Treatment of distillery spent-wash by ozonation and biodegradation: significance of pH reduction and inorganic carbon removal before ozonation.

This study is aimed at exploring strategies for mineralization of refractory compounds in distillery effluent by anaerobic biodegradation/ozonation/aerobic biodegradation. Treatment of distillery spent-wash used in this research by anaerobic-aerobic biodegradation resulted in overall COD removal of 70.8%. Ozonation of the anaerobically treated distillery spent-wash was carried out as-is (phase I experiments) and after pH reduction and removal of inorganic carbon (phase II experiments). Introduction of the ozonation step resulted in an increase in overall chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, with the highest COD removals of greater than 95% obtained when an ozone dose of approximately 5.3 mg ozone absorbed/mg initial total organic carbon was used. The COD removal during phase II experiments was slightly superior compared with phase I experiments at similar ozone doses. Moreover, efficiency of ozone absorption from the gas phase into distillery spent-wash aliquots was considerably enhanced during phase II experiments.     

A study for evaluation of contaminant transport characteristics through fine-grained soil.

Transport of soluble toxic substances through porous media lead to some significant geoenvironmental problems, for example, leachate migration from municipal and industrial solid waste resulting from unregulated disposal. Advection, dispersion, diffusion, and decay are reported to be the principal mechanisms in such phenomena. Geotechnical properties of the soil also play a significant role in this deterioration. In the present study, laboratory tests were conducted to formulate an appropriate method for assessment of migration of metal ions, such as nickel, through the soil. Relevant kinetic and process parameters, such as aquifer data, surface area, dielectric constant, pH of zero point charge (pHzpc), and permeability were also studied. One-dimensional mathematical modeling was used to describe the dynamics of the process. The present investigation was carried out at an ash pond site of a thermal power plant situated in West Bengal, India.     

The effects of dieldrin, dimethoate and permethrin on Tetrahymena pyriformis

The effects of three insecticides, dieldrin, dimethoate and permethrin, on the growth of a holotrichous ciliate, Tetrahymena pyriformis, were studied for 5 days. The ciliate was very sensitive to dieldrin and dimethoate. Both these insecticides produced approximately 81% and 84% inhibition of growth within two days. Dieldrin caused rounding of cells, while dimethoate induced cell lysis. Dimethoate also triggered a general mucocyst discharge. Of the three insecticides, permethrin was the least toxic and induced no morphological alterations.     

Combined effects of cadmium and composted manure to aquatic organisms

To evaluate the interactive toxicity of cadmium (Cd) and composted manure to aquatic organisms 96 h static bioassays were conducted in the laboratory with fry of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), copepod (Diaptomusforbesi) and oligochaete worm (Branchiura sowerbyi). Five concentrations of composted manure (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 6.7 g/l) were prepared from the aquatic weed, Pistia stratiotes and each of them was combined with several concentrations of Cd to determine 96 h LC-50 values of Cd for the test organisms. Addition of composted manure, irrespective of concentration, significantly reduced the LC-50 value of Cd to the copepod and common carp fry while it increased the LC-50 value of Cd to the worm. Increased susceptibility of the worm to combined treatment of composted manure and small concentrations of Cd could be revealed only from the dose mortality curve. Results of acute toxicity bioassays were different from the results of bioassays conducted with small concentrations of Cd. Worms, exposed to 2.5 mg/l Cd, accumulated more Cd than did the carp fry and copepod. Accumulation of Cd by worms was increased by the addition of 6.7 g/l composted manure while it decreased in the carp fry and copepod. Food consumption rate of common carp fingerling was significantly reduced relative to the control by exposure to 2.5 mg/l Cd. No change in feeding rate was observed when Cd was combined with composted manure (6.7 g/l).     

Breakthrough adsorption study of migratory nickel in fine-grained soil.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the breakthrough curve for nickel adsorption in fine-grained soil from a nearby ash pond site of a thermal power plant. Nickel was found to be the major polluting solute in the ash sluicing wastewater. The adsorption of nickel by vertical soil column batch test and horizontal migration test was carried out in the laboratory. Field investigation was conducted also, by installing test wells around the ash pond site. Experimental results showed a good adsorptive capacity of soil for nickel ions. The breakthrough curves showed a reasonable fitting with a one-dimensional mathematical model. The breakthrough curves yielded from field test results showed good agreement with a two-dimensional mathematical model.     

Biochemical evaluation of multiple herbal treatments in alloxan-induced diabetes in Wistar rats

Alloxan-induced diabetic rats were treated with multiple herbal preparation besides a control group receiving distilled water. The levels of glucose and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) increased abnormally in the alloxan treated group and the same were normalized upon treatment with the herbal preparation. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), protein and albumin in all groups remained unaltered. However, weekly body weight gain which got significantly altered in the alloxan-treated group was normalized by treatment with the herbal preparation. On the whole, a profound hypoglycemic effect was observed by the multiple herbal treatment in the diabetic rats.     

Chromium in tannery industry effluent and its effect on plant metabolism and growth

Different dilution levels of tannery treated effluent and their corresponding concentration of chromium (Cr6+) were studied in a petridish culture experiment on seed germination and seedling growth in radish (Raphanus sativus L). The different concentrations of Cr6+ (2, 5 and 10 ppm) and treated tannery effluent (10, 25 and 50%) showed reduction in seedling growth and related enzymatic activities with increase in concentration of Cr6+ in treatments and effluent both. The low concentration of chromium (2 ppm) and effluent dilution (10%) showed significant growth reduction separately. At this concentration of chromium and effluent dilution chlorophyll content, amylase, catalase and protein contents remained unchanged while with increase in Cr6+ concentration (>2ppm) and effluent dilution (> 10%) in treatments showed growth inhibitory effects.     

Application of fuzzy models to assess susceptibility to droughts from a socio-economic perspective

By combining the concepts of environmental stress, state susceptibility and environmental crisis, “Security Diagram” (SD) provides a quantitative approach to assessing environmental change and human security. The SD is a tool that clearly presents in a diagram the security situation of a population or region affected by a particular environmental crisis. Its underlying concept emphasises that the higher the level of environmental stress and socio-economic susceptibility, the higher the probability of the occurrence of crisis. Focusing on drought, this study analyses the susceptibility of case study regions in India, Portugal, and Russia from a socio-economic perspective. A conceptual framework of socio-economic susceptibility is developed based on the economic development theories of modernisation and dependency. Fuzzy set theory is used to generate susceptibility indices from a range of national and sub-national indicators, including financial resources, agricultural dependency and infrastructure development (for economic susceptibility), and health condition, educational attainment and gender inequality (for social susceptibility). Results indicate that socio-economic susceptibility over the period 1980–1995 was highest in India, followed by Russia and (since 1989) lowest in Portugal. Globalisation is likely to contribute to changes in the level of socio-economic susceptibility over time. Moreover, specific social and economic structures unique in each country (e.g., the role of women in society in India, the socialist legacy in Russia) may explain differences in susceptibility between the case study regions.

Freeze–dried synthesized bifunctional biopolymer nanocomposite for efficient fluoride removal and antibacterial activity

Local fluoride contamination and bacterial infections in potable water have dangerous effects on the human body and are today a global concern. In this study, we have synthesized a pH-responsive bifunctional biopolymer nanocomposite (HAZ) of humic acid with incorporating aluminum zirconium bimetallic oxide by deep freeze–drying method. Fast nucleation and interconnection of nanoparticles form a highly porous network because of sublimation of frozen HAZ. This duo nanocomposite has efficiently worked for fluoride removal and showed potent antibacterial activity against the Escherichia coli Gram-negative and Staphylococcus aureus Gram-positive bacteria. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrates that the hydroxyl groups act as a pivot in the ion exchange process of adsorption, each element of bimetallic oxide primarily takes part in the adsorption mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was 180.62 mg/g at pH seven. Thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy change (ΔG⁰), entropy (ΔS⁰), and enthalpy (ΔH⁰) indicate that the process was endothermic, feasible, and taken place by a chemisorption mechanism. This is the first novel freeze–dried bifunctional biopolymer nanocomposite composed of humic acid natural polymer incorporated with Al–Zr metal oxide, and it exhibited three times higher adsorption efficacy with excellent antibacterial action at a concentration of 5 µg/mL of the nanocomposite.     

长江三角洲地区大气污染过程分析

针对2015年和2016年12月2个月的4次污染过程,利用中分辨率成像光谱仪（MODIS）Terra卫星的气溶胶光学厚度（AOD）,Angstrom波长指数（AE）气溶胶数据,并结合PM_2.5和PM₁₀的浓度以及比值变化分析,发现以PM_2.5为代表的人为因素产生的细颗粒物是造成研究地区污染发生的重要因素.并且利用MODIS火点数据以及美国海军气溶胶分析与预测系统（NAAPS）模拟分析污染物成分,发现2015年12月12~16日和19~27日2次污染都以人为因素产生的细粒子污染物为主,沙尘以及生物质燃烧产生的烟粒对研究地区影响较小.2016年12月6~10日和15~18日2次污染过程产生的原因不同,利用潜在源贡献因子分析法（PSCF）分析发现6~10日污染天气的产生主要是由西北方向含有大量沙尘粒子气流以及南方生物质燃烧产生的大量烟粒共同输送到研究地区,加之研究地区大量人为污染细粒子的产生,导致了此次混合型污染天气发生.15~18日污染过程与2015年2次污染过程相似,主要原因都在于人为因素产生的细颗粒污染物的影响,沙尘以及烟粒对污染过程起到了加剧的作用.