Assessment on Seasonal Variation of Groundwater Quality of Phreatic Aquifers – a River Basin System

Spatial distribution of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride and total iron content of ground water samples collected from the muvattupuzha river basin, Kerala, India, has been studied for pre monsoon and post monsoon periods of year 2001. Results showed the groundwater of the basin is acidic for which the pH values ranged between 5.5 and 8.0. Average EC was found to be less than 100 μS/cm, for most of the study region. The pre monsoon minimum and maximum TDS were found as 25.6 and 227.84 mg/L respectively, where as post monsoon values ranged between 16 and 162.56 mg/L. The relatively low EC and TDS values found both during the seasons in the lateritic terrain of the river basin signifies the lower residence time of ground water with the country rock. This makes the groundwater quality of this river basin as good. Pre monsoon season samples showed high total iron content than that during the post monsoon period. During the study period values of the fluoride contents were found to be within the permissible limits.     

Variability of dissolved reactive phosphate and apparent oxygen utilization along the west coast of India

This work focuses on the spatial variability of dissolved reactive phosphate along the west coast of India. In this study, samples of surface and bottom water was collected from each of the 27 sites during a single pre-monsoon transect along the west coast of India to study the variation of dissolved reactive phosphate. Phosphate showed an enrichment pattern with increase in depth of the water column. In addition to this, an offshore increase in phosphate concentrations was noticed for both surface and bottom stations. Almost all the surface stations of this study area were found to be characterized by negative apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) values, and bottom stations of the deeper offshore zone (200 m depth) displayed large positive AOU values. The bottom stations of shallow near coastal waters and the deeper offshore zone are characterized by an inverse relationship between phosphate and dissolved oxygen, whereas at these depths, a direct relation was observed between phosphate and AOU. AOU is calculated as the difference between oxygen saturation value at the in situ temperature and salinity and the actual measured concentration. This oxidative re-mineralization mechanism decreases the observed dissolved oxygen well below the expected theoretical values, which is concordant with the higher concentration of phosphate and high positive AOU values.     

Effect of hydrogen addition on performance,emission, and combustion characteristics of Deccan hemp oil and its methyl ester–fuelled CI engine

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A vegetable oil–fueled diesel engine operation is characterized by low brake thermal efficiency and relatively high smoke emission. Conversion...     

Bioconcentration of ibuprofen in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Pharmaceutical products and their metabolites are being widely detected in aquatic environments and there is a growing interest in assessing potential risks of these substances to fish and other non-target species. Ibuprofen is one of the most commonly used analgesic drugs and no peer-reviewed laboratory studies have evaluated the tissue specific bioconcentration of ibuprofen in fish. In the current study, fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to 250 μg L⁻¹ ibuprofen for 28 d followed by a 14 d depuration phase. In a minimized bioconcentration test design, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were exposed to 250 μg L⁻¹ for a week and allowed to depurate for 7 d. Tissues were collected during uptake and depuration phases of each test and the corresponding proportional and kinetic bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were estimated. The results indicated that the BCF levels were very low (0.08-1.4) implying the lack of bioconcentration potential for ibuprofen in the two species. The highest accumulation of ibuprofen was observed in the catfish plasma as opposed to individual tissues. The minimized test design yielded similar bioconcentration results as those of the standard test and has potential for its use in screening approaches for pharmaceuticals and other classes of chemicals.     

Was Mauritius really successful in banning plastic carry bags,after promulgation of the regulation prohibiting plastic bags usage?

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Plastic carry bags are increasingly seen as environmental hazards that threaten human and animal welfare, rather than being modern conveniences....     

Removal of Fe(III) using a polystyrene anchored Schiff base

Salicylaldehyde Schiff base of amino-methylated polystyrene has been developed as a novel reagent for the removal of Fe(III) from solutions. The selectivity of the metal ion uptake over a wide range of different concentrations of metal ion, effect of pH, ligand concentration and the influence of other foreign ions were studied. A very good selectivity was achieved for the removal of the ion. It was found that 0.01 g of the ligand was sufficient to achieve about 96% removal of the metal ion in terms of concentration (ppm) from a 30 ppm solution in acidic pH.