Distribution of heavy metals in water and sediments of selected sites of Yamuna river (India)

The concentration of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn metals in water and sediments of Yamuna river were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the year 1981. The data showed that there was considerable variation in the concentration of elements from one sampling station to the other which may be due to the variation in the quality of industrial and sewage wasters being added to the river at different sampling stations. The sediment samples collected from different sampling stations were also analysed for calcium carbonate, organic matter, potassium, and phosphorus.     

Determination of radioactive elements and heavy metals in sediments and soil from domestic water sources in northern peninsular Malaysia

Soil serves as a major reservoir for contaminants as it posseses an ability to bind various chemicals together. To safeguard the members of the public from an unwanted exposure, studies were conducted on the sediments and soil from water bodies that form the major sources of domestic water supply in northern peninsular Malaysia for their trace element concentration levels. Neutron Activation Analysis, using Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) located at the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Zaria, Nigeria was employed as the analytical tool. The elements identified in major quantities include Na, K, and Fe while As, Br, Cr, U, Th, Eu, Cs, Co, La, Sm, Yb, Sc, Zn, Rb, Ba, Lu, Hf, Ta, and Sb were also identified in trace quantities. Gamma spectroscopy was also employed to analyze some soil samples from the same area. The results indicated safe levels in terms of the radium equivalent activity, external hazard index as well as the mean external exposure dose rates from the soil. The overall screening of the domestic water sources with relatively high heavy metals concentration values in sediments and high activity concentration values in soil is strongly recommended as their accumulation overtime as a consequence of leaching into the water may be of health concern to the members of the public.     

Efficient DDT and trichlorophenol detoxification using NaBH4 and Devarda alloy

DDT—1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane—is a pesticide that has been widely used to control insects in agriculture. TCP—2,4,6-trichlorophenol—has been used in pesticide formulations as a preservative, disinfectant and antiseptic. Detoxification of DDT and TCP is very difficult due to their stable chemical structure. Here, a mixture of NaBH₄ and Devarda alloy was applied for the first time to detoxify DDT and TCP. Results show 94 % dechlorination of DDT at 100 °C and 97 % dechlorination of TCP at 80 °C. The presence of diphenyl ethane suggests the complete dechlorination of DDT. The formation of benzene suggests a strong reduction. The method is efficient, cost-effective and may be applied at the industrial-level.     

Emergency preparedness through game playing

The lack of emergency preparedness in Mauritius has been the cause of many tragedies. Our approach to tackle this problem was by developing an emergency preparedness game layered and fused with a disaster warning and guidance system that emanates clarity to the unfathomable bearings of emergencies and natural disasters. The emergency preparedness game is based on a selection of diverse real life-threatening difficulties that entail different strategies aimed at bettering the survival instincts of users. It uses story-telling scenarios along with in-game footnotes that yield directives on how to brave fierce and unpredictable calamities. The game reinforces a sense of self-composedness and suppressing untimely fears of users in horrendous circumstances. With regard to the warning system, it unremittingly feeds users with notifications during emergencies, that encases shortest escape routes to lead them to safe locations via a fully functional GPS map. This application brings some novelties that are virtually non-existent in related applications. For instance, this application includes a warning and guidance system, a 3D scenario game to prepare its users for disasters, an interactive survival toolkit selection, an SMS rescue feature and a mass notification system via the web.     

Bioremediation of tannery effluent by Cr- and salt-tolerant bacterial strains

Microorganisms have great potential to control environmental pollution, particularly industrial sources of water pollution. Currently, leather industry is regarded as the most polluting and suffering from negative impacts due to the pollution it adds to the environment. Chromium, one of the hazardous pollutants discharged from tanneries, is highly toxic and carcinogenic in nature. Effective treatment of tannery effluent is a dire need of the era as a part of environmental management. Among all the wastewater treatment technologies, bioremediation is the most effective and environment-friendly tool to manage the water pollution. The present study evaluated the potential of 11 previously isolated bacterial strains, tolerant to high concentrations of salts and Cr for the bioremediation of tannery effluent. Among all the tested strains, Enterobacter sp. HU38, Microbacterium arborescens HU33, and Pantoea stewartii ASI11 were found most effective in reducing biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), and chromium (Cr) 70, 63, 57, 87, and 54%, respectively, of tannery effluent and proliferated well under highly toxic conditions, at 9 days of incubation. The pollutant removal efficacy of these bacterial strains can be improved by extending the incubation period or by increasing the amount of inoculum.     

The individual and cumulative effect of brominated flame retardant and polyvinylchloride (PVC) on thermal degradation of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers without and with a polybrominated epoxy type flame retardant were thermally degraded at 450 degrees C alone (10 g) and mixed with polyvinylchloride (PVC) (8 g/2 g). Gaseous and liquid products of degradation were analysed by various gas chromatographic methods (GC with TCD, FID, AED, MSD) in order to determine the individual and cumulative effect of bromine and chlorine on the quality and quantity of degradation compounds. It was found that nitrogen, chlorine, bromine and oxygen are present as organic compounds in liquid products, their quantity depends on the pyrolysed polymer or polymer mixture. Bromophenol and dibromophenols were the main brominated compounds that come from the flame retardant. 1-Chloroethylbenzene was the main chlorine compound observed in liquid products. It was also determined that interactions appear at high temperatures during decomposition between the flame retardant, PVC and the ABS copolymer.     

Cattle egrets as a biosentinels of persistent organic pollutants exposure

We investigated selected chlorinated pollutants (β-HCH, γ-HCH, DDDs, DDEs, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin) in the Lahore and the Sialkot districts of Pakistan, using eggs of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) collected during May and June 2007. The pollutant with highest level and frequency was ΣDDT, followed by β-HCH, γ-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin in descending order. The concentration(s) were significantly higher in Sialkot heronry for all the pollutants (except p,p′-DDT) than in Lahore. The values for DDTs, β-HCH, γ-HCH, and heptachlor were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the egg(s) than in sediment(s) and in the chicks’ diet, due to biomagnification. Among DDTs analogues, p,p′-DDD was the major contaminant with >60 % of total DDT burden, reflecting the widespread aged as well as recent use of DDT as well as anaerobic degradation (DDD/DDE > 1 in many cases) in the nearby paddy soils. In few samples, p,p′-DDT/(DDD + DDE) > 0.5 suggested the recent emission patterns from surrounding contaminated areas of demolished DDT units and obsolete pesticide stores. The higher levels of HCHs (i.e., β-HCH) in the samples collected from Sialkot indicate exposure from long-term agricultural use. Overall, concentrations of all studied POPs were less than the threshold levels known to affect reproduction. Nevertheless, total DDTs and/or HCHs burdens in some eggs contained concentrations of greater than what would educe adverse effects on birds. This is among few studies on OCPs exposure to avian species, which provide the evidence of Pakistan’s contribution toward the Global POPs emission.     

High dechlorination of PCBs catalysed by carbon under mild conditions

This article reports high dechlorination of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) under mild conditions. PCBs are priority pollutants acting as endocrine disruptors, human carcinogens and environmental estrogens. Previous remediation methods involving high temperature and pressure have drawbacks such as high cost, de novo dioxins synthesis and difficult recovery of vaporized PCBs. On the other hand, dechlorination methods using mild conditions show the problem of catalyst deactivation. Here, activated carbon was used for the first time as catalyst to dechlorinate 2,4,5 trichlorobiphenyl. High dechlorination, of 87%, was achieved under mild conditions. 2,4,5 trichlorobiphenyl was treated at 40–150°C with calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and sulfur in mixed water and organic solvents. Dechlorination products were biphenyl, orthohydroxy biphenyls, 2,4 dihydroxy biphenyls and biphenyl-2-thiol. Dichlorobiphenyl and orthochlorobiphenyls were found in trace quantities. We found that carbon particles catalysed dechlorination by substitution reactions and suppressed further chlorination. Dechlorination at biphenyl ortho position was preceded by substitution reaction by hydroxyl and thiol ions. Moreover, in the absence of carbon, dechlorination was lower and substituted products were not observed. These findings may be applied at industrial scale to remediate PCB-contaminated waste.     

The challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution through energy sources: evidence from a panel of developed countries

The objective of the study is to investigate the long-run relationship between climatic factors (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural methane emissions, and industrial nitrous oxide emission), air pollution (i.e., carbon dioxide emissions), and energy sources (i.e., nuclear energy; oil, gas, and coal energy; and fossil fuel energy) in the panel of 35 developed countries (including EU-15, new EU member states, G-7, and other countries) over a period of 1975–2012. In order to achieve this objective, the present study uses sophisticated panel econometric techniques including panel cointegration, panel fully modified OLS (FMOLS), and dynamic OLS (DOLS). The results show that there is a long-run relationship between the variables. Nuclear energy reduces greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; however, the other emissions, i.e., agricultural methane emissions and industrial nitrous oxide, are still to increase during the study period. Electricity production from oil, gas, and coal sources increases the greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; however, the intensity to increase emissions is far less than the intensity to increase emissions through fossil fuel. Policies that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases can simultaneously alter emissions of conventional pollutants that have deleterious effects on human health and the environment.