Effect of slow release nitrogenous fertilizers and biochar on growth,physiology, yield,and nitrogen use efficiency of sunflower under arid climate

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sunflower plants need nitrogen consistently and in higher amount for optimum growth and development. However, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of...     

Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia

Introduction. Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration from grass-cutting machines has been associated with increasing occurrences of symptoms and signs of occupational diseases related to hand–arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out using an adopted HAVS questionnaire on hand–arm vibration exposure and symptoms distributed to 168 male workers from the grass and turf maintenance industry who use hand-held grass-cutting machines as part of their work. The prevalence ratio and symptom correlation to HAVS between high and low–moderate exposure risk groups were evaluated. Results. There were positive HAVS symptoms relationships between the low–moderate exposure group and the high exposure group among hand-held grass-cutting workers. The prevalence ratio was considered high because there were indicators that fingers turned white and felt numb, 3.63, 95% CI [1.41, 9.39] and 4.24, 95% CI [2.18, 8.27], respectively. Less than 14.3% of workers stated that they were aware of the occupational hand–arm vibration, and it seemed to be related to the finger blanching and numbness. Conclusion. The results suggest that HAVS is under-diagnosed in Malaysia, especially in the agricultural sectors. More information related to safety and health awareness programmes for HAVS exposure is required among hand-held grass-cutting workers.     

Polymeric Nanocomposite-Based Herbicide of Carboxymethyl Cellulose Coated-Zinc/Aluminium Layered Double Hydroxide-Quinclorac: A Controlled Release Purpose for Agrochemicals

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this work, the use of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is highlighted in enhancing the controlled release behaviour of zinc/aluminium layered double...     

Use of waste gypsum to replace natural gypsum as set retarders in portland cement

The present study is focused on clarifying the influence of waste gypsum (WG) in replacing natural gypsum (NG) in the production of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). WG taken from slip casting moulds in a ceramic factory was formed from the hydration of plaster of paris. Clinker and 3–5 wt% of WG was ground in a laboratory ball mill to produce cement waste gypsum (CMWG). The same procedure was repeated with NG to substitute WG to prepare cement natural gypsum (CMNG). The properties of NG and WG were investigated via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)/thermogravimetric (TG) to evaluate the properties of CMNG and CMWG. The mechanical properties of cement were tested in terms of setting time, flexural and compressive strength. The XRD result of NG revealed the presence of dihydrate while WG contained dihydrate and hemihydrate. The content of dihydrate and hemihydrates were obtained via DSC/TG, and the results showed that WG and NG contained 12.45% and 1.61% of hemihydrate, respectively. Furthermore, CMWG was found to set faster than CMNG, an average of 15.29% and 13.67% faster for the initial and final setting times, respectively. This was due to the presence of hemihydrate in WG. However, the values obtained for flexural and compressive strength were relatively the same for CMNG and CMWG. Therefore, this result provides evidence that WG can be used as an alternative material to NG in the production of OPC.     

Assessment of organochlorine pesticides and plasticisers in the Selangor River basin and possible pollution sources

A study on the quality of water abstracted for potable use was conducted in the Selangor River basin from November 2008 to July 2009. Seven sampling sites representing the intake points of water treatment plants in the basin were selected to determine the occurrence and level of 15 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), six phthalate esters (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA). Results indicated OCPs were still detected regularly in 66.1 % of the samples with the Σ₁₅OCPs ranging from 0.6–25.2 ng/L. The first data on PAEs contamination in the basin revealed Σ₆PAEs concentrations were between 39.0 and 1,096.6 ng/L with a median concentration of 186.0 ng/L while BPA concentration ranged from <1.2 to 120.0 ng/L. Although di-n-butyl phthalate was detected in all the samples, concentrations of di-ethyl(hexyl)phthalate were higher. Sampling sites located downstream recorded the highest concentrations, together with samples collected during the dry season. Comparison of the detected contaminants with the Department of Environment Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI) showed some agreement between the concentration and the current classification of stream water. While the results suggest that the sites were only slightly polluted and suitable to be used as drinking water source, its presence is cause for concern especially to the fragile firefly “Pteroptyx tener” ecosystem located further downstream.     

Multivariate analysis of accumulation and critical risk analysis of potentially hazardous elements in forage crops

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment - Few estuaries remain unaffected by water management and altered freshwater deliveries. The Caloosahatchee River Estuary is a perfect case study for...     

Institutional isomorphism and environmental sustainability: a new framework from the Shariah perspective

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Islam emphasizes the importance of environmental care, as prescribed in its primary sources of Shariah, the Quran and the authenticated actions and...     

Optimization of co-digestion of various industrial sludges for biogas production and sludge treatment: Methane production potential experiments and modeling

Optimal biogas production and sludge treatment were studied by co-digestion experiments and modeling using five different wastewater sludges generated from paper, chemical, petrochemical, automobile, and food processing industries situated in Ulsan Industrial Complex, Ulsan, South Korea. The biomethane production potential test was conducted in simplex-centroid mixture design, fitted to regression equation, and some optimal co-digestion scenarios were given by combined desirability function based multi-objective optimization technique for both methane yield and the quantity of sludge digested. The co-digestion model incorporating main and interaction effects among sludges were utilized to predict the maximum possible methane yield. The optimization routine for methane production with different industrial sludges in batches were repeated with the left-over sludge of earlier cycle, till all sludges have been completely treated. Among the possible scenarios, a maximum methane yield of 1161.53 m³ is anticipated in three batches followed by 1130.33 m³ and 1045.65 m³ in five and two batches, respectively. This study shows a scientific approach to find a practical solution to utilize diverse industrial sludges in both treatment and biogas production perspectives.     

A review on advantages of implementing luminescence inhibition test (Vibrio fischeri) for acute toxicity prediction of chemicals

Evaluation of biological effects using a rapid, sensitive and cost effective method can indicate specific information on toxicity/ecotoxicity. Since assays based on animals, plants and algae are expensive, time consuming and require large sample volume, recent studies have emphasized the benefits of rapid, reproducible and cost effective bacterial assays for toxicity screening and assessment. This review focuses on a bacterial assay, i.e., Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition assay, which is often chosen as the first test in a test battery based on speed and cost consideration. The test protocol is simple and was originally applied for aqueous phase samples or extracts. The versatility of the assay has increased with subsequent modification, i.e., the kinetic assay for turbid and colored samples and the solid phase test for analyzing sediment toxicity. Researchers have reported the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence assay as the most sensitive across a wide range of chemicals compared to other bacterial assays such as nitrification inhibition, respirometry, ATP luminescence and enzyme inhibition. This assay shows good correlations with other standard acute toxicity assays and is reported to detect toxicity across a wide spectrum of toxicants.