Comparative analysis of physicochemical,nutrient, and spectral properties of agricultural residue biochars as influenced by pyrolysis temperatures

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The objectives of this study were to assess the physicochemical, nutrient, and spectral properties of biochar prepared from four major agricultural...     

Heterogeneity, collective action and management sustainability in common property forest resources: case study from the Indian state Odisha

Several studies have revealed that the presence of heterogeneity amongst the user groups of common property natural resources considerably affects the effectiveness of resource management and their sustainable use. Primary research conducted in six sample villages from three districts of the Indian state Odisha has found that heterogeneity in economic and social dimensions amongst the members of the management committee acts as major determinants in respect of common property forest resource management. The findings of this piece of work reveal that common property forests are best managed in the villages where the management committee is homogeneous by both social and economic considerations; better managed where the committee members are economically homogeneous but socially heterogeneous; and least managed where the members are socially homogeneous but economically heterogeneous. The same result has been obtained from the composite index developed for the user group’s assessment about the functioning of the forest management institutions in the three study districts of the state Odisha.     

Toxicological evaluation of entomotoxic silica nanoparticle

Pest management researchers currently reappraise the use of inert dust-based insecticides because of the growing problem of environmental pollution and increasing insect resistance associated with conventional insecticides. Diatomaceous earth, which is amorphous micron-sized silica derived from fossilized phytoplankton, has become popular as an alternative insecticidal agent in European countries. In this investigation the insecticidal efficacy of amorphous lipophilic silica nanoparticle was examined on red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum), a stored grain insect pest. The biosafety of this silica nanoparticle formulation was studied in MRC-5 cell line with water-soluble tetrazolium and lactate dehydrogenase activity assays. Acute oral toxicity of these nanocides was studied in mice model following OECD guidelines for testing of chemicals as well as the effects of particle exposure on mouse blood parameters, serum biochemical levels, and histopathological changes in various organs.     

Assessment of daily intake of trace elements by Kakrapar adult population through ingestion pathway

Concentration of trace elements such as Fe, Cu, Ni, and Zn were measured in cereals, pulses, vegetables, fish, meat, milk, egg, and water samples collected around Kakrapar, Gujarat, India. A wide variation of the trace element concentration was observed among all the dietary matrices. The concentration of Fe is comparatively more in all the dietary matrices. The concentrations of these elements are translated into intake rates through ingestion pathways. Daily intake (milligrams/day) of Fe, Cu, Ni, and Zn by adult population of Kakrapar, Gujarat were 16.5 ± 6.2, 3.3 ± 1.2, 1.8 ± 1.0, and 3.6 ± 1.3, respectively. Dietary sources of Fe, Cu, and Ni by Kakrapar adult population are comparable with RDA. In case of Zn, the daily dietary intake is comparatively lower than that of RDA.     

A composite polyphenol-rich extract improved growth performance,ruminal fermentation and immunity,while decreasing methanogenesis and excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus in growing buffaloes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The effects of a composite polyphenolic-rich extract (CPRE) on ruminal fermentation, nutrient utilisation, growth performance, excretion of nitrogen...     

Assessment of Godavari estuarine mangrove ecosystem through trace metal studies

Trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, Ni. Pb, Cd and Cr) analyses in particulate matter and sediments were carried out at 16 different stations in the Godavari mangrove ecosystem covering the three regions viz., Kakinada (KKD) bay, Goutami-Godavari estuary (GGE) and Coringa and Gaderu mangrove environments (CGME). Higher concentrations of trace metals in particulate matter and in sediments were noticed in the mangrove environment compared to the KKD bay and GGE region. The significant correlations observed between several couples of metals in different regions as well as between numbers of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn) with Total Suspended Matter (TSM) in particulate organic matter could be an indication of the role of the complexation with organic matter in the distribution pattern of these metals. Further significant correlations between organic carbon (OC) and Cr, Co, Pb, Cu and Mn in sediments of all the three regions indicate that organic matter acts as a metal carrier. The values of Pollution Load Index (PLI) were low and varied between 0.34 and 0.68 in KKD bay, 0.47 and 0.49 in GGE and, from 0.62 to 1.03 in CGME area, which indicate that the estuarine ecosystem is not of pollution concern under the present scenario.     

Long-term leaching of uranium from different waste matrices

A semi-dynamic leaching test was carried out for metallurgical wastes and ore samples from the uranium and copper mining industry over a 142 day period using distilled water and 0.1N NaNO(3) as solvents. Laser fluorimetry was used as the analytical technique to determine the total uranium content in the leachates. The cumulative leach fraction (CLF) of uranium release from the samples was calculated to be 0.22, 0.22, 0.07 and 0.39% for rock, uranium tailings, copper kinker ash samples and copper tailings respectively using distilled water as solvent and 0.31, 0.27, 0.05 and 0.59% for the same matrices using 0.1N NaNO(3). The release of mobile uranium fraction was very slow, being faster in the initial stage and then attained a near steady state condition. The diffusion coefficient and bulk release of uranium from the samples have been calculated. The processes governing the release of uranium from these matrices have been identified to be surface wash-off and diffusion. Hence the use of weak solvents (leach out the mobile/exchangeable fraction of uranium) under semi-dynamic conditions aids the determination of leaching parameters and identification of the leaching mechanism for mobile uranium fraction from different matrices by slow leaching processes.     

Nanoparticles influence on expression of cell cycle related genes in Drosophila: a microarray-based toxicogenomics study

Relatively little is known regarding the interaction of nanoscale objects with dynamic complex biological systems. Microarray-based toxicogenomics studies may serve as a suitable technique to explore the genome wide effects of nanoparticles on any organism through a single experiment. The influence of nanoporous aluminosilicate nanoparticles (NP), citrate-capped gold NP, lipophilic silica NP, BSA-capped silver NP, and lipophilic zinc oxide NP were studied on 75 cell cycle-related genes of adult Drosophila melanogaster. Microarray experiments were conducted after the flies were fed with NP-mixed media for 15 days. Data showed that silver, zinc oxide, and alumino silicate NP predominantly perturbed cell cycle genes, whereas gold and silica NP exerted the least influence on these genes.     

Source identification of particulate matter and associated intake of elements through inhalation in an industrial area of Odisha,India

Particulate matter concentrations were measured in an industrial region in the Ganjam district of Odisha. The average levels of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were measured to be 142 ± 8 and PM₁₀ of particulate matter with a size of less than 10 micrometers (PM₁₀) to be 50 ± 15 μg m^?3. Out of the 14 elements determined, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, and K contributed more than 95% of the total weight. In enrichment factors, the trace elements, i.e., Zn, Pb, Cd, and Hg were observed to be highly enriched in the SPM and PM₁₀. Factor analysis indicates that more than 75% of the variance was due to five component factors, which have eigenvalues greater than 1. Intake of elements through inhalation route to adults has been estimated.     

Measurement of natural radioactivity in chemical fertilizer and agricultural soil: evidence of high alpha activity

People are exposed to ionizing radiation from the radionuclides that are present in different types of natural sources, of which phosphate fertilizer is one of the most important sources. Radionuclides in phosphate fertilizer belonging to ²³²Th and ²³⁸U series as well as radioisotope of potassium (⁴⁰K) are the major contributors of outdoor terrestrial natural radiation. The study of alpha activity in fertilizers, which is the first ever in West Bengal, has been performed in order to determine the effect of the use of phosphate fertilizers on human health. The data have been compared with the alpha activity of different types of chemical fertilizers. The measurement of alpha activity in surface soil samples collected from the cultivated land was also performed. The sampling sites were randomly selected in the cultivated land in the Midnapore district, which is the largest district in West Bengal. The phosphate fertilizer is widely used for large agricultural production, mainly potatoes. The alpha activities have been measured using solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD), a very sensitive detector for alpha particles. The results show that alpha activity of those fertilizer and soil samples varies from 141 Bq/kg to 2,589 Bq/kg and from 109 Bq/kg to 660 Bq/kg, respectively. These results were used to estimate environmental radiation exposure on human health contributed by the direct application of fertilizers.