Characterization of different road dusts in opencast coal mining areas of India

Dust from haul and transport roads are the major source of air pollution in opencast coal mining areas. Dust generated during mining operations pollutes air which causes different health problems. Various available techniques are implemented in the field to minimize and control dust in mining areas. However, they are not very effective because dust deposited on road surfaces are not removed by these techniques. For effective control of dust in opencast mining areas, it has to be regularly collected from road surfaces and may be converted into solid form, and subsequently can be used as a domestic fuel considering its physicochemical properties. The present paper describes a comparative study of qualitative and quantitative aspects of road dust samples of four coalfields of India. The pH of the dust was found to be in the range of 5.1–7.7. Moisture, ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon, water-holding capacity, bulk density, and specific gravity of dust samples were found to be in the range of 0.5–3.0%, 45–76%, 12.6–20.0%, 10.2–45.3%, 21.17–31.71%, 1.15–1.70, and 1.73–2.30 g cm⁻³, respectively. Observing the overall generation and characteristics of coal dust, it is suggested that coal dust from haul and transport roads of mining areas can be effectively collected and used as domestic fuel.     

Nanotechnology applications and intellectual property rights in agriculture

Nanotechnology research uses specific properties of materials at the nanoscale to develop improved materials, devices, systems and therapeutics. There is a risk of overlapping patent claims and lack of distinction between nano-based and traditional patents due to the interdisciplinary nature of nanotechnology. There is an increasing trend of granted patents. The World Intellectual Property Organization and World Health Organization, regulatory and policy bodies, are working to make a comprehensive property right regulation for nanotechnology products. The USA, the leader of nanotechnology products, has made guidelines to make patent search easier for nano-based products. The European Patent Office has also created a new classification for nano-based inventions. Here we review the status of intellectual property rights protection of nanomaterial, environmental implications and application of nanotechnology in agriculture.     

Sorption and desorption of lindane by wood charcoal in fixed‐bed reactor

Abstract

Sorption and desorption of lindane (y‐HCH) by wood charcoal (WC) and wood charcoal treated by 1N HNO₃ (WCT) in fixed‐bed reactor (FBR) were investigated in this study. WCT revealed a better performance than WC, in removing lindane in FBR. The breakthrough of lindane was significantly affected by the size of WCT, flow rate to the FBR, and depth of WCT bed. The removal of lindane in the presence of mixture of other pesticides was considerably reduced. The design parameters for FBR were calculated based on the bed‐depth service time (BDST) approach. Many parameters Viz. depth of sorption zone, velocity of sorption, sorbent use rate, critical bed‐depth, bed efficiency, and service time, were determined for design of the fixed‐bed. Using the material balance principle, the characteristics of the wave‐front were evaluated and found that the wave‐front velocity is approximately equal to the sorption velocity determined from the BDST approach. Desorption studies were performed in dilute organic solvent media and they gave an excellent performance in regeneration process.     

Alginate modifies the physiological impact of CeO2 nanoparticles in corn seedlings cultivated in soil

Alginates are naturally occurring components of organic matter in natural soil whose effects on nanoparticle （NP） toxicity to plants is not well understood. In the present study, corn plants were grown for one month in soil spiked with 400 mg/kg CeO2 NPs with various alginate concentrations. After one month of growth in the NPs impacted soil, plants were harvested and analyzed for Ce and mineral element concentrations. Chlorophyll concentration and heat shock protein 70, used as biomarkers for oxidative stress, were also evaluated. Results showed that, compared to CeO2 NPs treatment, alginate at 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg increased Ce concentration in roots by approximately 46%, 38%, and 29% and by 115%, 45%, and 56% in shoots, respectively. CeO 2 NPs without alginate increased Mn accumulation in roots by 34% compared to control. CeO2 NPs with low and medium alginate increased Mn by ca. 92% respect to NPs without alginate and by ca. 155% respect to control. CeO2 NPs without/with alginate significantly increased accumulation of Fe and Al in roots. In addition, alginate at 50 mg/kg increased Zn accumulation in roots by 52% compared to control. In shoots, K increased at all NP treatments but the accumulation of other elements was not affected. Alginate enlarged the impact of CeO2 NPs to corn plants by reducing chlorophyll a content and triggering overexpression of heat shock protein 70.     

Steering restoration of coal mining degraded ecosystem to achieve sustainable development goal-13 (climate action): United Nations decade of ecosystem restoration (2021–2030)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - For millennium, mining sector is a source not only of mineral extraction for industrialization, economic expansion, and urban sprawling, but also of...