) than during the heating mode (1.01). The percentage of vegetation coverage negatively affected the performance of the EAHE system in the cooling mode. However, the performance of the EAHE system improved with the increase in the percentage of vegetation coverage during the heating mode.     

Relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and anthropometric indices among bus drivers in Zahedan city

Introduction. Most work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are associated with improper postures and poorly designed workstations. This study is an attempt to examine the prevalence and severity of MSDs as well as anthropometric dimensions among city bus drivers. Methodology. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 60 male bus drivers. A body discomfort chart was used to evaluate MSDs. Spearman correlation was employed to examine the relationship between body size and the severity of discomfort. Results. Data analysis showed that discomfort reported in the lower back (33.3%), upper back (18.3%) and knee (15%) was severe and there was a direct and significant correlation between the body mass index and the severity of discomfort in the shoulder, arm and hip (p?p?Conclusion. The results of the study can be used to address ergonomic risk factors and reduce their associated disorders. The findings of the study can be used in training programs to educate drivers how to decrease the risk associated with work-related MSDs by adopting appropriate behavior strategies.     

Study of heavy metals in some environmental samples

Fuels like coal and rubber are frequently used for brick burning. However, both coal and rubber contain heavy metals. These heavy metals may elutriate in the wake of fly ash or may adsorb or absorb in the product. The present work deals with the analysis of heavy metals in some samples collected from brick burning industries located in the vicinity of a metropolitan city, Peshawar, Pakistan. Samples from raw clay, product, chimney scale and fossil fuel & rubber were collected and leached with acid mixture. The leachates were concentrated and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer for the determination of chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and antimony (Sb). It was observed that heavy metals are present in clay, brick and chimney scale. However, significant amount of these metals was observed in chimney scale. It is inferred that such emanations laden with heavy metals are accompanying the stack gases which are being dumped in to the environment. In order to avoid environmental problems, strict environmental regulations shall be enforced and a constant check on these emanations to the environment must be made to ensure clean air act.     

Climate change adaptation through local knowledge in the north eastern region of Bangladesh

Climate change adaptation in the low laying developing countries is becoming crucial at the present time. However, the local knowledge regarding climate change adaptation is not well focused. This study evaluates climate related perception and identifying various adaptation strategies in the low lying areas of North-Eastern Bangladesh. Six focus group discussions and 120 households?? survey were carried out to identify the major climate events in our study areas which were temperature change, drought, heavy rainfall and cyclone and storm surges. Furthermore, main livelihood problems arising from these events were lack of fish availability, scarcity of water in drought seasons and frequent flood in the rainy seasons. Results also revealed that a little portion (10%) of the respondents had well knowledge about the present climate change. However, seasonal livelihood and hazard calendar demonstrated that local people were increasingly changing their livelihood status with changing climatic hazards. At that situation local people tried to adapt themselves with the changing climate through changing their own behavior and introducing some adaptation strategies. We recognized total 16 adaptive measures in the study areas within which crop diversification, floating garden, duck rearing, cage aquaculture, wave protection walls, re-digging of canal and construction of embankments were popular. The present study revealed that local experiences in the face of climate change adaptation have merits which need special consideration. Continuous research and more incentives required for proper documentation and relegate the local adaptation knowledge in the tropic.     

Migration of VOC Plume in the Subsurface Domain at the Y‐12 National Security Site

During the production of thermonuclear fusion weapons at the Y‐12 National Security Complex (Y‐12 NSC) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, between 1950 and 1963, the regional environment was extensively contaminated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Old Salvage Yard (OSY) on the western side of the site has been characterized as the major source of VOCs. In order to analyze the long‐term fate and transport of chlorinated VOC sources, an integrated surface and subsurface flow and transport model was developed for the Y‐12 NSC using the hydrodynamic and transport numerical package MIKE‐SHE. The model was developed considering the recent hydrogeological investigations on preferential flow and transport pathways at the site. The model was calibrated using the recorded groundwater flow and water‐quality data. The modeling simulated migration of the VOC plume for the next 100 years. Considering a range of hydrogeological and transport parameters, uncertainty of the results is discussed. The modeling predicted that tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, and 1,2‐dichloroethene may exceed human health–related risk levels for the next 10 to 20 years. However, the contamination is unlikely to migrate to surface water under the current hydrogeological conditions and will decay below acceptable risk levels within approximately 20 years. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Determination trace amounts of copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese ions in water samples after simultaneous separation and preconcentration

In the present article, a simple, rapid, sensitive and economical method has been developed for the simultaneous separation and preconcentration of the trace amounts of copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese in water samples by using modified XAD-4 resins. The sorption was quantitative in the pH range 6.0–9.0, whereas quantitative desorption occurred instantaneously with 5.0 mL of 2 M HNO₃, and selected elements have been determined by using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Dynamic ranges were 0.04–3.5, 0.1–6.0, 0.04–4.5 and 0.04–4.0 μg/mL for copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese, respectively. The detection limits were 9.2, 28.6, 12.3 and 5.7 ng/mL for Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Mn(II), respectively. The effects of the experimental parameters, including the sample pH, eluent type, interference ions and breakthrough volume, were studied for separation and preconcentration of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Mn(II) ions. Determination of these ions in standard samples confirmed that the proposed method has good accuracy. The proposed method was used for the determination of these ions in water samples.     

DECLINING POTENTIOMETRIC LEVELS IN FORT WALTON BEACH AREA,FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: The Fort Walton Beach area is presently faced with an excessive drawdown of the potentiometric level in the upper Floridan aquifer. Based on available data, the potentiometric level in the Floridan aquifer has dropped 162 feet since 1936. This declining potentiometric level can lead to problems and possible loss of the natural resource on a long-term basis. However, if corrective measures or programs for proper management of groundwater resources are undertaken at this time, the potential problems may be averted.