Catalytic degradation of toxic organic dye using an aluminum-doped Cu0.4Zn0.6-xAlxFe2O4 (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) spinel ferrite in a photo-Fenton system

Catalytic activity of spinel ferrite in breaking down toxic dye materials are promising due to their uniqueness. In this study, aluminum-doped copper zinc ferrite, Cu_0.4Zn_0.6-xAl_xFe₂O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6), a catalyst for toxic dye degradation is synthesized through chemical co-precipitation route. The formation of the spinel ferrite catalyst is initially confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra, which shows the frequency of metal-oxygen bond vibration at 539 and 427 cm⁻¹ attributed to the tetrahedral and octahedral sites respectively. Higher intensity sharp peak of X-ray diffraction for (311) plane is the evidence for the phase purity and the formation of spinel ferrite. The crystallite size is found to decrease with the increase of Al³⁺ ion. The surface structure of the obtained particles is investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Analyses of the material's magnetic characteristics using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed that it is, in fact, a soft magnet, as evidenced by the loop of its hysteresis, which is narrow. The catalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under the mechanism of the photo-Fenton process is studied with the obtained spinel ferrites and the result is found to be as high as 96.5%. The process follows pseudo-second order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm.     

Formation of Soluble Complexes of Metals with Humic Acid and Its Environmental Significance

In order to investigate the role of functional groups present in humic acid(s) (HA) during complex formation, water soluble complexes between HA isolated from soil and metals (Pb, Ca, As, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn, Mg and Zn) were prepared and subjected to infrared (IR) spectroscopy. the IR data revealed the involvement of the - OH group of humic acid in complex formation with all metals except copper and arsenic, whereas the - COOH group of HA was found to be the preferred site of binding for all the metals. the significance of findings in relation to detoxification of environmental pollutants is discussed in this paper.     

Effect of Humic Acid on the Bioavailability of γ-Hexachlorocyclohexane in Marsilea Minuta (L.)

Effect of various concentrations of humic acid (0.2 to 1%) on thebioavailability of -HCH in vegetative clones of theaquatic fern Marsilea minuta was studied in a staticexperimental bioassay system on different photoperiods. Additionof humic acid showed the reduction in the bioavailability of-HCH in all the photoperiods (72 hr light to 144 hrlight) at the interval of 16 hr light (L) and 8 hr dark (D) inboth aerial and submerged portion as compared to controlindicating its protective role in toxicity.     

Seasonal variations of heavy metal contamination in river Gomti of Lucknow city region

The present study deals with the seasonal variations in the concentrations of heavy metals namely chromium, lead and mercury by using spectrophotometric methods. The water samples were collected at regular intervals from five selected sites of river Gomti in the pre-monsoon period (months of February-May) and the post monsoon period (months of October-January). The concentrations of chromium (VI) and mercury (II) were determined by using Genesys-10 UV-VIS Spectrophotometer while lead (II) concentrations were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Perkin-Elmer 5000 model. The concentrations of all the three metals were found to be higher in the pre-monsoon period than in the post-monsoon period. The statistical analysis of the data was discussed in both the seasons in terms of mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation.     

Techno-economic evaluation of ultrasound and thermal pretreatments for enhanced anaerobic digestion of municipal waste activated sludge

To enhance the anaerobic digestion of municipal waste-activated sludge (WAS), ultrasound, thermal, and ultrasound + thermal (combined) pretreatments were conducted using three ultrasound specific energy inputs (1000, 5000, and 10,000 kJ/kg TSS) and three thermal pretreatment temperatures (50, 70 and 90 °C). Prior to anaerobic digestion, combined pretreatments significantly improved volatile suspended solid (VSS) reduction by 29-38%. The largest increase in methane production (30%) was observed after 30 min of 90 °C pretreatment followed by 10,000 kJ/kg TSS ultrasound pretreatment. Combined pretreatments improved the dimethyl sulfide (DMS) removal efficiency by 42-72% but did not show any further improvement in hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) removal when compared with ultrasound and thermal pretreatments alone. Economic analysis showed that combined pretreatments with 1000 kJ/kg TSS specific energy and differing thermal pretreatments (50-90 °C) can reduce operating costs by $44-66/ton dry solid when compared to conventional anaerobic digestion without pretreatments.     

Nanosystems for drug delivery of coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant present in the human body. Coenzyme Q10 has an essential role in various biochemical reactions. The deficiency of coenzyme Q10 in the body leads to disorders including neurological degeneration, ageing and cancer. Clinical trials have tested coenzyme Q10 as a drug or a dietary supplement. However, the major pharmaceutical issue of coenzyme Q10 delivery is its high molecular weight and poor water solubility. This limitation leads to its poor oral bioavailability. Several methods have been designed to overcome the poor water solubility of coenzyme Q10, such as size reduction and ionization. This article presents nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for coenzyme Q10 with special emphasis on pharmacokinetic perspectives and clinical relevance. Systems include nanoparticles, solid dispersions, liposomes, nanoemulsions, self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, nanostructured lipid carriers, cyclodextrins and nanocapsules.     

Diversity,endemism and economic potential of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya

SUMMARY

The rich plant diversity of the Indian Himalaya is utilized by the native communities in various forms as medicine, edible/food, fodder, fuel, timber, agricultural tools, etc. Among these, wild edible plants form an important source as a supplement/substitute food in times of scarcity for native communities. Because land holdings are small and subsistence agriculture prevails, the natives gather many wild plants for food. This paper presents an inventory of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya used by local communities. Over 675 wild plant species, representing 384 genera and 149 families, are used as food/edible and their various parts are either consumed raw, roasted, boiled, fried, cooked or in the form of oil, spice, seasoning material, jams, pickles, etc. The species were analysed for diversity in different phytogeographical provinces, altitudinal distribution, endemism, origin and potentials. West Himalaya shows the highest diversity (50.96%) of edible plants and East Himalaya the maximum number of endemics (18 taxa) and wild relatives of economic plants (39 taxa). Mass scale propagation, dissemination of information packages to local inhabitants to ensure that wild edibles remain as a resource for income generation, and strategies for conservation and management are recommended.     

Climate change adaptation in the urban planning and design research: missing links and research agenda

This paper investigates the extent and the nature of how the urban planning literature has addressed climate change adaptation. It presents a longitudinal study of 157 peer-reviewed articles published from 2000 to 2013 in the leading urban planning and design journals whose selection considered earlier empirical studies that ranked them these journals. The findings reveal that the years 2006–07 represent a turning point, after which climate change studies appear more prominently and consistently in the urban planning and design literature; however, the majority of these studies address climate change mitigation rather than adaptation. Most adaptation studies deal with governance, social learning, and vulnerability assessments, while paying little attention to physical planning and urban design interventions. This paper identifies four gaps that pertain to the lack of interdisciplinary linkages, the absence of knowledge transfer, the presence of scale conflict, and the dearth of participatory research methods. It then advocates for the advancement of participatory and collaborative action research to meet the multifaceted challenges of climate change.     

On force consideration in coupled ISPH framework for sediment transport in presence of free-surface flow

A coupled divergence-free Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (ISPH) framework for sediment transport is extended for application in generalized free-surface flow situations. The computation of interaction force pair between pure fluid and sediment modules makes the model flexible enough to be applicable for diverse scenarios with variable resolutions. Three scenarios are included to quantify the contribution of individual components in the force pair. First two scenarios with rapid free-surface variation highlight the effect of fluid pressure gradient on granular flow. The third scenario with minimal free-surface variation considers bed movement under a horizontal marine pipeline for a prolonged time period. The framework can simulate sediment transport for generalized problems with slowly/rapidly varying free-surface flow conditions.     

Semi-analytical study on environmental dispersion of settling particles in a width-independent wetland flow

Environmental Fluid Mechanics - Predicting the evolution of environmental dispersion of settling particles in wetland flows has a wide range of applications in ecological engineering. In the...