Elimination of Hazard Cadmium Ions from Simulated Groundwater Using Hydroxyapatite Coated Filter Cake Made of Sewage Sludge and Cement Kiln Dust

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Novel sorbent named “coated filter cake by hydroxyapatite (CFCHAP)” that prepared from precipitation of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on the...     

Water sustainability: reforming water management in new global era of climate change

The National Seminar on Sustainable Water Resource Management in Era of Changing Climate (NSWRM-2014) on 10–11 January 2014 organised by the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development and Environmental Science and Technology, Banaras Hindu University, witnessed the presence of experts from environmentalists, industrialists and experts on water resources and its management. The deliberations and scientific discussions led to the conclusion that it is not just the resource but the natural capacity to sustain it that requires monitoring, understanding and stewardship. The focus of governance in India needs to move at a faster pace from conventional methods of sector-based water management to more integrated approach for sustainable water resource management. It is more of the people participation that is the future key towards sustainable water resource management in India.     

Heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) contamination of vegetables in urban India: a case study in Varanasi

The contributions of heavy metals in selected vegetables through atmospheric deposition were quantified in an urban area of India. Deposition rate of Zn was recorded maximum followed by Cu, Cd and Pb. The concentrations of Zn and Cu were highest in Brassica oleracea, Cd in Abelmoschus esculentus and B. oleracea, while Pb was highest in Beta vulgaris. Heavy metal pollution index showed that B. oleracea was maximally contaminated with heavy metals followed by A. esculentus and then B. vulgaris. The results of washing showed that atmospheric deposition has contributed to the increased levels of heavy metals in vegetables. Both Cu and Cd posed health risk to local population via test vegetables consumption, whereas Pb posed the same only through B. oleracea. The study concludes that atmospheric depositions can elevate the levels of heavy metals in vegetables during marketing having potential health hazards to consumers.     

Effect of land use land cover change on soil erosion potential in an agricultural watershed

Universal soil loss equation (USLE) was used in conjunction with a geographic information system to determine the influence of land use and land cover change (LUCC) on soil erosion potential of a reservoir catchment during the period 1989 to 2004. Results showed that the mean soil erosion potential of the watershed was increased slightly from 12.11 t ha^???1 year^???1 in the year 1989 to 13.21 t ha^???1 year^???1 in the year 2004. Spatial analysis revealed that the disappearance of forest patches from relatively flat areas, increased in wasteland in steep slope, and intensification of cultivation practice in relatively more erosion-prone soil were the main factors contributing toward the increased soil erosion potential of the watershed during the study period. Results indicated that transition of other land use land cover (LUC) categories to cropland was the most detrimental to watershed in terms of soil loss while forest acted as the most effective barrier to soil loss. A p value of 0.5503 obtained for two-tailed paired t test between the mean erosion potential of microwatersheds in 1989 and 2004 also indicated towards a moderate change in soil erosion potential of the watershed over the studied period. This study revealed that the spatial location of LUC parcels with respect to terrain and associated soil properties should be an important consideration in soil erosion assessment process.     

Investigation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in old consumer products in India

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) used extensively over the past 3 decades as flame retardants in most types of polymers, all over the world, have been identified as global pollutants. PBDEs pose various health problems such as thyroid hormone disruption, permanent learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, hearing deficits, delayed puberty onset, fetal malformations, and possibly cancer. Many measurements of PBDEs in various matrices from Sweden, Holland, Japan, the USA, and elsewhere have been reported, but few measurements are available for India. In this study, a preliminary screening of different congeners of PBDEs has been performed in different old electronic and consumer products with an objective to build capacity in order to analyze PBDEs and BFRs. Six different samples, foam from upholstery, motherboard of a computer, children toy composite sample, old vanishing window blind sample, electrical wire sample, and PVC flooring sample, were collected and analyzed for the presence of the following PBDE congeners: BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, BDE-154, BDE-183, and BDE-209. It was found that three out of six samples were positive for the presence of PBDEs. Three congeners were detected in the samples, i.e., BDE-47, BDE-153, and BDE-209, of which, highest concentration was of BDE-209. Among the samples, motherboard of computer showed the highest concentration of BDE-209 followed by window blind and foam from upholstery. The results of this preliminary investigation indicate that PBDEs are still present in the old consumer products which can be an important additional source of exposure to the population.     

Does green environmental innovation really matter for carbon-free economy? Nexus among green technological innovation,green international trade,and green power generation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examines the association among the green energy production (GEP), green technological innovation (GTI), and green international trade (GIT)...     

FDM-based additive manufacturing of recycled thermoplastics and associated composites

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Hailed since the fourth industrial revolution, three-dimensional (3D) printing or additive manufacturing (AM) has been extensively implemented in...     

Influence of cover thickness in structural frames exposed to fire and service loads

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper deals with the effect of cover thickness in a reinforced concrete columns of 3-D (three dimensional) frame structures under progressive...     

The nexus between remittances,natural resources,technological innovation,economic growth,and environmental sustainability in Pakistan

Globally, the issues about sustainable development are on the increase. Moreover, these issues are rising every day in Pakistan, as remittances are increasing, technology innovation is ambiguous, natural resources are degraded, and economic expansion might pose serious challenges to the environment. Thus, this research looks at how remittances, natural resources, technological innovation, and economic growth affect carbon dioxide (CO₂₎ emissions in Pakistan by controlling energy consumption and urbanization from 1990 to 2019. The Bayer and Hanck test of combined cointegration discloses a cointegration between remittances, natural resources, technological innovations, economic growth, and CO₂ emissions. Moreover, the autoregressive distributive lag model (ARDL) proposes a significant positive association between remittances and CO₂ emissions in the long run, indicating that the increase in remittances distresses the environmental performance of Pakistan. Our study confirms that natural resources decrease CO₂ emissions while technological advancement, economic progress, energy use, and urbanization increase CO₂ emissions. In addition, the results of robustness checks by employing fully modified ordinary least squares and dynamic ordinary least squares are parallel to the conclusions of ARDL estimations. Furthermore, the frequency causality test results show that remittances, natural resources, technological innovation, economic growth, energy use, and urbanization cause CO₂ emissions at different frequencies. Therefore, to achieve the sustainable development goals, appropriate policy repercussions can be developed toward advanced and environmentally sustainable sources of energy.

     

Heavy metal pollution and risks in a highly polluted and populated Indian river–city pair using the systems approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A sectorial approach for assessing heavy metal pollution in rivers neglects the inter-relationship between its environmental compartments and thus...