The role of disinfectants and sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic: advantages and deleterious effects on humans and the environment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Disinfectants and sanitizers are essential preventive agents against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, the pandemic crisis...     

Agriculture,dairy and fishery farming practices and greenhouse gas emission footprint: a strategic appraisal for mitigation

Rising global population would force farmers to amplify food production substantially in upcoming 3–4 decades. The easiest way to increase grain production is through expanding cropping area by clearing uncultivated land. This is attained by permitting deadly loss of carbon (C) stocks, jeopardizing ecosystem biodiversity and deteriorating environmental quality. We aim to propose key agronomical tactics, livestock management strategy and advance approaches for aquaculture to increase productivity and simultaneously reduce the environmental impacts of farming sector. For this, we considered three major sectors of farming, i.e. agriculture, fishery and dairy. We collected literatures stating approaches or technologies that could reduce GHG emission from these sectors. Thereafter, we synthesized strategies or options that are more feasible and accessible for inclusion in farm sector to reduce GHG emission. Having comprehensively reviewed several publications, we propose potential strategies to reduce GHG emission. Agronomic practices like crop diversification, reducing summer fallow, soil organic carbon sequestration, tillage and crop residue management and inclusion of N2-fixing pulses in crop rotations are some of those. Livestock management through changing animals’ diets, optimal use of the gas produced from manures, frequent and complete manure removal from animal housing and aquaculture management strategies to improve fish health and improve feed conversion efficiency could reduce their GHG emission footprint too. Adapting of effective and economic practices GHG emission footprint reduction potential of farming sector could make farming sector a C neutral enterprise. To overcome the ecological, technological and institutional barriers, policy on trade, tax, grazing practice and GHG pricing should be implemented properly.     

Bioavailability and risk assessment of trace metals in sediments of a high-altitude eutrophic lake,Ooty, Tamil Nadu,India

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ooty lake, in the southern part of India, has raised huge concern about the role of metals in a lake due to increasing anthropogenic activities....     

An assessment of agricultural sustainability indicators in Bangladesh: review and synthesis

The term ‘indicator’ is often vague and heterogeneous, and its dynamic characteristics make it highly variable over time and space. Based on reviews and synthesis, this study visualizes phenomena and highlights the trend of indicator selection criteria, development methods, validation evaluation strategies for improvement. In contextualization of the intensification of agriculture and climate change, we proposed a set of indicators for assessing agricultural sustainability in Bangladesh based on theoretically proposed and practically applied indicators by researchers. Also, this article raises several issues of indicator system development and presents a summary after due consideration. Finally, we underline multi-stakeholders’ participation in agricultural sustainability assessment.     

Optimal renewable resource management in the presence of endogenous risk of invasion

In this paper we examine the optimal management of a renewable resource that is at risk from alien species invasion. The objective of this paper is to derive implications for optimal management of a resource when options exist for both preventing the arrival of an invasive species and mitigating the impact of that arrival. Uncertainty about the timing and nature of an invasion can have important implications for the choice of management strategy, and a key feature of this analysis is an explicit treatment of that uncertainty.     

应用卫星图像评价尼泊尔的创造性森林经营策略

现迫切需要确定那些对森林覆盖率变化有显著影响的森林经营制度.这个研究提出了初步的"概念依据"方法论,它把毁林理论与卫星图像变化分析结合起来鉴定理论上也许不存在的林区.通过对尼泊尔Chitwan地区陆地卫星TM图像时间分析,结合道路地理信息系统以及对地形的目视估计,鉴定出10个这样的森林异相.再通过快速野外调查,确定哪一个异相出现有用的创新性森林经营.根据这个信息,选择了一个实地作详细的野外调查.通过这一项分析,我们发现这是一个重要的社区林和生态旅游的项目.此前我们并不知其存在.文章对这种方法在监测森林覆盖变化的应用的价值和局限进行了描述.     

Using satellite imagery to locate innovative forest management practices in Nepal

There is a critical need to locate innovative forest management institutions that significantly impact forest cover change. This research presents an initial "proof of concept" methodology which combines deforestation theory with satellite image change analysis to identify forested areas that, theoretically, should probably not be there. Ten such "forest anomalies" are identified using temporal analysis of Landsat TM imagery of the Chitwan district in Nepal, linked with a GIS database on roads and a visual estimation of topography. A rapid field reconnaissance is undertaken to determine which of these anomalies exhibit interesting forest management innovations. Based on this information, one case is selected for detailed field study: this turns out to be a major case of community forestry and a premier ecotourism initiative that we were not aware of until we undertook this analysis. The utility and limitations of the method are described for monitoring trends in forest cover change.     

Sensitive spectrophotometric methods for the assessment of nitrite in water sample

Two spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of nitrite using dapsone (DAP) with alpha-naphthol and 4-amino-5-hydroxynapthalene-2,7-disulphonic acid monosodium salt (AHNDMS) as chromogenic reagents with maximum absorbance wavelength at 540 and 520 nm respectively. For the method that utilizes dapsone with alpha-naphthol (DAP-alpha-naphthol), the beer's law range is obeyed between 0.05-0.8 microg ml(-1) with molar absorptivity of 5.749 x 104 l mol(-1) cm(-1). The second method that uses dapsone with AHNDMS (DAP-AHNDMS), the beer's law is valid over the range 0.2-1.4 mug ml(-1) and molar absorptivity 2.44 x 104 l mol(-1) cm(-1). The common interfering ions in the analytical procedures have been studied. This proposed methods are reliable, reproducible and have been successfully applied to determine nitrite in various water sources of environmental interest.     

Biosynthesis of (S)-1-(1-naphthyl) ethanol by microbial ketoreductase

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - (S)-1-(1-naphthyl) ethanol (SNE) is a chiral drug intermediate for the production of mevinic acid analog, a potent cholesterol agent. It acts as an...     

Forest-based biomass supply potential and economics for the pellet production in Nepal

In the current study, the potential of forest-based biomass supply for the pellet production in Nepal is investigated. This study showed that about 2.76 million tonnes (Mt) biomass in the form of pellets are potentially available from forest-based biomass. Considering a processing capacity of 6 tonnes (t)/hr of a pellet plant, the production cost of the pellets was calculated to be $43.53/t. Pellets are generally used as fuel to produce thermal energy in industries, which helps to save the economy and the environment of the country.