A field test for the assessment of faecal contamination of potable water

A simple, sensitive, rapid, inexpensive paper strip impregnated with Salmonellal E. coli medium (SEM) was formulated, and placed in a test tube. When potable water of 10 ml was added to the test tube it detected the faecal contamination of water samples within 16-48 h when incubated at room temperature from 20 to 35 degrees C. The positive results were indicated when the medium turned black (hydrogen sulfide production) for the presence of Salmonella sp. and/or the formation of a red ring (free indole from tryptophan) when a few drops of Kovac's reagent was added for the presence of coliform bacteria (E. coli). More than 600 water samples were tested with the new test (SEM) and results showed 99% agreement with that of the standard most probable number (MPN) coliform test and also proved highly successful in the field when it was employed to detect both Salmonella and E. coli. Different water testing laboratories involved in a water quality monitoring programme and governmental agencies evaluated the test media and reported that the test was user friendly, reliable and simple to perform in the field and will be especially useful for screening of both urban and rural water supplies for routine monitoring of bacteriological contamination.     

Air Quality Status of Visakhapatnam (India) – Indices Basis

Industrial development in Visakhapatnam is conspicuous to urban agglomeration and the city is located in a topographical bowl formed by two-hill ranges. A major portion of the city is within the bowl area wherein most of the industrial and commercial activities are existing and lies within a distance of 10 km from the shore of the Bay of Bengal. Due to the peculiar geographic location of city, wind movement is either eastern or western and is engulfed within the hill ranges. Hence, there is a possibility of buildup of air pollution levels within the city. Due to gravity of prevailing situation, air quality status of Visakhapatnam on indices basis is analyzed using a non-linear equation for variable parameters i.e. Suspended particulate matter (SPM). Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and Oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)), which are main criteria pollutants in India. For current analysis seasonal air quality data is used, which indicates SPM values in winter at most of the sites and in summer at few sites are exceeding the prescribed standards. Calculated indices reveal that, in winter as well as in summer, most of the locations experienced poor or bad air quality, which is mainly due to higher concentration of SPM and certain extent of SO2 values. Application of Oak Ridge Air Quality Index (ORAQI) type equations (non-linear) are helpful for air quality management plan in the region on long-term basis and it has been also observed that there are certain lapses of weightage assignment for individual pollutant in application.     

水环境中重金属铜暴露下青鳉鱼的行为响应

采用生物行为传感器监测青鳉鱼在重金属铜暴露下的行为数据,分析不同暴露浓度(20、10、5、1和0.1 TU)下青鳉鱼的行为响应。20、10、5、1和0.1 TU的暴露浓度下青鳉鱼对重金属污染的行为反应模式符合环境胁迫阈值模型,且不同浓度梯度重金属对青鳉鱼产生不同的行为毒性效应。利用重金属作用下青鳉鱼的行为变化来研究重金属环境胁迫导致的生物行为响应机制,从而得到重金属暴露下生物行为的实时变化过程和趋势,可对水环境生态系统质量进行综合评价。     

Amelioration of toxicopathological effects of cadmium with silymarin and milk thistle in male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cadmium is an important widely distributed heavy metal in the environment due to its several industrial uses, while milk thistle is an important herb...     

Treatment of sugar industry wastewater using a combination of thermal and electrocoagulation processes

Sugar industries require a large amount of water for processing, and also generate large amounts of high-degree polluted wastewater. To maintain the water balance in the industry, it is imperative that effective treatment methods need to be devised to treat the wastewaters. The main aim of the present work is to treat the sugar industry wastewater by combined thermal and electro-oxidation methods with a metal and a catalyst based on ferrous material. Results showed a reduction of 75.6% of COD and 79.2% of colour content with thermal treatment, and 97.8% of COD and 99.7% of colour with combined thermal and electrocoagulation treatments under optimum conditions. These reduction levels are adequate for recycling limits.     

Big concerns with small projects: Evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of small hydropower projects in India

Although Small Hydropower Projects (SHPs) are encouraged as sources of clean and green energy, there is a paucity of research examining their socio-ecological impacts. We assessed the perceived socio-ecological impacts of 4 SHPs within the Western Ghats in India by conducting semi-structured interviews with local respondents. Primary interview data were sequentially validated with secondary data, and respondent perceptions were subsequently compared against the expected baseline of assured impacts. We evaluated the level of awareness about SHPs, their perceived socio-economic impacts, influence on resource access and impacts on human–elephant interactions. The general level of awareness about SHPs was low, and assurances of local electricity and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. Additionally most respondents faced numerous unanticipated adverse impacts. We found a strong relationship between SHP construction and increasing levels of human–elephant conflict. Based on the disparity between assured and actual social impacts, we suggest that policies regarding SHPs be suitably revised.     

超声-紫外光协同催化体系降解水中菲

以纳米TiO_2为催化剂,采用超声-紫外光协同催化体系降解水中菲,并考察了菲降解率的影响因素。实验结果表明:不同类型TiO_2对菲降解率的大小顺序为锐钛矿型TiO_2P25型TiO_2金红石型TiO_2;超声-紫外光协同催化体系对菲的降解率大于单独超声体系或紫外光催化体系,且均遵从一级反应动力学规律;在超声频率为60k Hz、声强为0.233 W/cm2、TiO_2投加量为0.06 g/L、pH为4.0、H_2O_2浓度为19.59 mmol/L的条件下降解75 min后,超声-紫外光协同催化体系对初始质量浓度为0.96 mg/L的菲的降解率可达76.78%。     

Integration of traditional and innovative characterization techniques for flux-based assessment of Dense Non-aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) sites

Key attributes of the source zone and the expanding dissolved plume at a trichloroethene (TCE) site in Australia were evaluated using trends in groundwater monitoring data along with data from on-line volatile organic compound (VOC) samplers and passive flux meters (PFMs) deployed in selected wells. These data indicate that: (1) residual TCE source mass in the saturated zone, estimated using two innovative techniques, is small ( 10 kg), which is also reflected in small source mass discharge ( 3 g/day); (2) the plume is disconnecting, based on TCE concentration contours and TCE fluxes in wells along a longitudinal transect; (3) there is minimal biodegradation, based on TCE mass discharge of  6 g/day at a plume control plane  175 m from source, which is also consistent with aerobic geochemical conditions observed in the plume; and (4) residual TCE in the vadose zone provides episodic inputs of TCE mass to the plume during infiltration/recharge events. TCE flux data also suggest that the small residual TCE source mass is present in the low-permeability zones, thus making source treatment difficult. Our analysis, based on a synthesis of the archived data and new data, suggests that source treatment is unwarranted, and that containment of the large TCE plume ( 1.2 km long,  0.3 km wide; 17 m deep;  2000–2500 kg TCE mass) or institutional controls, along with a long-term flux monitoring program, might be necessary. The flux-based site management approach outlined in this paper provides a novel way of looking beyond the complexities of groundwater contamination in heterogeneous domains, to make intelligent and informed site decisions based on strategic measurement of the appropriate metrics.     

天然有机物对零价铁去除水体中砷的影响研究

在研究零价铁对水体中砷去除动力学的基础上,着重探讨了天然有机物腐殖酸对零价铁除砷的影响.并对零价铁的腐蚀产物进行了分析.结果表明,水体中的砷可以通过在零价铁腐蚀产物上的吸附得到快速去除.腐殖酸显著降低了砷的去除率,这归因于腐殖酸与零价铁腐蚀产生的铁离子形成络合物,阻止了Fe(OH)3(或Fe(OH)2)沉淀的产生.腐殖酸浓度越高.砷的去除率越低.1.00 mg腐殖酸最多可以络合约0.75 mg铁离子.当铁离子与腐殖酸的络合达到饱和后,零价铁进一步腐蚀产生的铁离子可形成Fe(OH)3(或Fe(OH)2)沉淀,这些沉淀物可吸附水体中的腐殖酸和砷,从而加速砷的去除.冷冻干燥后的零价铁腐蚀产物的结构以无定型为主,含有少量的结晶化合物,包括γ-Fe2O3、γ-FeO(OH)和Fe3O4等.腐殖酸的存在可进一步增加腐蚀产物中的无定型成分.光电能谱(XPS)分析结果显示,吸附在腐蚀产物上的砷为5价,没有发现5价砷被还原成3价砷.在应用零价铁修复砷污染水体时,应考虑腐殖酸的影响.     

Dephenolization and detoxification of olive-mill wastewater (OMW) by purified biotic and abiotic oxidative catalysts

The capability of two oxidative catalysts, a laccase from Rhus vernicifera and birnessite, a manganese oxide, in the dephenolization and detoxification of two olive-mill wastewater (OMW) samples, C1 and C2, differing for complexity and composition, was evaluated. OMW phenolic extracts (EC1 and EC2) and mono-substrate solutions of phenols mostly present in OMW samples were also tested. Birnessite was more effective than laccase in removing the phenolic content from mono-substrate solutions (more than 70% of each initial phenolic concentration) and of either OMW samples or EC1 and EC2 extracts. For instance, 60% of the total phenolic content of EC1 was removed after 48-h treatment with 5 mg mL(-1) birnessite and the efficiency was lower as greater was the complexity of the OMW sample (only 17% removal from EC2 over the same time span). Phytotoxicity tests with Lepidium sativum and Lycopersicon esculentum seeds and antibacterial toxicity tests with Bacillus megaterium were performed on crude OMW samples and their extract and exhausted fractions before and after the catalytic treatment. Results demonstrated that (a) monomeric phenols were certainly but not exclusively responsible of OMW phytotoxicity, whereas their removal led to a quite complete elimination of the toxicity toward bacterial growth; (b) other components not removable by the oxidative catalysts very likely contribute to OMW phytotoxicity; and (c) the choice of the vegetal species to use in toxicity tests might be crucial for correct and easily interpretable results. Overall the results provided useful information on the possible use of oxidative catalysts for the efficient treatment of complex aqueous wastes such as those deriving from olive industry.