Inactivation of coliform bacteria in Black Sea waters due to solar radiation

The effects of solar radiation and temperature on bacterial die-off rates in Black Sea coastal waters using total coliform as the indicator organism were studied. Coliform die-off experiments were carried out in seawater samples collected along the coastline. The experiments were conducted in beakers filled with seawater that were kept at constant temperatures and exposed to solar radiation. The membrane filter technique was used for the coliform analysis. Temperature ranging between 9 and 26 degrees C and solar radiation between 20 and 60 cal/cm(2) h were tested. Experiments in the dark were also conducted to isolate the effect of solar radiation from the other factors and, furthermore, to determine the effect of temperature on bacterial die-off. The solar radiation was found to be the most significant factor affecting the mortality of coliform bacteria.     

Three Egyptian industrial wastewater management programmes

A pre-treatment programme for wastewater from factories, representing three main industrial sectors in Egypt, has been developed. The first case study was a factory producing potato-chips. Wastewater discharged from this factory was characterized by high values of BOD, SS and oil and grease (6000 mgO₂ l^–1, 6577 mg l^–1 and 119 mg l^–1 respectively). Chemical treatment using lime and lime aided by polyelectrolyte achieved good results. Residual values of BOD and SS after treatment were 97 mg l^–1 and 49 mg l^–1, respectively. Oil and grease concentrations were reduced by 91 percent. Treatment via activated sludge at a detention time of 4 hrs produced good quality effluent. The second case study was an automobile company, representing the metal finishing industry. Analyses of wastewater samples from the degreasing, phosphating and painting departments, as well as the end-of-pipe effluent were conducted. The end-of-pipe effluent contained high concentrations of oil and grease (366 mg l^–1), phosphorous (111 mg l^–1) and zinc (81 mg l^–1). Chemical treatment of end-of-pipe wastewater using ferric chloride aided by lime, produced high quality effluent. The third sector was the chemical industry. For this purpose a paint factory was selected. Characteristics of raw wastewater varied widely according to the production rate. Average values of COD and BOD were 1950 mg l^–1 and 683 mg l^–1. Oil and grease ranged from 63 to 1624 mg l^–1. Chemical treatment using ferric chloride in combination with lime at the optimum operating conditions achieved good results. Residual values after treatment of COD, BOD and oil and grease reached 120, 36 and 8.6 mg l^–1, respectively. An engineering design for each case study has been prepared.     

Bioconversion of sugarcane bagasse into a protein-rich product by white rot fungus

The fungus Pleurotus ostreatus NRRL-2366 degraded 56.7% and 45.9% of untreated and chemically pretreated (delignified) sugarcane bagasse, respectively, during 14-day incubation in a submerged fermentation process. The biodegradation percentages of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin were 33.0%, 72.5% and 14.5%, respectively. An increment of 22.6% of crude protein content in the residual fermented material was observed. Chemical composition of the end-product and its amino acids profile were reported.     

Effects of Rainfall and Ground‐Water Pumping on Streamflow in Mākaha,O’ahu,Hawai’i1

Abstract: Land‐use/land‐cover changes in Mākaha valley have included the development of agriculture, residential dwellings, golf courses, potable water supply facilities, and the introduction of alien species. The impact of these changes on surface water and ground water resources in the valley is of concern. In this study, streamflow, rainfall, and ground‐water pumping data for the upper part of the Mākaha valley watershed were evaluated to identify corresponding trends and relationships. The results of this study indicate that streamflow declined during the ground‐water pumping period. Mean and median annual streamflow have declined by 42% (135 mm) and 56% (175 mm), respectively, and the mean number of dry stream days per year has increased from 8 to 125. Rainfall across the study area appears to have also declined though it is not clear whether the reduction in rainfall is responsible for all or part of the observed streamflow decline. Mean annual rainfall at one location in the study area declined by 14% (179 mm) and increased by 2% (48 mm) at a second location. Further study is needed to assess the effect of ground‐water pumping and to characterize the hydrologic cycle with respect to rainfall, infiltration, ground‐water recharge and flow in the study area, and stream base flow and storm flow.     

Shifting regime shifted policy—interplay of interests in sustainability discourses of forest land use

This study investigates the influence of policy interests on resource sustainability. Information on ‘colonial interest’ of the British regime and the ‘commercial interest’ of the post-colonial regimes on forest land use of Bangladesh have been drawn on to show the interplay of interests on sustainability impacts. The findings show that both colonial and commercial interests have caused intensification of forest land use for production of economic crops like teak (Tectona grandis) and cash crops like tea (Camellia sinensis), cotton (Gossypium herbaceum and G. arboreum) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The ‘colonial interest’ has also initiated the dispute of ownership, rights and tenure of forest land and resources. The post-colonial regimes have utilized colonial legacy as the privilege for implementing ‘commercial interests’. In both the cases traditional interests of people were disregarded. As a result, peoples’ participation in forestry was discouraged and the sustainability of forest land use was impeded.     

Water resources management strategy for adaptation to droughts in China

Water Scarcity and drought are recurrent phenomena in China. In the context of environmental change, an increasing tendency in drought frequency and severity is observed in China in recent years. Therefore, it is imperative to take necessary initiatives to reduce the impacts of drought. In this paper, an attempt is made to identify the best water management strategies to cope with droughts. For this objective the records of historical droughts and their impacts in China over the period of 1950?C2009 are analyzed. It is observed that the drought affected area has increased nearly by 12 folds and the drought damaged area has increased by about 22 times in China in last 60?years. Over 87,000 reservoirs were built with a total water storage capacity of about 7,064 billion m³ to cope with droughts. However, this structural supply-based management strategy was not enough to meet the increasing water demand caused by rapid economic development and population growth. A typical relationship between socio-economic development and water resources management strategy to attain sustainability in water management is developed in this study. The relationship shows that the demand-side water management strategies can be the best option to meet the challenges posed by increased severity of drought, population growth, economic development and possible climate change. The concept is later verified through the analysis of changing pattern of water consumptions by different sectors in last 60?years.     

Are bioplastics an ecofriendly alternative to fossil fuel plastics?

Environmental Chemistry Letters - More than 390 million tons of fossil fuel plastics have been produced in 2022, and plastic pollution has become a major health issue for humans and ecosytems....     

Failure case studies of SA213-T22 steel tubes of boiler through computer simulations

Increased temperature and decreased hardness values of the tube metal and development of oxide scale on the inner surface of boiler tubes over prolonged period of time are typical problems in power plants. Appropriate life assessments or condition monitoring of boiler tube should be carried out from time to time. Computer simulations may economically support the post-failure assessment method, i.e. visual inspections, metallurgical examinations and mechanical strength measurements. However, estimations obtained from the simulations may provide an advanced warning to take preventive actions prior to failure. In this work two failure cases of the reheater and superheater tubes made of a typical material of SA213-T22 steel are evaluated. As the oxide scales are increasingly developed on the inner surface, the increasing of temperature and decreasing of hardness value in tube metal for both cases are determined. The remnant life estimations are then made in the form of creep cumulative damages.     

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RAINFALL OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA1

requency evaluation and spatial characterization of rainfall in Central and South Florida are presented. Point frequency analysis performed at all available sites has shown that the 2‐parameter Gamma probability density function is the best model for monthly rainfall frequency over Central and South Florida. The model's parameters estimated at 145 stations were used to provide monthly rainfall estimates for 10‐ and 100‐year dry and wet return periods. Experimental and theoretical variograms computed for these estimates, as well as the Kriging estimation variance maps, show that the existing rain gage network is less capable of resolving monthly rainfall variation in the wet season than the dry season. May is the dry‐to‐wet transition month, while October is the wet‐to‐dry transition month with average rainfall of 4.5 inches. Monthly average rainfall is above 7 inches during the wet season and below 3 inches during the dry season. Two‐thirds of the annual rainfall is accumulated in the wet season. Annual average rainfall is maximum (above 60 inches) in many areas along the east coast, and is minimum (below 45 inches) in many areas over Lake Okee‐chobee and Central Florida. Rainfall maps show a changing pattern between the wet and the dry seasons. Frontal rainfall occurs in the dry season, while convective rainfall, tropical depression, and hurricanes occur in the wet season. Average rainfall is higher along the east coast area in the dry season and it is higher along the west coast area in the wet season.     

Post-disaster resettlement, development and change: a case study of the 1990 Manjil earthquake in Iran

Planned and involuntary resettlement after natural disasters has been a major policy in post-disaster reconstruction in developing countries over the past few decades. Studies show that resettlement can result in significant adverse impacts on the resettled population. Conversely, a well-planned and managed resettlement process can produce positive long-term development outcomes. This article presents the results of a case study undertaken 11 years after the 1990 Manjil earthquake in Iran. During the reconstruction period, a policy of involuntary planned resettlement was pursued extensively. The socioeconomic changes that occurred as a consequence of this policy of involuntary resettlement are analysed. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey that involved a sample of 194 relocated households (grouped into a settlement that later became a town). The paper shows that relocated families face difficult socioeconomic challenges after relocation and regrouping. This is especially true with respect to employment, income, the empowerment of women and lifestyle issues.