Sub-Surface Investigations on Deep Saline Groundwater of Charnockite Rock Formation, Kalpakkam, India

Investigations on geohydrological aspects of coastal aquifer are important in order to understand the mechanism of ground water salinisation. The present study describes the salinity variations of ground water in deep boreholes drilled in Charnockite rock formation of Kalpakkam, on the eastern coast of India. Water samples collected up to 600m depth were analyzed for salinity variation. It is noticed that in one of the boreholes, (borehole K1), the salinity level is found to be 74 parts per thousand (ppt) at 400 m depth. Influence of surface saline water bodies viz., sea (26-28.5 ppt), backwaters (27-30 pt) and Buckingham canal (27-32 ppt) as the possible sources of recharge of fresh waters through joint and fracture system of the rock are discussed in this paper. Studies would assist in understanding the geohydrological characteristics of deep geological formation.     

Nano CuO/g-C3N4 sheets-based ultrafiltration membrane with enhanced interfacial affinity, antifouling and protein separation performances for water treatment application

To improve the interfacial affinity and antifouling properties of polyphenylsulfone(PPSU)membrane, nano CuO/g-C3 N4(g-CN) sheets were synthesized via facile calcination route as one pot synthesis method. The uniformly assembled nanohybrid fillers, CuO on g-CN sheets were confirmed by using XRD, TEM, EDX and FTIR analysis. The non-solvent induced phase inversion technique was used to fabricate the nanohybrid ultrafiltration(UF)membranes by doping different concentration(0.5–1 wt.%) of nano CuO/g-C_3 N_4(g-CN)sheets within the PPSU matrix. The results of contact angle, atomic force microscopy,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal that surface structure and physico-chemical properties of nanohybrid membrane plays lead role in solute interaction and rejection compared to bare membrane, M0. Furthermore, the interfacial affinity of membrane was explored in detail via surface free energy, spreading coefficient, wetting tension and reversible work of adhesion analysis. Nanohybrid UF membrane, with 0.5% of the filler(M1)displayed remarkable permeation flux of 202, 131 L/m2/hr for pure water and protein solution, respectively while maintaining a high protein rejection(96%). Moreover, the exceptional dispersion of the nanosheets in the polymer matrix enhanced FRR(79%) and decreased the overall resistance of M1 compared to the pristine membrane(M0). Overall results suggest that the incorporation of nano sheets is a facile modification technique which improves the comprehensive membrane performance and holds a great potential to be further explored for water treatment.     

Safety of 0.5% hydrogen peroxide mist used in the disinfection gateway for COVID-19

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a reactive chemical used in a wide range of applications. Most importantly, it is used for sterilization process in health...