The brighter side of e-waste—a rich secondary source of metal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This article details the electronic waste (e-waste) generation, their composition, health, and environment hazards, and legal rules for disposal as...     

Investigation of pesticide residues in water,sediments and fish samples from Tapi River,India as a case study and its forensic significance

Abstract

This research is a case study on detection of pesticides in river water, sediment as well as fish samples from Tapi River, among the major rivers of Gujarat, India. To investigate the misuse, concentration level and occurrence patterns of persistent pesticides, samples were collected from the river. Chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and endosulfan were analyzed by gas chromatography technique with flame ionization detector (FID). Scanty reports are available, but after 1999, no such data are reported as some of these pesticides have been banned. Although these pesticides are still in use which we observed from the obtained results. In this river, the amount of endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, and methyl parathion was observed in surface water with concentrations of 37.56?µg/L, 0.86?µg/L and 0.43?µg/L, respectively. Endosulfan, DDT and methyl parathion detected in sediment were 38.38?ng/g, 0.65?ng/g and 0.77?ng/g, respectively. In fish samples, levels of endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, and methyl parathion detected were 101.28, 0.392, and 3.49?ng/g correspondingly. Results showed that highly toxic pesticides are still being used in the surrounding area, and there is an urgent need for enforcement of rules to control the production and application of such pesticides.     

Selection and development of efficient consortia for decolorization of metal complex dyes

Decolorization of 18 different metal complex acid dyes was studied with 11 bacterial consortia. Five consortia and five dyes were selected on the basis of maximum decolorization. Among the parameters for optimization, nutrient broth was preferred by all bacterial consortia but one of them showed significant decolorization with Bushnell and Haas medium with or without glucose and yeast extract; hence, this consortium was selected for further studies. Decolorization efficiency was adversely affected beyond 200 mg/L dye and 2% NaCl concentration. Treatment efficiency was increased 2-fold using a developed consortium as compared to original consortium. Changes in the UV-Vis spectra and considerable reduction in chemical oxygen demand of selected metal complex dyes after decolorization prove the efficiency of the consortium for its use. Decolorization of a broad range of metal complex dyes at pH 7.5 ± 0.5, 35 ± 2 °C, and static conditions promises the use of the developed consortium for industrial wastewater treatment.