Carbon emissions from the peat fire problem—a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Peat fires in tropical peatland release a substantial amount of carbon into the environment and cause significant harm to peatlands and the ecology,...     

Assessment of cytotoxicity and toxicity for phosphonium-based deep eutectic solvents

In this work, the cytotoxicity and toxicity of phosphonium-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with three hydrogen bond donors, namely glycerine, ethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol were investigated. The cytotoxicity effect was tested using brine shrimp (Artemia salina). The toxicity was investigated using the two Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, and two Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cytotoxicity of tested DESs was much higher than that of their individual components, indicating their toxicological behavior was different. It was also found that there was toxic effect on the studied bacteria, indicating their potential application as anti-bacterial agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the cytotoxicity and toxicity of phosphonium-based DESs were studied.     

Promising role of plant hormones in translocation of lead in Sesbania drummondii shoots

Lead (Pb) accumulation in Sesbania drummondii shoots was enhanced by 654 and 415% in the presence of 100 microM IAA and 100 microM NAA, respectively, compared to control plants (Pb alone). However, when IAA or NAA was added along with EDTA, Pb accumulation further increased in shoots by 1349% and 1252%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopic observations revealed that Pb particles in both leaf and stem of Pb+EDTA+IAA and Pb+EDTA+NAA treated plants were concentrated in the region of vascular bundles. In root tissue, Pb particles were present between epidermis to stele region. Plant growth in both treatments (Pb+100 microM IAA and Pb+100 microM NAA) was comparable to control plants; however, it was significantly inhibited in the treatments containing Pb+EDTA and EDTA at concentrations of 10 microM of IAA or NAA. Moreover, the photosynthetic efficiency and strength of the treated plants were not affected in the presence of IAA or NAA and EDTA.     

Evaluation of the giant reed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arundo donax</Emphasis>) in horizontal subsurface flow wetlands for the treatment of recirculating aquaculture system effluent

Introduction

Two emergent macrophytes, Arundo donax and Phragmites australis, were established in experimental subsurface flow, gravel-based constructed wetlands (CWs) receiving untreated recirculating aquaculture system wastewater.

Materials and methods

The hydraulic loading rate was 3.75 cm day^?1. Many of the monitored water quality parameters (biological oxygen demand [BOD], total suspended solids [TSS], total phosphorus [TP], total nitrogen [TN], total ammoniacal nitrogen [TAN], nitrate nitrogen [NO₃], and Escherichia coli) were removed efficiently by the CWs, to the extent that the CW effluent was suitable for use on human food crops grown for raw produce consumption under Victorian state regulations and also suitable for reuse within aquaculture systems.

Results and discussion

The BOD, TSS, TP, TN, TAN, and E. coli removal in the A. donax and P. australis beds was 94%, 67%, 96%, 97%, 99.6%, and effectively 100% and 95%, 87%, 95%, 98%, 99.7%, and effectively 100%, respectively, with no significant difference (p?>?0.007) in performance between the A. donax and P. australis CWs. In this study, as expected, the aboveground yield of A. donax top growth (stems + leaves) (15.0?±?3.4 kg wet weight) was considerably more than the P. australis beds (7.4?±?2.8 kg wet weight). The standing crop produced in this short (14-week) trial equates to an estimated 125 and 77 t ?ha^?1 year^?1 biomass (dry weight) for A. donax and P. australis, respectively (assuming that plant growth is similar across a 250-day (September–April) growing season and a single-cut, annual harvest).

Conclusion

The similarity of the performance of the A. donax- and P. australis-planted beds indicates that either may be used in horizontal subsurface flow wetlands treating aquaculture wastewater, although the planting of A. donax provides additional opportunities for secondary income streams through utilization of the energy-rich biomass produced.

     

TiO2 nanoparticles potentiated the cytotoxicity,oxidative stress and apoptosis response of cadmium in two different human cells

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Widespread application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) and ubiquitous cadmium (Cd) pollution may increase their chance of co-existence in...     

Fuzzy rule-based modelling for human health risk from naturally occurring radioactive materials in produced water

Produced water, discharged from offshore oil and gas operations, contains chemicals from formation water, condensed water, and any chemical added down hole or during the oil/water separation process. Although, most of the contaminants fall below the detection limits within a short distance from the discharge port, a few of the remaining contaminants including naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) are of concern due to their bioavailability in the media and bioaccumulation characteristics in finfish and shellfish species used for human consumption. In the past, several initiatives have been taken to model human health risk from NORM in produced water. The parameters of the available risk assessment models are imprecise and sparse in nature. In this study, a fuzzy possibilistic evaluation using fuzzy rule based modeling has been presented. Being conservative in nature, the possibilistic approach considers possible input parameter values; thus provides better environmental prediction than the Monte Carlo (MC) calculation. The uncertainties of the input parameters were captured with fuzzy triangular membership functions (TFNs). Fuzzy if-then rules were applied for input concentrations of two isotopes of radium, namely (226)Ra, and (228)Ra, available in produced water and bulk dilution to evaluate the radium concentration in fish tissue used for human consumption. The bulk dilution was predicted using four input parameters: produced water discharge rate, ambient seawater velocity, depth of discharge port and density gradient. The evaluated cancer risk shows compliance with the regulatory guidelines; thus minimum risk to human health is expected from NORM components in produced water.     

Institutional isomorphism and environmental sustainability: a new framework from the Shariah perspective

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Islam emphasizes the importance of environmental care, as prescribed in its primary sources of Shariah, the Quran and the authenticated actions and...     

Decision support model to select crop pattern for sustainable agricultural practices using fuzzy MCDM

The crop pattern has a significant impact on the feasibility of sustainable agricultural practices. Selected crop pattern influences environmental and economic condition and affects sustainability profoundly in agricultural practices. Hence, a careful intervention is required in the selection of an optimal crop pattern for sustainable agricultural practices. Selection of a particular set of crop pattern depends on many criteria that may vary from place to place thus pose challenges in deciding an optimum crop pattern. The present research focuses on the crop selection pattern in Indian environment that considers comprehensive criteria related to sustainable farming practices. Based on the in-depth review of the literature and experts opinion, comprehensive criteria related to sustainable farming practices for Ravi season crop are identified. Total twelve criteria covering socioeconomic conditions, soil and water conditions, environmental and climatic conditions are earmarked and taken into account for eight most commonly grown crops in Ravi season and later on modeled to determine the crop pattern for most needed sustainability. A fuzzy-based multi-criteria decision-making model has been developed considering the Indian farming system. The scarce resources availability to Indian farmers poses many challenges to practice farming with most needed sustainability. The present research will be useful in the area of Indian farming practices in particular and global farming practices in general. It will also help stakeholders in their cost effective decision making for better crop productivity leading to sustainable farming practices. Additionally, the state policy makers will be able to formulate effective state driven sustainable farming policy to enhance its stake in gross domestic product to become self-reliance.     

GIS based ArcPRZM-3 model for bentazon leaching towards groundwater

Groundwater contamination due to pesticide applications on agricultural lands is of great environmental concern. The mathematical models help to understand the mechanism of pesticide leaching in soils towards groundwater. We developed a user-friendly model called ArcPRZM-3 by integrating widely used Pesticide Root Zone Model version 3 (PRZM-3) using Visual Basic and Geographic Information System (GIS) based Avenue programming. ArcPRZM-3 could be used to simulate pesticide leaching towards groundwater with user-friendly input interfaces coupled with databases of crops, soils and pesticides. The outputs from ArcPRZM-3 could be visualized in user-friendly formats of tables, charts and maps. In this study we evaluated ArcPRZM-3 model by simulating bentazon leaching in soil towards groundwater. ArcPRZM-3 was applied to 37 sites in Woodru County, Arkansas, USA to observe the daily average dissolved bentazon concentration for soybean, sorghum and rice at a depth of 1.8 m for a period of two years. Nineteen ranks of bentazon leaching potential were obtained using ArcPRZM-3 for all sites having di erent soil and crop combinations. ArcPRZM-3 simulation results for bentazon were compatible with the field monitored data in term of relative ranking and trend, although some uncertainties exist. This study indicated that macropore flow mechanism would be important in analyzing the e ect of irrigation on groundwater contamination due to pesticides. Overall, ArcPRZM-3 could be used to simulate pesticide leaching towards groundwater more e ciently and e ectively as compared to PRZM-3.