A review on current techniques used in India for rice mill wastewater treatment and emerging techniques with valuable by-products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Parboiling rice mills produce a large amount of wastewater. The effluent from the rice mill contains high concentration of organic and inorganic...     

Trace Level Determination of U, Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu in Drinking Water Samples

The concentration of uranium has been assessed in drinking water samples collected from different locations in Bathinda district, Punjab, India. The water samples are taken from hand pumps and tube wells. Uranium is determined using fission track technique. Uranium concentration in the water samples varies from 2.23± 0.05 to 87.05± 0.29 μg/L. These values are compared with safe limit values recommended for drinking water. The uranium concentration in almost all drinking water samples is found to be more than the safe limit. Analysis of some heavy metals viz. Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu in water is made. The concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine and total hardness along with the pH value and conductivity of the water samples are measured. Some of the samples show stunningly high values of these parameters.     

Variation of indoor radon progeny concentration and its role in dose assessment

Instantaneous measurements of equilibrium equivalent concentration of radon (EEC(Rn)) were taken over a period of 1 year in 2004 in a typical house at Amritsar city, located in the northwest part of India. A method based on absolute beta counting subsequent to grab aerosol sampling was used. During that year, EEC(Rn) varied between 1.56B qm(-3) and 22.77B qm(-3) with average value of 8.76Bb qm(-3). EEC(Rn) decreased with the transition from winter to summer and vice versa, having a negative correlation with outdoor temperature. The use of mechanical ventilation, under normal living conditions during summer, caused an extra decrease in the concentrations. The variations with temperature and mechanical ventilation are discussed. Some major issues related to the uncertainties in dose calculations caused by the lack of knowledge of equilibrium factor and ignoring the effect of life style on the radon and its progeny concentrations are discussed.     

Comparative study of natural radioactivity levels in soil samples from the Upper Siwaliks and Punjab,India using gamma-ray spectrometry

Natural radioactive materials under certain conditions can reach hazardous radiological levels. So, it becomes necessary to study the natural radioactivity levels in soil to assess the dose for the population in order to know the health risks and to have a baseline for future changes in the environmental radioactivity due to human activities. The natural radionuclide (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K) contents in soil were determined for 26 locations around the Upper Siwaliks of Kala Amb, Nahan and Morni Hills, Northern India, using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometric analysis. It was observed that the concentration of natural radionuclides viz., ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, in the soil varies from 28.3 ± 0.5 to 81.0 ± 1.7 Bq kg⁻¹, 61.2 ± 1.3 to 140.3 ± 2.6 Bq kg⁻¹ and 363.4 ± 4.9 to 1002.2 ± 11.2 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. The total absorbed dose rate calculated from activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranged from 71.1 to 162.0 nGy h⁻¹. The radium equivalent (R_eq) and the external hazard index (H_ex), which resulted from the natural radionuclides in soil, were also calculated and found to vary from 149.4 to 351.8 Bq kg⁻¹and from 0.40 to 0.95 respectively. These values in Upper Siwaliks area were compared with that from the adjoining areas of Punjab. The radium equivalent activities in all the soil samples were lower than the limit (370 Bq kg⁻¹) set in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report and the dose equivalent was within the safe limit of 1 mSv y⁻¹.     

Column optimization of adsorption and evaluation of bed parameters-based on removal of arsenite ion using rice husk

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The objective of this study deals with column optimization of adsorption-based on removal of arsenite ion using rice husk. The parameters affecting...