Erosion Modeling in Hard Rock Terrain Using Morphometry: A Case Study from Tamilnadu,India

Remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) can help identify erosion‐prone areas in need of soil conservation efforts     

Natural gas engine driven heat pump system – a case study of an office building

ABSTRACT

An eQUEST model was developed to conduct a simulation study of a natural gas engine-driven heat pump (GEHP) for an office building in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. Prior to the installation of the GEHP, the heating and cooling demands of the office building were provided by rooftop units (RTUs), comprising of natural gas heater and electric air conditioner. Energy consumption for both GEHP and RTUs were monitored for operation in alternating months. These recorded energy consumptions along with weather data were used in the regression analysis. The developed eQUEST models were validated and calibrated with the regression analysis results with respect to the ASHRAE Guideline 14–2014. The eventual models were then applied to investigate the potential annual energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy cost savings achieved by using the GEHP in Woodstock, and other cities in Canada, particularly in Ontario.     

The fly ash influenced the heavy metal status of the soil and the seeds of sunflower. A case study

In this study, four cultivars of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) were grown in the sandy loam soil, supplemented with graded (v/v) quantity (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100%) of the fly ash, released by the combustion of the coal from the thermal power plant. The presence of fly ash in the soil increased its porosity, water holding capacity, pH, E.C., C.E.C., the content of sulphate, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and various trace elements. However, in the seeds, except Fe, Pb, Mn and Zn, and other heavy metals remained untraced up to 40% of the fly ash, above that their quantity slightly increased but the values are very much under the permissible limits.     

Toxicities and tolerances of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in a primary producer (Isochrysis galbana) and in a primary consumer (Perna viridis)

Studies on toxicities and tolerances of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in the brown alga Isochrysis galbana and in the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis were conducted by short-term bioassays using endpoints growth production and mortality, respectively. The 5-day EC(50) and 24-h LC(50) of these heavy metals were determined in the brown alga and mussel, respectively. The EC(50) values calculated for the alga were 0.74 mg/l for Cd, 0.91 mg/l for Cu, 1.40 mg/l for Pb and 0.60 mg/l for Zn. The LC(50) values for the mussels were 1.53 mg/l for Cd, 0.25 mg/l for Cu, 4.12 mg/l for Pb and 3.20 mg/l for Zn. These LC(50) values were within the concentration ranges as reported by other authors who used P. viridis as the test organism. Based on these EC(50) and LC(50) values, the alga was most sensitive to Zn, followed by Cd, Cu and Pb while the mussel was most sensitive to Cu, followed by Cd, Zn and Pb. Differences in the trophic levels, metal handling strategies, biology and ecology of the primary producer (brown alga) and the primary consumer (mussel) are believed to be the plausible causes for the different toxicities and tolerances of the metals studied.     

Reproductive health in Afghanistan: results of a knowledge, attitudes and practices survey among Afghan women in Kabul

A reproductive-health knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey was carried out among 468 Afghan women of reproductive age. A convenience sample of women was selected from attendees in the outpatient departments of four health facilities in Kabul. Seventy-nine per cent of respondents had attended at least one antenatal consultation during their last pregnancy. Two-thirds (67 per cent) delivered their first child between 13 and 19 years. The Caesarean-section rate was low (1.6 per cent). Two-thirds (67 per cent) of deliveries occurred in the home. The contraceptive prevalence rate was 23 per cent (16 per cent modern and 7 per cent natural methods). Twenty-four per cent had knowledge of any STIs, although most of these women did not know correctly how to prevent them. Most of the women (93 per cent) needed authorization from their husband or a male relative before seeking professional health-care. In multivariate analysis, women's schooling was significantly associated with antenatal-care attendance (AOR 4.78), institutional delivery (AOR 2.29), skilled attendance at birth (AOR 2.07) and use of family planning (AOR 4.59). Reproductive-health indicators were noted to be poor even among these women living in Kabul, a group often considered to be the most privileged. To meet the reproductive-health needs of Afghan women, the socio-cultural aspects of their situation--especially their decision-making abilities -- will need to be addressed. A long-standing commitment from agencies and donors is required, in which the education of women should be placed as a cornerstone of the reconstruction process of Afghanistan.     

Study of Trace and Heavy Metals in Rural and Urban Aerosols of Uludağ and Bursa (Turkey)

The concentrations of heavy, trace elements and major ions measuredin the Uluda and Bursa aerosols were investigated to assess size distributions, spatial and temporal variability, sources and source regions affecting the composition of aerosols in Uluda and Bursa. A total of 81 samples were collected in two sites, one in Bursa city and another in the Uluda Mountain during two sampling campaigns. Daily samples were collected using a high volume sampler on Whatman 41 cellulose filters in Uluda, while three days interval samples were collected in Bursa using an automatic dichotomous sampler on PTFE Teflon filters. Samples were analysed for 15 trace and heavy metals (Al, Fe, Ba, Na, Mg, K, Mn, Ca, Cu), (V, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn), and 4 major ions (SO₄ ^2-, NO₃ ^-, Cl^-), (NH₄ ⁺) using ICP-AES, GFAAS, HPLC and UV/VIS Spectrophotometer,respectively. In general, concentrations of the metals measured inUluda aerosols were lower than those in Bursa. The concentrations of crustal elements were higher in summer than winter, while anthropogenic elements had higher concentrations in winter than summer. Most of the mass of crustal elements was concentrated in the coarse mode while the mass of the heavy metals was concentrated in the fine mode. Factor analysis revealed four factors with sources including crustal, industrial and combustion. Back trajectory calculations were used to determine long range contributions. These calculations showed that contributions were mostly from European countries, former Soviet Union countries, Black Sea and North Africa.     

Intercomparison of INAA and ICP-MS results for thorium determination in Pakistani diet

A pilot study on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection was to be carried out in Pakistan. Baseline analytical data on daily dietary intake of thorium was to be measured using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) technique. To determine the accuracy and reliability of our technique, some samples were measured in Pakistan using INAA and in Japan using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. For intercomparison of results overall mean Z-scores were calculated. The results showed validity of our technique. Mean value of 232Th concentration in Pakistani diet samples using INAA technique is 0.0062 +/- 0.0028 microg/g and with ICP-MS technique is 0.0069 +/- 0.0032 microg/g.     

Bioremediation of residual fertilizer nitrate: II. Soil redox potential and soluble iron as indicators of soil health during treatment

The prospect of using wastewater containing high loads of soluble organic matter (OM) for removing residual agricultural chemicals (fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide) in farm soil, although promising, could have adverse effects on soil agricultural quality as a result of development of redoximorphic features in the soil profile. In this study, the effect of organic carbon supplement for bioremediation of residual fertilizer nitrate on soil properties, redox potential (Eh), pH, and metal ion mobilization was studied using sandy soils packed in columns. The study was included in a general project, described elsewhere (Ugwuegbu et al., 2000), undertaken to evaluate use of controlled water table management (WTM) systems to supply organic carbon for creating a reduced environment conducive to denitrification of residual fertilizer nitrate leaching from the farm to subsurface water. The columns were subjected to subirrigation with water containing soluble organic carbon in the form of glucose. The work was carried out in two experimental setups and the long-term effect of a range of glucose concentrations on the Eh, pH, and soluble levels of Fe and Mn was investigated. From the results obtained, it could be concluded that excessive organic carbon supplement to soil can have adverse effects on soil quality and that Eh and soluble Fe are the two most practical parameters for monitoring soil health during treatment of farm chemicals.     

Considerations for the design of organic mulch permeable reactive barriers

Organic mulch consists of insoluble carbon biopolymers that are enzymatically hydrolyzed during decomposition to release aqueous total organic carbon (TOC). The released TOC is utilized by microorganisms as an electron donor to transform electrophilic contaminants via reductive pathways. Over the last decade, organic mulch permeable reactive barriers (PRBs), or biowalls, have received increased interest as a relatively inexpensive slow‐release electron donor technology for addressing contaminated groundwater. To date, biowalls have been installed to enhance the passive bioremediation of groundwater contaminated with a variety of electrophilic compounds, including chlorinated solvents, explosives, and perchlorate. In addition, several mulch biowall projects are currently under way at several U.S. Department of Defense facilities. However, at the present time, the guidelines available for the design of mulch PRBs are limited to a few case studies published in the technical literature. A biowall design, construction, and operation protocol document is expected to be issued by the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence in 2007. In this publication, three technical considerations that can have a significant impact on the design and performance of mulch PRBs are presented and discussed. These technical considerations are: (1) hydraulic characteristics of the mulch bed; (2) biochemical characteristics of different types of organic amendments used as mulch PRB fill materials; and (3) a transport model that can be used to estimate the required PRB thickness to attain cleanup standards. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The variability in nutrient composition of Anaerobic Digestate granules produced from high shear granulation

This study investigates the production of organic fertilizer using Anaerobic Digestate (as a nutrient source) and limestone powder as the raw materials. A two-level factorial experimental design was used to determine the influence of process variables on the nutrient homogeneity within the granules. Increasing the liquid-to-solid ratio during granulation resulted in increased granule nutrient homogeneity. Increasing the processing time and the impeller speed were also found to increase the nutrient homogeneity. In terms of nutrients release into deionized water, the granules effectively released both potassium and phosphate into solution.