Effect of crude oil contamination on the chlorophyll content and morpho-anatomy of Cyperus brevifolius (Rottb.) Hassk

Chlorophyll plays a pivotal role in the plant physiology and its productivity. Cultivation of plants in crude oil contaminated soil has a great impact on the synthesis of chlorophyll pigment. Morpho-anatomy of the experimental plant also shows structural deformation in higher concentrations. Keeping this in mind, a laboratory investigation has been carried out to study the effect of crude oil on chlorophyll content and morpho-anatomy of Cyperus brevifolius plant. Fifteen-day-old seedling of the plant was planted in different concentrations of the crude oil mixed soil (i.e., 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, and 50,000 ppm). A control setup was also maintained without adding crude oil. Results were recorded after 6 months of plantation. Investigation revealed that there is a great impact of crude oil contamination on chlorophyll content of the leaves of the experimental plant. It also showed that chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content of leaves grown in different concentrations of crude oil were found to be lower than those of the control plant. Further, results also demonstrated that chlorophyll content was lowest in the treatment that received maximum dose of crude oil. It also showed that chlorophyll content was decreased with increased concentration of crude oil. Results also demonstrated that there was a reduction in plant shoot and root biomass with the increase of crude oil concentration. Results also revealed that the shoot biomass is higher than root biomass. Morphology and anatomy of the experimental plant also show structural deformation in higher concentrations. Accumulation of crude oil on the cuticle of the transverse section of the leaves and shoot forms a thick dark layer. Estimation of the level of pollution in an environment due to oil spill is possible by the in-depth study of the harmful effects of oil on the morphology and anatomy and chlorophyll content of the plants grown in that particular environment.     

Effect of operational parameters on heavy metal removal by electrocoagulation

In the present paper, the performance of electrocoagulation (EC) for the treatability of mixed metals (chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)) from metal plating industrial wastewater (EPW) has been investigated. The study mainly focused on the affecting parameters of EC process, such as electrode material, initial pH, distance between electrodes, electrode size, and applied voltage. The pH 8 is observed to be the best for metal removal. Fe–Fe electrode pair with 1-cm inter-electrode distance and electrode surface area of 40 cm² at an applied voltage of 8 V is observed to more efficient in the metal removal. Experiments have shown that the maximum removal percentage of the metals like Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, and Pb are reported to be 96.2, 96.4, 99.9, 98, and 99.5 %, respectively, at a reaction time of 30 min. Under optimum conditions, the energy consumption is observed to be 51.40 kWh/m³. The method is observed to be very effective in the removal of metals from electroplating effluent.     

Persistence of fipronil and its metabolites in soil under field conditions

Fipronil belongs to phenylpyrazole class of chemical compounds. Degradation of fipronil in sandy loam soil was investigated under field conditions by applying fipronil (Regent 5 % SC) at 50 (T ₁) and 100 g a.i. ha^?1 (T ₂) in field. Samples were drawn periodically in triplicate on 0 (1 h after treatment), 1, 3, 7, 10, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days after treatment and analyzed on GC-ECD system equipped with capillary column. The residues of fipronil in both the doses dissipated in the range of 93.33–100 % in 90 days. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of determination (LODe/LOQ) were 0.0003 and 0.001 mg kg^?1, respectively. Dissipation followed a biphasic first-order kinetics with half-life values of 10.81 and 9.97 days for fipronil alone and 8.14 and 13.05 days for fipronil along with metabolites in soil at (T ₁) and (T ₂) treatments, respectively.     

Analysis of uranium and its correlation with some physico-chemical properties of drinking water samples from Amritsar, Punjab

Fission track technique has been used for uranium estimation in drinking water samples collected from some areas of Amritsar District, Punjab, India. The uranium concentration in water samples is found to vary from 3.19 to 45.59 microg l(-1). Some of the physico-chemical properties such as pH, conductance and hardness and the content of calcium, magnesium, total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium, potassium, chloride, nitrate and heavy metals viz. zinc, cadmium, lead and copper have been determined in water samples. An attempt has been made to correlate uranium concentration with these water quality parameters. A positive correlation of conductance, nitrate, chloride, sodium, potassium, magnesium, TDS, calcium and hardness with uranium concentration has been observed. However, no correlation has been observed between the concentration of uranium and the heavy metals analysed.     

Impacts of microwave pretreatments on the semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of dairy waste activated sludge

Microwave (MW) irradiation is one of the new and possible methods used for pretreating the sludge. Following its use in different fields, this MW irradiation method has proved to be more appropriate in the field of environmental research. In this paper, we focused on the effects of MW irradiation at different intensities on solubilization, biodegradation and anaerobic digestion of sludge from the dairy sludge. The changes in the soluble fractions of the organic matter, the biogas yield, the methane content in the biogas were used as control parameters for evaluating the efficiency of the MW pretreatment. Additionally, the energetic efficiency was also examined. In terms of an energetic aspect, the most economical pretreatment of sludge was at 70% intensity for 12 min irradiation time. At this, COD solubilization, SS reduction and biogas production were found to be 18.6%, 14% and 35% higher than the control, respectively. Not only the increase in biogas production was investigated, excluding protein and carbohydrate hydrolysis was also performed successfully by this microwave pretreatment even at low irradiation energy input. Also, experiments were carried out in semi continuous anaerobic digesters, with 3.5 L working volume. Combining microwave pretreatment with anaerobic digestion led to 67%, 64% and 57% of SS reduction, VS reduction and biogas production higher than the control, respectively.     

Toward systemic campus sustainability: gauging dimensions of sustainable development via a motivational and perception-based approach

Universities have long borne an influential role in sustainability. Nonetheless, the affinity toward eclectic and piecemeal practices has been addressed as oxymoron to the essence of sustainable development, and the need to hone campus members’ buy-in is credited to be cardinal for systemic transformation. Major attributes for systemic campus sustainability are identified, incorporated, and proposed via a conceptual model. Those attributes are key sustainable development areas as well as perception and motivation on the topics that must be taken into consideration by universities to be able to adhere to a more pragmatic and inclusive sustainable development. Thus, the central intent of the authors is to offer a mechanism which may facilitate as well as elevate systemic campus sustainability. An extensive review of the literature in the area of sustainability, perception, and motivation is conducted, which includes articles, journals, conference proceedings, university reports, books, and materials from websites. By extracting and integrating crucial constituents of sustainable development from various studies, this paper contributes to the existing literature on sustainable development providing an input to the implementation of systemic campus sustainability.     

Assessment of temporal variation in water quality of some important rivers in middle Gangetic plains, India

The study explains water quality of three important tributaries of the Ganga River in the middle Gangetic plains in India. Seasonal changes in the water quality of the studied rivers: Gandak, Ghaghra, and Sone were observed. During monsoon, several water quality parameters show considerable changes due to increased runoff from the catchments and other seasonal factors. Multivariate discriminant analysis delineated a few parameters responsible for temporal variation in water quality. Seasonal variation in water quality of the Gandak River was rendered by seven parameters??turbidity, sulfate, pH, phosphate, water temperature, total alkalinity, and sodium, while total alkalinity and water temperature were responsible for seasonal discrimination in water quality of Ghaghra River. Water temperature, turbidity, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, calcium, and phosphate were important for seasonal discrimination in water quality of Sone River. The seasonal changes in water quality of the rivers were due to seasonal effects and catchment characteristics. The discriminant functions classified most of the cases correctly.     

Comparative in vitro metabolism of chloroxylenol,chlorophene, and triclosan with rat,mouse, and human hepatic microsomes

A number of studies have reported the presence of chlorinated phenols, commonly used as antiseptics, in the environment. Chloroxylenol, chlorophene, and triclosan are three such chemicals believed to have leached into water supplies through the wastewater treatment facilities. Understanding how these compounds are metabolized is important in determining the risks of chemical exposure. In this study, we compared the in vitro metabolism of these three chlorinated phenols with rat, mouse, and human liver microsomes. The structures of the metabolites formed during the microsomal reactions were identical when rat, mouse, and human liver extracts were used, but variations existed in the kinetics of the reactions.     

The development of a movement-density relationship for people going on four in evacuation

Occupant movement in evacuation models has been simulated and predicted based on a number of variables, including crowd density. This study investigates the relationship between crowd density and occupant crawling movement, as a physical response to environmental conditions in fire. It is an attempt to generate the fundamental speed-density relationship that has been developed for walking movement. This is conducted by examining the impact of population size and exit access width on crowd walking and crawling speeds on a flat surface. The findings of the study suggest that exit access width has a significant impact, whereas occupant configuration (population size) plays less of a factor. The results further demonstrate that there is a significant difference in the crawling speed given the exit access width available, due to the secondary effect of crowd density. The relationship between crowd crawling speed and density is best represented by a quadratic regression model. The study concludes with the need to continuously develop new predictive movement methods, or enhance existing ones in order to cope with the level of detail required to ensure occupant safety and model complexity.