Cool temperature performance of a wheat straw biofilter for treating dairy wastewater

A wheat straw biofilter was evaluated for attenuating pollutants in dairy (milkhouse and milking parlor) wastewater. During the 14-day study, the biofilter was operated in a sequential aerobic-anaerobic mode in a temperature range of 8-14 degrees C. While the biofilter was very effective (89% removal) in attenuating total suspended solids and moderately effective (76% removal) in attenuating oil and grease, its effectiveness in attenuating chemical oxygen demand was low (37% removal). The biofilter was ineffective in attenuating nitrate, while its effectiveness in attenuating ammonium (20% removal) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (15% removal) was low. The biofilter was not effective in attenuating ortho-phosphate, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform. Though microbial degradation accounted for some pollutant removal, filtration seemed to be the primary mechanism. Lower temperature of operation and high oil and grease concentration (that reduced nutrient transfer to the biofilm) decreased microbial activity, reducing pollutant attenuation. Biofilter performance could be enhanced by using residual heat in the wastewater to raise the operating temperature of the biofilter and by removing oil and grease prior to applying the wastewater to the biofilter.     

Effects of sheep and goat grazing on the species diversity in the alpine meadows of Western Himalaya

This paper deals with effects of sheep and goat grazing on plant species diversity, species richness and species composition in two important conservation areas of the Western Himalaya; the Valley of Flowers (VOF) National Park and the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). The VOF is a completely Protected Area as it is devoid of livestock grazing whereas, 20,000 sheep and goats annually graze in GHNP. Both the National Parks possess sub-alpine and alpine vegetation that is distributed in 13 major habitat types. Present investigations indicate that all the habitat types in VOF are higher in plant species diversity and richness compared to habitat types in GHNP. Similarly, all three eco-climatic zones in VOF are higher in species diversity and richness compared to GHNP. Species diversity also decreases with increasing altitude in both the National Parks. The findings of this study are discussed in the light of the management and conservation of alpine meadows of the Western Himalayas.     

Arsenic tolerances in rice (Oryza sativa) have a predominant role in transcriptional regulation of a set of genes including sulphur assimilation pathway and antioxidant system

World wide arsenic (As) contamination of rice has raised much concern as it is the staple crop for millions. Four most commonly cultivated rice cultivars, Triguna, IR-36, PNR-519 and IET-4786, of the West Bengal region were taken for a hydroponic study to examine the effect of arsenate (As^V) and arsenite (As^III) on growth response, expression of genes and antioxidants vis-à-vis As accumulation. The rice genotypes responded differentially under As^V and As^III stress in terms of gene expression and antioxidant defences. Some of the transporters were up-regulated in all rice cultivars at lower doses of As species, except IET-4786. Phytochelatin synthase, GST and γ-ECS showed considerable variation in their expression pattern in all genotypes, however in IET-4786 they were generally down-regulated in higher As^III stress. Similarly, most of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR) and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) increased significantly in Triguna, IR-36 and PNR-519 and decreased in IET-4786. Our study suggests that Triguna, IR-36 and PNR-519 are tolerant rice cultivars accumulating higher arsenic; however IET-4786 is susceptible to As-stress and accumulates less arsenic than other cultivars.     

Logistic regression model for prediction of roof fall risks in bord and pillar workings in coal mines: An approach

The roof fall hazards are the major problems in underground coal mines, which are generally unpredictable due to the associated uncertainties arising out of the complexity of geological conditions and variability in mining parameters. During the six year period, 1996–2001, 253 Indian coal miners lost their lives and 401 are seriously injured in 490 different roof fall accidents. In India, 32.7% of the total fatal injuries in coal sectors are due to roof fall in bord and pillar method of workings. This paper attempts to predict the severities of roof fall accidents based on some major contributing parameters using the binary logistic regression model. In total, 128 roof fall accidents for the last few years from five underground coal mines in India having bord and pillar method of working are analyzed for this study. The results revealed that wider gallery width is more prone to major and serious accidents than narrower gallery width. Thin seams are more amenable to major accidents in comparison to thick seams. Unsupported or partially supported roofs have higher risk for contributing major as well as serious accidents. Deep workings are more prone to major accidents as compared to shallow depth workings.     

Application of multivariate statistical techniques in hydrogeochemical studies—a case study: Brahmani–Koel River (India)

This study presents the usefulness of multivariate statistical techniques, such as correlation matrix, cluster analysis, and factor analysis, for the evaluation and interpretation of complex water quality data sets of Brahmani–Koel river along the Rourkela Industrial Complex, India, and the apportionment of pollution sources/factors. The correlation study suggests that dissolved heavy metals, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are contributed by anthropogenic sources. The results of R-mode factor analyses revealed that anthropogenic contributions are responsible for increase in metals of the river water, which is mainly responsible for contamination of the river. It also reflected that the level of pollution in the river was very high. The factor score plot and loading plot have been drawn, which indicate that the polluted stations are identified by the heavy metals. The relationships among the stations are highlighted by cluster analysis, represented in dendograms to categorize different levels of contamination. An attempt has been made to study the degree of contamination of the river waters by using a tool like enrichment ratio (ER). The ER for heavy metal concentrations concluded that metals like Ni, Co, Cr, and Fe are showing high enrichment with respect to global background and metal ions like Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn show high enrichment with respect to local background.     

PFOS or PreFOS? Are perfluorooctane sulfonate precursors (PreFOS) important determinants of human and environmental perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure?

The extent to which perfluorooctanesulfonate precursors (PreFOS) play a role in human or environmental exposure to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) is not well characterized. The diversity of manufactured PreFOS and its degradation products (e.g. C(8)F(17)SO(2)R and C(8)F(17)SO(2)NR'R', where R is H or F, and R' and R' are various) has made it difficult to track their fate. Temporal trends of PFOS in both humans and wildlife are discrepant, thus it is difficult to predict future exposure, and hypotheses about the role of PreFOS have been raised. Although abiotic degradation of commercially important PreFOS materials requires further research, current data suggest that the yield of PFOS is negligible or minor. On the other hand, in vivo biotransformation of PreFOS yields PFOS as the major metabolite, and >32% yields have been observed. In Canadians, exposure to PreFOS was equivalent or greater than direct PFOS exposure prior to 2002. In most ocean water, PFOS is dominant to PreFOS, but in the oceans east of Greenland there may be more PreFOS than PFOS, consistent with the fact that whales and humans in this region also show evidence of substantial PreFOS exposure. Quantitative assessments of PFOS body-burdens coming from PreFOS are complicated by the fact that PreFOS partitions to the cellular fraction of blood, thus biomonitoring in serum under predicts PreFOS relative to PFOS. Many unknowns exist that prevent accurate modelling, thus analytical methods that can distinguish directly manufactured PFOS, from PFOS that has been biotransformed from PreFOS, should be applied in future human and environmental monitoring. Two new source tracking principles are presented and applied to human serum.     

Microbial dechlorination of chloroorganics and simultaneous decolorization of pulp–paper mill effluent by Pseudomonas putida MTCC 10510 augmentation

The physicochemical analyses of pulp-paper mill effluent revealed that it was dark brown with 1761?±?2.3 color PtCo units having slightly alkaline pH, high biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand values, and contained large quantities of organic and inorganic constituents, well above the prescribed standards. The bacterial growth, color reduction, and dechlorination were evident in all the four sets of experiments with different possible combinations of nutrient supplementation and Pseudomonas putida augmentation. A high degree of decolorization at 29.7% and 27.4% was observed by the effluent native microflora during 48 and 24 h, in unaugmented effluent supplemented with glucose + yeast extract and glucose + peptone, respectively. The extent of decolorization in glucose + yeast extract unaugmented effluent also corresponded with high degree of dechlorination (59.3%) during 60-h incubation (SET III). An appreciable level of growth, decolorization, and dechlorination was evident in nutrient unsupplemented P. putida augmented effluent as well as in the control natural effluent. However, a maximum level of growth response (OD 1.641-1.902) during 36-48 h, removal of color (39.72-48.2%) during 24-36 h, and chloride ions (80.1-83.5%) during 36 h was achieved in P. putida augmented effluent supplemented with glucose + yeast extract or peptone. Therefore, supplementation of effluent with glucose and yeast extract or peptone and concomitant augmentation with P. putida is required for efficient effluent decolorization and detoxification.     

Emission of volatile organic compounds from religious and ritual activities in India

Worshipping activity is a customary practice related with many religions and cultures in various Asian countries, including India. Smoke from incense burning in religious and ritual places produces a large number of health-damaging and carcinogenic air pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, benzene, 1,3 butadiene, styrene, etc. This study evaluates real-world VOCs emission conditions in contrast to other studies that examined emissions from specific types of incense or biomass material. Sampling was conducted at four different religious places in Raipur City, District Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India: (1) Hindu temples, (2) Muslim graveyards (holy shrines), (3) Buddhist temples, and (4) marriage ceremony. Concentrations of selected VOCs, respirable particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter, <5 μm), carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide were sampled from the smoke plumes. Benzene has shown highest emission factor (EF) among selected volatile organic compounds in all places. All the selected religious and ritual venues have shown different pattern of VOC EFs compared to laboratory-based controlled chamber studies.     

Enhancing disaster management by mapping disaster proneness and preparedness

The focus of most disaster management programmes is to deploy resources-physical and human-from outside the disaster zone. This activity can produce a delay in disaster mitigation and recovery efforts, and a consequent loss of human lives and economic resources. It may be possible to expedite recovery and prevent loss of life by mapping out disaster proneness and the availability of resources in advance. This study proposes the development of two indices to do so. The Indian census data of 2001 is used to develop a methodology for creating one index on disaster proneness and one on resourcefulness for administrative units (tehsils). Findings reveal that tehsil residents face an elevated risk of disaster and that they are also grossly under-prepared for such events. The proposed indices can be used to map regional service provision facilities and to assist authorities in evaluating immediate, intermediate, and long-term disaster recovery needs and resource requirements.     

Distribution and ecotoxicological concerns of persistent organic pollutants in sediment from creek ecosystem

In order to study the distribution and ecotoxicological concerns of persistent organic pollutants, grab sediment samples were collected from different locations across Thane creek, India. Analyses of samples were carried out using gas chromatography (GC)–electron capture detector and GC–mass spectrometry techniques. In organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), DDT (1,1,1,-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane), DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene), DDD (1-chloro-4-(2,2-dichloro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)ethyl) benzene) and α, β, and γ conformer of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and 9 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) congeners were analyzed in surface sediment samples. Concentrations of these pollutants in grab sediment samples may indicate their current use and impact on marine ecosystem. Average concentrations of total DDT (including DDD and DDE), HCH, and Σ₉PCBs were found to be 4.9, 12.5, and 2.9 µg kg^?1(dry weight) respectively. High concentrations of OCPs and PCBs were found at discharge locations in creek compared to other locations. Location-wise distribution of OCPs and PCBs indicates their high concentrations at the waste water receiving point. Data were compared for ecotoxicological impacts based on the levels specified in the sediment quality standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. γ-HCH was found to have maximum potential to induce ecotoxicological impacts.