Synthesis and Evaluation of Mechanical Property of Chitosan/PVP Blend Through Nanoindentation-A Nanoscale Study

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Biocompatible chitosan/PVP blends of different weight ratios were prepared by the solution casting method. The blends were characterized for morphology,...     

Dust events and their influence on aerosol optical properties over Jaipur in Northwestern India

In this study, we systematically document the link between dust episodes and local scale regional aerosol optical properties over Jaipur located in the vicinity of Thar Desert in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. The seasonal variation of AOT_{500 nm} (aerosol optical thickness) shows high values (0.51?±?0.18) during pre-monsoon (dust dominant) season while low values (0.36?±?0.14) are exhibited during winter. The Ångström wavelength exponent has been found to exhibit low value (<0.25) indicating relative dominance of coarse-mode particles during pre-monsoon season. The AOT increased from 0.36 (April_mean) to 0.575 (May–June_mean). Consequently, volume concentration range increases from April through May–June followed by a sharp decline in July during the first active phase of the monsoon. Significantly high dust storms were observed over Jaipur as indicated by high values of single scattering albedo (SSA_{440 nm}?=?0.89, SSA_{675 nm}?=?0.95, SSA_{870 nm}?=?0.97, SSA_{1,020 nm}?=?0.976) than the previously reported values over IGP region sites. The larger SSA values (more scattering aerosol), especially at longer wavelengths, is due to the abundant dust loading, and is attributed to the measurement site’s proximity to the Thar Desert. The mean and standard deviation in SSA and asymmetry parameter during pre-monsoon season over Jaipur is 0.938?±?0.023 and 0.712?±?0.017 at 675 nm wavelength, respectively. Back-trajectory air mass simulations suggest Thar Desert in northwestern India as the primary source of high aerosols dust loading over Jaipur region as well as contribution by long-range transport from the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East gulf regions, during pre-monsoon season.     

Estimation and allocation of solid waste to bin through geographical information systems.

This study presents a geographical information system (GIS)-based procedure for the precise estimation of solid waste generation, computed using the local population density and income group distribution. Using a triangulated irregular network (TIN) in a GIS environment, the procedure further determines the command area for waste allocation to a particular bin which is generally located so the route slopes towards the collection points for ease of transportation by cart pullers. Computational results of bin location, type, size and the frequency of removal are presented for a typical urban area with known population density, income group distribution, road network and topology.     

Identification and leaching characteristics of sludge generated from metal pickling and electroplating industries by Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP)

One of India's major concerns is the increasing level of land pollution largely due to the uncontrolled disposal of industrialsolid and hazardous waste. With rapid industrialization, thegeneration of industrial solid and hazardous waste has increasedappreciably and the nature of waste generated has become complex.Their impacts on the ecological bodies are noticeable. The article describes the details of studies conducted using Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure, to estimate the toxicity effects of the metals viz., chromium, zinc, manganese,iron, nickel, cobalt and copper by the Zero Headspace Extractorfor the sludges generated from effluent treatment plant of steeltube, wire and plating industries on environment constituentslike groundwater, surface water and land. Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure determines the mobility of organic and inorganic analytes of liquid, solid or multiphase waste from hazardous solid wastes in the form of primary and secondary extracts. These extracts are mixed in equal volumeproportion and analyzed by Direct Reading 2000 spectrophotometer.The amount of heavy metals observed during the studies in theleachates were found and the results were compared with HazardousWaste categories as per Indian Standards, TCLP regulatory limitsgiven by United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) andGermany Leachate Quality Standards and it was observed that theywere on higher side, needing a proper preventive concept of sludge management including handling, treatment, recovery and disposal.     

Assessment of water quality using cluster analysis in coastal region of Mumbai, India

The coastal water quality of Mumbai is deteriorating due to various point and non-point wastewater sources. Hence, it is desirable to monitor coastal water quality for various water-related activities like bathing, contact water sports, recreation, and commercial fishing. The objective of this paper is to assess the seasonal water quality on the basis of seawater standards. Based on water-quality analysis of 17 seafronts and beaches, most of the parameters were exceeding the standards. The statistical cluster analysis was carried out for evaluating impact of wastewater and sewage discharges. The hierarchical cluster analysis resulted into three clustered groups, namely less polluted, moderately polluted, and highly polluted sites with similar characteristics of water quality. Mahim was found to be worst-affected beach due to incoming organic load from the Mithi river in comparison to other seafronts and beaches. Unaccounted sources of sewage and wastewater should be identified and rerouted through sewerage system by improving collection efficiency, treatment, and proper disposal for achieving designated receiving water quality standards.     

A critical and intensive review on assessment of water quality parameters through geospatial techniques

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Evaluation of water quality is a priority work nowadays. In order to monitor and map, the water quality for a wide range on different scales (spatial,...     

Zeolitic bagasse fly ash as a low-cost sorbent for the sequestration of <Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">p</Emphasis>-nitrophenol: equilibrium,kinetics, and column studies

Purpose  

The purpose of the research is to investigate the application of bagasse fly ash, a sugar industry solid waste for the synthesis of zeolites and their behavior for the sorption of p-nitrophenol (p-NP).     

Mathematical Modeling of Leachates from Ash Ponds of Thermal Power Plants

The present study describes the development of empirical models for the prediction of various trace metals i.e., Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn and Pb found in the leachates generated from the ash ponds of various thermal power plants. The dispersion phenomenon of these trace metals followed first order reaction rate kinetics. The empirical models for individual trace metals derived from the lab scale models data correlate well with the real field data with regression coefficients varying from 0.93 to 0.98. The predicted concentrations of the trace metals varied within ±3% of the observed values in the leachates generated from the ash ponds of four thermal power plants with standard deviation varying from 0.001 to 0.032. The empirical models derived from the study can be applied for prediction of trace metals in leachates generated from similar thermal power plants.     

Hydrodynamic Simulation of River Yamuna for Riverbed Assessment: A Case Study of Delhi Region

A well known river hydrodynamic model RiverCAD has been used to simulate and visualize flood scenarios for different designated flood flows under complex riverbed geometry with several man made structures like bridges and barrages. The model applied successfully for the stretch of 23 km in the Yamuna floodplain of Delhi region from Wazirabad barrage in the upstream to Okhla barrage. Flood flows for various return periods namely once in 10, 25, 50 and 100 years were estimated based on recorded flow data for the period of 1963 to 2003 using standard flood frequency analysis techniques. The simulation results were compared and the model was calibrated with water surface elevation records of the previous floods at various barrage and bridge locations. Simulation results enabled prediction of maximum water levels, submergence scenarios and land availability under different designated flood flows for riverbed assessment, development and management.