Catalytic degradation of toxic organic dye using an aluminum-doped Cu0.4Zn0.6-xAlxFe2O4 (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) spinel ferrite in a photo-Fenton system

Catalytic activity of spinel ferrite in breaking down toxic dye materials are promising due to their uniqueness. In this study, aluminum-doped copper zinc ferrite, Cu_0.4Zn_0.6-xAl_xFe₂O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6), a catalyst for toxic dye degradation is synthesized through chemical co-precipitation route. The formation of the spinel ferrite catalyst is initially confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra, which shows the frequency of metal-oxygen bond vibration at 539 and 427 cm⁻¹ attributed to the tetrahedral and octahedral sites respectively. Higher intensity sharp peak of X-ray diffraction for (311) plane is the evidence for the phase purity and the formation of spinel ferrite. The crystallite size is found to decrease with the increase of Al³⁺ ion. The surface structure of the obtained particles is investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Analyses of the material's magnetic characteristics using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) revealed that it is, in fact, a soft magnet, as evidenced by the loop of its hysteresis, which is narrow. The catalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under the mechanism of the photo-Fenton process is studied with the obtained spinel ferrites and the result is found to be as high as 96.5%. The process follows pseudo-second order kinetics and the Langmuir isotherm.     

Changes in Hydrology of the Ganges Delta of Bangladesh and Corresponding Impacts on Water Resources

The Ganges Delta in Bangladesh is an example of water‐related catastrophes in a major rural river basin where limitations in quantity, quality, and timing of available water are producing disastrous conditions. Water availability limitations are modifying the hydrologic characteristics especially when water allocation is controlled from the upstream Farakka Barrage. This study presents the changes and consequences in the hydrologic regime due to climate‐ and human‐induced stresses. Flow duration curves (FDCs), rainfall elasticity, and temperature sensitivity were used to assess the pre‐ and post‐barrage water flow patterns. Hydrologic and climate indices were computed to provide insight on hydro‐climatic variability and trend. Significant increases in temperature, evapotranspiration, hot days, heating, and cooling degree days indicate the region is heading toward a warmer climate. Moreover, increase in high‐intensity rainfall of short duration is making the region prone to extreme floods. FDCs depict a large reduction in river flows between pre‐ and post‐barrage periods, resulting in lower water storage capacity. The reduction in freshwater flow increased the extent and intensity of salinity intrusion. This freshwater scarcity is reducing livelihood options considerably and indirectly forcing population migration from the delta region. Understanding the causes and directions of hydrologic changes is essential to formulate improve water resources management in the region.     

Arsenic in shallow aquifer in the eastern region of Bangladesh: insights from principal component analysis of groundwater compositions

Probable sources and mechanisms of arsenic (As) release in shallow aquifer in eastern Bangladesh are evaluated using statistical analysis of groundwater compositions. Dissolved As in 39 samples ranged from 8.05 to 341.5 μg/L with an average of 95.14 μg/L. Ninety seven percent of wells exceed the WHO limit (10 μg/L) for safe drinking water. Principal component analysis is applied to reduce 16 measured compositional variables to five significant components (principal components—PCs) that explain 86.63% of the geochemical variance. Two component loadings, namely PC 1 and PC 2 (45.31% and 23.05%) indicate the natural processes within the aquifers in which organic matter is a key reactant in the weathering reactions. Four groups of wells are defined by the PCA and each group of wells represents distinct physicochemical characteristics. Among them, group III groundwater shows higher As concentration together with high concentrations of Fe, Mn, dissolved organic carbon, $\text{PO}_{4}^{3-}$ and $\text{HCO}_{3}^{-}$ than groups I and II. Speciation calculations suggest that only wells of group III are saturated with respect to siderite, and all groups of samples are supersaturated with respect of rhodochrosite. The relationship of As with these parameters in the different groups of wells of the study area suggests that reductive dissolution of Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides with microbially mediated degradation of organic matter is considered to be the dominant processes to release As in groundwater.     

Comparative evaluation of a bioluminescent bacterial assay in terrestrial ecotoxicity testing

Despite the widespread and successful use of luminescence-based bioassays in water testing, their applications to soils and sediments is less proven. In part this is because such bioassays have mainly been carried out in an aqueous-based medium and, as such, favour contaminants that are readily water-soluble. In this study, aqueous solutions and soils contaminated with heavy metals (HM), polar organic contaminants and hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) were tested using a range of luminescence-based bioassays (Vibrio fischeri, Escherichia coli HB101 pUCD607 and Pseudomonas fluorescens 10586r pUCD607). For the first two chemical groups, the assays were highly reproducible when optimised extraction procedures were employed but for HOCs the bioassay response was poor. Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) obtained from aqueous solutions had a linear response although correlation for the chemicals tested using bacterial bioassays was significantly less sensitive than that of sublethal tests for Tetrahymena pyriformis. Bacterial and Dendrobaena veneta bioassay responses to extracts from HM amended soils showed that a clear relationship between trophic levels could be obtained. There is no doubt that the wide range of bioluminescent-based bioassays offers complementary applications to traditional testing techniques but there is a significant need to justify and optimise the extraction protocol prior to application.     

Impact assessment of pesticide residues in fish of Ganga river around Kolkata in West Bengal

An investigation was conducted from 2001 to 2005 for determining the residual concentration of five pesticides, viz., total-HCH, total-DDT, total-Endosulfan, Dimethoate and Malathion in fish samples collected from various points of the river Ganga. Fish samples were analyzed for pesticide residues using standard laboratory procedures by GC method. It was found that total-HCH concentration remains above the MRL values for maximum number of times in comparison to four other pesticides. The pesticide contamination to fish may be due to indiscriminate discharge of polluted and untreated sewage-sludge to the river. The pesticide contents in some places are alarming. Thus proper care, maintenance, treatment and disposal of sewage water and sludge are most vital and should be the prime thrust for the nation.     

Wastewater quality of natural gas fertilizer factory, Fenchuganj and water quality of Kushiara River at the down stream

The physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the wastewater of Natural Gas Fertilizer Factory Ltd. Fenchuganj, Sylhet were determined through extensive laboratory tests in the months of March, July, October and December of the year 2005. Concentration of Suspended Solids was within the range of 445 to 950 mg/L. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards for Suspended Solids is 100 mg/L. Suspended Solids were found above the limit in all the samples. Concentration of Dissolved Solids was found to vary from 576 to 1,456 mg/L. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards, for Dissolved Solids is 2,100 mg/L. Dissolved Solids were found within the limit. Concentration of BOD(5) was found to vary from 4.5 to 8.4 mg/L. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards for BOD(5) is 50 mg/L. For the year 2005, the BOD(5) was found below the limit in all the samples. Dissolved Oxygen of the wastewater was found to be between 2.0 to 3.0 mg/L, which do not satisfy the standard (4.5-8 mg/L). Oil and grease concentration were found in the range of 28 to 68 mg/L, whereas the standard is 10 mg/L for discharge into the inland surface water. In 2005, concentration of Cr(+ 6) was found to vary from 0.01 to 0.156 mg/L in the wastewater. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards, for Cr(+6) is 0.1 mg/L. The concentration of chromium was found above the limit in three samples. Concentration of NO(3) was found to vary from 4.5 to 15.2 mg/L in the wastewater. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards for nitrate is 10 mg/L. The nitrate was found above the limit in three samples. Maximum concentration of ammonia in lagoon 1 was found 1,710 mg/L in month of December. Bangladesh Industrial Effluent Standards for ammonia nitrogen is 100 mg/L. For the year 2005, the ammonia nitrogen was found above the limit in all samples.     

Physico‐mechanical and Flammability Properties of Cyrtostachys renda Fibers Reinforced Phenolic Resin Bio-composites

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of fiber length and loading on physico-mechanical and flammability properties of Cyrtostachys renda (CR)...     

Hybrid sensor for metal grade measurement of a falling stream of solid waste particles

A hybrid sensor system for accurate detection of the metal grade of a stream of falling solid waste particles is investigated and experimentally verified. The system holds an infrared and an electromagnetic unit around a central tube and counts all the particles and only the metal particles, respectively. The count ratio together with the measured average particle mass ratio (k) of non-metal and metal particles is sufficient for calculation of grade. The performance of the system is accurately verified using synthetic mixtures of sand and metal particles. Towards an application a case study is performed using municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash in size fractions 1-6mm, which presents a major challenge for nonferrous metal recovery. The particle count ratio was inherently accurate for particle feed rates up to 13 per second. The average value and spread of k for bottom ash was determined as 0.49 ± 0.07 and used to calculate grade within 2.4% from the manually analysed grade. At higher feed rates the sensors start missing particles which fall simultaneously through the central tube, but the hybrid system still counted highly repeatable. This allowed for implementation of a count correction ratio to eliminate the stationary error. In combination with averaging in measurement intervals for suppression of stochastic variations the hybrid system regained its accuracy for particle feed rates up to 143 per second. This performance and its special design, intended to render it insensitive to external interference and noise when applied in an eddy current separator, make the hybrid sensor suitable for applications such as quality control and sensor controlled separation.