Development of a complex-based flow injection spectrophotometric method for determination of the herbicide pinoxaden in environmental samples

A flow injection (FI) spectrophotometric method for the determination of the herbicide pinoxaden (PXD) has been proposed. PXD was converted in alkaline media with hydroxylamine hydrochloride to the hydroxamate salt. The salt was reacted with iron(III) chloride, and the absorbance of the red colored tris iron hydroxamate complex was measured at 500?nm using a FI system. The method was found to be linear between 0.5 and 40?mg?L^?1 with a molar absorptivity of 1.53?×?10^4?L?mol^?1?cm^?1. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 0.1?±?0.01?mg?L^?1 and 0.6?±?0.05?mg?L^?1, respectively. Any interference of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl (FE) was avoided by the separation of PXD by liquid chromatography with a mixture of dichloromethane and n-hexane (1?:?1) as eluent. The method was applied to the determination of PXD in soil, water, and wheat grains with percent recoveries of 98?±?2, 100?±?2, and 98?±?5, respectively. Sample throughput of 60 samples per hour was achieved under optimized conditions.     

Anaerobic co-digestion of municipal solid organic waste with melon residues to enhance biodegradability and biogas production

Management of solid organic waste has become a major challenge in developing countries. Raw solid organic waste can be converted into biogas through anaerobic digestion; however, the efficiency of the process is influenced by various factors including the composition of the substrate. The present study was designed with the objective of enhancing the biodegradability of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and biogas production through co-digestion of the substrate with melon residues. The study was conducted in batch mode in four phases. The results revealed that an addition of melon waste at the rate of 300?g?kg^?1 OFMSW substantially increased the biodegradation rate and biogas production compared to OFMSW alone. The removal of up to 57.2?% volatile solids and a carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 15.9 was achieved at a 60?% water level when the digestion mixture was treated with inocula collected from partially-degraded food waste. The findings of this study reveal that melon residues could be used as a potential co-substrate to enhance the biodegradability of OFMSW and biogas production.     

Factors influencing corrosion of metal pipes in soils

Deterioration of buried metal pipes due to corrosive soil environment is a major issue worlwide. Although failures of buried pipe due to corrosive soil is an old problem, yet such failures are still uncontrollable even with the application of advanced corrosion protection technologies. Therefore, understanding factors causing corrosion of buried pipes is necessary. This article reviews factors causing corrosion of buried pipes in soils. Factors include moisture content, soil resistivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and microbial activity. Moreover, we discuss the influence of manufacturing method and the comparison of corrosion behaviour of cast iron, ductile and mild steel pipes. We found that corrosion rate of pipes increases with moisture contents up to the critical moisture value. Although pH affects corrosion, there is no relationship between corrosion and pH and the corrosion rates of buried pipes are inversely proportional to soil resistivity. Soils containing more organic matter show high resistivity. Dissolved oxygen in soil develops differential cell which accelerates corrosion of metallic pipe. Different types of bacteria present in soil develop biofilms on metallic pipes, which deteriorates pipes with time.     

Social capital's role in recovery: evidence from communities affected by the 2010 Pakistan floods

Pakistan suffered large‐scale flooding in summer 2010 that caused damage amounting to approximately USD 43 billion, claimed the lives of at least 1,700 people, and negatively affected some 20 million others. Observers have debated the degree to which social capital plays a role in recovery after a catastrophe of this magnitude. Using new survey data on 450 residents impacted by the disaster, this study found that, controlling for various confounding factors, the social capital levels of victims serve as robust correlates of life recovery. Other important variables connected with recovery include education and income, family size, occupation, material damage suffered, stability of home, and trauma experience. The findings point to a number of relevant policy recommendations, most notably that during and following major shocks, disaster managers should work to keep the social networks of victims intact so that they can benefit from interaction with family, friends, and neighbours.     

Phosphorus sorption and availability in soils amended with animal manures and sewage sludge

Soils that receive large applications of animal wastes and sewage sludge are vulnerable to releasing environmentally significant concentrations of dissolved P available to subsurface flow owing to the gradual saturation of the soil's P sorption capacity. This study evaluated P sorption (calculated from Langmuir isotherms) and availability of P (as CaCl2-P and resin P) in soils incubated for 20 d with poultry litter, poultry manure, cattle slurry, municipal sewage sludge, or KH2PO4, added on a P-equivalent basis (100 mg P kg(-1)). All the P sources had a marked negative effect on P sorption and a positive effect on P availability in all soils. In the cattle slurry- and KH2PO4-treated soils, the decreases in P sorption maximum (19-66%) and binding energy (25-89%) were consistently larger than the corresponding decreases (7-41% and 11-30%) in poultry litter-, poultry manure-, and sewage sludge-treated soils. The effects of cattle slurry and KH2PO4 on P availability were, in most cases, larger than those of the other P sources. In the poultry litter, poultry manure, and sewage sludge treatments, the increase in soil solution P was inversely related (R2 = 0.75) to the input of Ca from these relatively high Ca (13.5-42 g kg(-1)) sources. Correlation analyses implied that the magnitude of the changes in P sorption and availability was not related to the water-extractable P content of the P sources. Future research on the sustainable application of organic wastes to agricultural soils needs to consider the non-P- as well as P-containing components of the waste.     

The Influence of Agroforestry and Other Land-Use Types on the Persistence of a Sumatran Tiger (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Panthera tigris sumatrae</Emphasis>) Population: An Individual-Based Model Approach

The importance of preserving both protected areas and their surrounding landscapes as one of the major conservation strategies for tigers has received attention over recent decades. However, the mechanism of how land-use surrounding protected areas affects the dynamics of tiger populations is poorly understood. We developed Panthera Population Persistence (PPP)—an individual-based model—to investigate the potential mechanism of the Sumatran tiger population dynamics in a protected area and under different land-use scenarios surrounding the reserve. We tested three main landscape compositions (single, combined and real land-uses of Tesso-Nilo National Park and its surrounding area) on the probability of and time to extinction of the Sumatran tiger over 20 years in Central Sumatra. The model successfully explains the mechanisms behind the population response of tigers under different habitat landscape compositions. Feeding and mating behaviours of tigers are key factors, which determined population persistence in a heterogeneous landscape. All single land-use scenarios resulted in tiger extinction but had a different probability of extinction within 20 years. If tropical forest was combined with other land-use types, the probability of extinction was smaller. The presence of agroforesty and logging concessions adjacent to protected areas encouraged the survival of tiger populations. However, with the real land-use scenario of Tesso-Nilo National Park, tigers could not survive for more than 10 years. Promoting the practice of agroforestry systems surrounding the park is probably the most reasonable way to steer land-use surrounding the Tesso-Nilo National Park to support tiger conservation.     

Impact of economic freedom on air pollution: configuration analysis of Asia-Pacific region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Air pollution brings uncountable serious influences on human life during the last decade. This study is an attempt to compare economic liberalism with...     

Plant growth regulators and EDTA improve phytoremediation potential and antioxidant response of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants in a Cd-spiked soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Soil pollution due to potentially toxic elements is a worldwide challenge for health and food security. Chelate-assisted phytoextraction along with...     

Exploring a new perspective of sustainable development drive through environmental Phillips curve in the case of the BRICST countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Considering that the rigor of economic activities has widely been linked with the turbulent nature of the increasing global atmospheric and...