Leachability of elements from sub-bituminous coal fly ash from India

Environmental concerns regarding the potential contamination of soil, surface and ground water due to the presence of soluble metal species in the ash pond leachate is of great importance. Serial batch leaching was carried out simulating the rainwater condition of the study area to understand the behaviour of elements during leaching. The leachates were analysed for the elements Al, Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Si, As, Ba, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ti, V, Pb, Zn, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni and Cd by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). It was found that Cd, Co, Cr and Ni did not leach from the ash while Cu and Pb concentrations were insignificant in the leachate regardless of liquid to solid (L/S) ratio. Most of the elements showed maximum concentrations at lower L/S ratio and then decreased with increasing L/S. The total cumulative concentrations of As, Mn and Mo were found to be higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended values for drinking water while the concentrations of Fe, Mn and As exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations prescribed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The pre and the post leached ash samples were analysed for morphology, specific surface area and mineralogical changes. Analysis of post-leached fly ash indicated changes in the specific surface area and morphology but no change in mineralogy.     

The Status and Conservation of the Wolf in Gujarat and Rajasthan, India

Abstract: Populations of wolves were estimated for the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, India, based on interviews and surveys. The wolf range is continuous. The total number of wolves in Gujarat is between 190 and 270 and in Rajasthan is between 253 and 350. Recommendations for a wolf conservation strategy include: (1) encouraging public support and education, (2) enforcing legal protection, (3) paying compensation for wolf-killed livestock, (4) conducting surveys of wolf populations and research on the dynamics of select populations, (5) protecting breeding habitats, and (6) eradicating feral dogs from wolf conservation areas. It is not too late to save the wolf if such a conservation strategy is implemented immediately.     

Functional classification of swine manure management systems based on effluent and gas emission characteristics

Gaseous emissions from swine (Sus scrofa) manure storage systems represent a concern to air quality due to the potential effects of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, and volatile organic compounds on environmental quality and human health. The lack of knowledge concerning functional aspects of swine manure management systems has been a major obstacle in the development and optimization of emission abatement technologies for these point sources. In this study, a classification system based on gas emission characteristics and effluent concentrations of total phosphorus (P) and total sulfur (S) was devised and tested on 29 swine manure management systems in Iowa, Oklahoma, and North Carolina in an effort to elucidate functional characteristics of these systems. Four swine manure management system classes were identified that differed in effluent concentrations of P and S, methane (CH4) emission rate, odor intensity, and air concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Odor intensity and the concentration of VOCs in air emitted from swine manure management systems were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.88). The concentration of VOC in air samples was highest with outdoor swine manure management systems that received a high input of volatile solids (Type 2). These systems were also shown to have the highest odor intensity levels. The emission rate for VOCs and the odor intensity associated with swine manure management systems were inversely correlated with CH4 and ammonia (NH3) emission rates. The emission rates of CH4, NH3, and VOCs were found to be dependent upon manure loading rate and were indirectly influenced by animal numbers.     

Application of the Australian river bioassessment system (AUSRIVAS) in the Brantas River, East Java, Indonesia

Assessment of river 'health' using biological methods, particularly those based on macro-invertebrates, is now commonplace in most developed countries. However, this is not the case in most developing countries, where physical and chemical methods are used to assess water quality, with very little use of biological assessment methods. This paper reports on a project that aimed to assess the possible introduction of biological assessment of river condition using the Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS) into Indonesia. The paper addresses three components of the project: (1) science--does the bioassessment method work in this tropical region? (2) resources--are they adequate and if not what additional resources are needed? (3) politics--what needs to be done to convince the agencies (both central and provincial) to take up such a new philosophy and approach? A pilot study was run in the upper Brantas River, East Java. A total of 66 reference sites and 15 test sites were sampled and the macro-invertebrates collected were identified to family level. A rigorous quality-control protocol was introduced to ensure the data were reliable and reproducible. The macro-invertebrate data were used to develop a predictive model of the AUSRIVAS type for the upper Brantas River, and the model was then used to assess the 'health' of sites that were presumed to be damaged in this section of the river. A number of difficulties were experienced during the study, including: locating reference sites sufficiently unmodified by humans; lack of skills to identify animals collected; and a paucity of facilities required for aquatic macro-invertebrate identification (e.g. identification keys and good quality binocular microscopes). For resources, the major constraint to the introduction of a bioassessment capability in Indonesia is the lack of personnel trained in the bioassessment techniques. An 'on-the-job' training approach was adopted, largely because of the specialist nature of this work. Six Indonesians were trained and will now become the 'trainers' of further Indonesian scientists (we have called this process 'training-the-trainers'). For politics, it was hoped that the AUSRIVAS method would be suitable for introduction into the Indonesian national Clean River Program. A strategy was developed and implemented to ensure the method and its outputs were accepted technically by the Indonesian scientific community, and also by the resource managers and relevant government officials. Experience shows that if the latter do not see how the bioassessment information will be used for management purposes they will not accept the method even if it is scientifically sound.     

Worldwide Availability of Silver

This article summarizes and interprets estimates, by the US Bureau of Mines and others, of the availability of silver from primary and secondary sources in market economy countries. Despite conservative measurements, ample silver to support expansion of its use in industrial applications was found to exist. Supply from only portions of this resource base can be expected to respond to changes in silver demand, because factors other than price are the major determinant of the flow of silver from large segments of its resource base.     

Microspectrophotometric evidence for cone monochromacy in sharks

Sharks are apex predators, and their evolutionary success is in part due to an impressive array of sensory systems, including vision. The eyes of sharks are well developed and function over a wide range of light levels. However, whilst close relatives of the sharks—the rays and chimaeras—are known to have the potential for colour vision, an evolutionary trait thought to provide distinct survival advantages, evidence for colour vision in sharks remains equivocal. Using single-receptor microspectrophotometry, we measured the absorbance spectra of visual pigments located in the retinal photoreceptors of 17 species of shark. We show that, while the spectral tuning of the rod (wavelength of maximum absorbance, λ_max 484–518 nm) and cone (λ_max 532–561 nm) visual pigments varies between species, each shark has only a single long-wavelength-sensitive cone type. This suggests that sharks may be cone monochromats and, therefore, potentially colour blind. Whilst cone monochromacy on land is rare, it may be a common strategy in the marine environment: many aquatic mammals (whales, dolphins and seals) also possess only a single, green-sensitive cone type. It appears that both sharks and marine mammals may have arrived at the same visual design by convergent evolution. The spectral tuning of the rod and cone pigments of sharks is also discussed in relation to their visual ecology.     

Morphology and distribution of the ampullary electroreceptors in wobbegong sharks: implications for feeding behaviour

The electrosensory capabilities of wobbegong sharks are of particular interest, partly because very little is known about their behavioural ecology and specifically because of their unusual ambush predatory strategy and benthic lifestyle. While several biological functions of electroreception have been proposed, less consideration has been given to the functional significance of interspecific differences in the morphology and topographic distribution of the ampullary organs. The morphology of the ampullary organs was examined in four species of wobbegong shark, and the distribution of electroreceptive pores was mapped in two species. The ampullary systems of wobbegongs are similar in morphology to other marine elasmobranchs. The number of alveoli per ampullae is not significantly different between the four species; however, differences are seen between ampullary cell size in some species. Ampullary pore distribution patterns are relatively unique, with the majority of pores occurring on the dorsal region of the head. Wobbegongs feed primarily on demersal teleost fishes, and as the benthic and well-camouflaged wobbegong remains motionless, these fish could be easily detected by the dorsal pores when swimming within range.     

Testing the effectiveness of capture mark recapture population estimation techniques using a computer simulation with known population size

Estimation of small mammal population sizes is important for monitoring ecosystem condition and for conservation. Here, we test the accuracy of standard methods of population size estimation using Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) on a simulated population of agents. The use of a computer simulation allows complete control of population sizes and behaviors, thereby avoiding assumptions that may be violated in real populations. We find that the recommended protocol for CMR sampling, using uniformly distributed traps, consistently overestimates population sizes by as much as 100% when studies are conducted over only two trapping periods. More than 20 trapping periods are required before this method, or that of placing traps randomly, gives an accurate estimation of population size (i.e., within a 95% confidence limit of the actual value). Non-random sampling, by placing traps on runways used by small mammals, produces the most accurate, and least variable, estimates of population. However, we show that around 10 trapping periods are still required to produce an accurate population estimate using this method. Given that most real populations do not comply with the ‘ideal’ assumptions made by CMR, we suggest that population estimates based on CMR may be fundamentally flawed, and recommend that protocols for CMR population estimation methods may need revising.     

Comparing Contaminant Removal Costs for Aquifer Recharge with Wastewater with Water Supply Benefits

The use of waters of impaired quality has been suggested as a means to expand available water resources supply for water‐limited communities. An ongoing concern is the safety of supplies that use wastewater because of the potential for introduction of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals into drinking water supplies. Prior research into contaminants of emerging concerns (CECs) have included a variety of methods, but the only consistent removal is with reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, ultraviolet light (UV), and advanced oxidation processes (AOP). However, few of these prior studies have measurable quantities of these contaminants in the influent wastewater, so determining actual removal percentages is difficult. This project was designed to evaluate the removal of CECs to verify that a 3‐log removal of common constituents was realized. Spike testing was used to compare to prior research and to evaluate whether the project costs were competitive with other forms of reuse or other water supplies. The combination of RO/UV/AOP was effective at obtaining a 3‐log removal of CECs, but the RO and UV/AOP processes alone were not capable of removing all substances. However, despite the extensive treatment, the proposed process was both competitive cost‐wise and met the water quality goals.