Formulation and Characterization of Biodegradable Packaging Film Derived from Potato Starch &; LDPE Grafted with Maleic Anhydride—LDPE Composition

There is a paradigm shift from non renewal resources to renewable resources in view of problems of disposal of plastic products after their life cycle. This paper deals with the approach, preparation and product properties of polymer prepared by using polysaccharide based biodegradable polymer. Basic material has been prepared by mixing LDPE, LDPE-g-mA (LDPE grafted with (0.5%) maleic anhydride (1:1)) containing a polar group in the LDPE backbone. Prepared basic material has been compounded in twin screw extruder with 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5 & 15% of Potato Starch. Thereafter, after conditioning blown film samples were prepared using extrusion film blowing technique, under temperature profile ranging from 120 to 160 °C. Packaging films have been prepared with maximum 15% potato starch contents and have been characterized by FTIR, DSC, TGA, and XRD techniques to ascertain its impact on some structural and thermal properties like thermal stability, flexibility, crystallinity, crystal size etc.     

Short-term wind speed forecasting: Application of linear and non-linear time series models

This study forecasts day-ahead wind speed at 15 minute intervals at the site of a wind turbine located in Maharashtra, India. Wind speed exhibits non-stationarity, seasonality and time-varying volatility clustering. Univariate linear and non-linear time series techniques namely MSARIMA, MSARIMA-GARCH and MSARIMA-EGARCH have been employed for forecasting wind speed using data span ranging from 3 days to 15 days. Study suggests that mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values first decrease with the increase in data span, reaches its minima and then start increasing. All models provide superior forecasting performances with 5 days data span. It is further evident that ARIMA-GARCH model generates lowest MAPE with 5 days data span. All these models provide superior forecasts with respect to current industry practices. This study establishes that employing various linear and non-linear time series techniques for forecasting day-ahead wind speed can benefit the industry in terms of better operational management of wind turbines and better integration of wind energy into the power system, which have huge financial implications for wind power generators in India.     

Developing a sustainable agro-system for central Nepal using reduced tillage and straw mulching

In Nepal, soil erosion under maize (Zea mays) agro-ecosystems is most critical during the pre-monsoon season. Very few field experiments have been conducted on reduced tillage and rice straw (Oryza sativa) mulching, although these conservation approaches have been recommended. Thus, a five replicate field experiment was established in 2001 at Kathmandu University (1500 m above sea level) on land with 18% slope to evaluate the efficiency of reduced tillage and mulching on soil and nutrient losses and maize yield. The results showed non-significant differences among conservation approaches on runoff and maize yield. Mulching and reduced tillage significantly lowered annual and pre-monsoon soil and nutrient losses compared to conventional tillage. Soil organic matter (SOM) and nitrogen losses associated with eroded sediment were significantly higher in conventional tillage. However, due to limited availability and high opportunity cost of rice straw, reduced tillage would be a better option for soil and nutrient conservation without sacrificing economic yield in upland maize agro-ecosystems.     

Environmental strategy and performance in small firms: a resource-based perspective

In spite of the widespread recognition of the important roles that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) play in most economies, limited research has focused on their impacts on the natural environment and the strategies such enterprises adopt to reduce these impacts. It is usually assumed that SMEs lack the resources to implement proactive environmental strategies that go beyond minimum regulatory compliance. In this study of 108 SMEs in the automotive repair sector in Southern Spain, we found that SMEs undertake a range of environmental strategies from reactive regulatory compliance to proactive pollution prevention and environmental leadership. These strategies are associated with three organizational capabilities: shared vision, stakeholder management, and strategic proactivity, hypothesized based on the unique strategic characteristics of SMEs--shorter lines of communication and closer interaction within the SMEs, the presence of a founder's vision, flexibility in managing external relationships, and an entrepreneurial orientation. We also found that firms with the most proactive practices exhibited a significantly positive financial performance.     

Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste management in Indian mega-cities: a case study of Chennai landfill sites

Municipal solid waste generation rate is over-riding the population growth rate in all mega-cities in India. Greenhouse gas emission inventory from landfills of Chennai has been generated by measuring the site specific emission factors in conjunction with relevant activity data as well as using the IPCC methodologies for CH4 inventory preparation. In Chennai, emission flux ranged from 1.0 to 23.5mg CH4m(-2)h(-1), 6 to 460microg N2Om(-2)h(-1) and 39 to 906mg CO2m(2)h(-1) at Kodungaiyur and 0.9 to 433mg CH4m(-2)h(-1), 2.7 to 1200microg N2Om(-2)h(-1) and 12.3 to 964.4mg CO2m(-2)h(-1) at Perungudi. CH4 emission estimates were found to be about 0.12Gg in Chennai from municipal solid waste management for the year 2000 which is lower than the value computed using IPCC, 1996 [IPCC, 1996. Report of the 12th session of the intergovernmental panel of climate change, Mexico City, 1996] methodologies.     

Removal of substituted phenols onto iron‐treated Nostoc sp. biomass

This study explored the possibility of removing 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) and 2,4‐dichlorophenol (2,4‐DCP) from water by using a dead blue‐green algae, Nostoc sp., dried and untreated and dried and treated with iron (Fe‐treated with 0.1 M ferric chloride solution for 1 day). The Nostoc sp. untreated and Fe‐treated biomass were used to study the sorption and desorption of 4‐NP and 2,4‐DCP. The effects of solute concentration, ionic strength, and temperature on sorption and desorption in the presence of untreated and treated Nostoc sp. biomass were investigated. The Fe‐treated Nostoc sp. biomass sorbed higher amounts of both 4‐NP and 2,4‐DCP than the untreated biomass. The percent cumulative desorption decreased from 6.41% to 0.28% and 1.84% to 0.19%, respectively, for 4‐NP and 2,4‐DCP for the Fe‐treated biomass. Biosorption of 4‐NP and 2,4‐DCP onto untreated and Fe‐treated Nostoc sp. biomass conformed to Freundlich isotherms. Iron treatment of Nostoc sp. biomass increased the value of ln K from 8.07 to 8.59 for 4‐NP and from 8.04 to 8.51 for 2,4‐DCP but decreased their desorption. An increase in ionic strength (0.003–0.03) increased the biosorption of both substituted phenols and decreased their percent desorption. An increase in temperature in the range of 15–35°C decreased the sorption of 4‐NP and 2,4‐DCP onto both untreated and Fe‐treated Nostoc sp. biomass and increased their desorption, indicating that the biosorption of both substituted phenols onto untreated and Fe‐treated Nostoc sp. biomass was principally a physical process. The results of this study suggest that Fe‐treated dried Nostoc sp. biomass could be explored as an inexpensive and eco‐friendly material for the effective removal of these phenols and, potentially, other chemicals from industrial wastewater and contaminated groundwater.     

Development of methane emission factors for Indian paddy fields and estimation of national methane budget

A state-wise assessment of methane (CH(4)) budget for Indian paddies, based on a decadal measurement data across India is presented for the calendar year (CY) 1994, the base year for India's Initial National Communication (NATCOM) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with national trend from CY 1979 to 2006. The NATCOM CH(4) emission factors (EFs) for Indian paddy cultivation areas, generally having less than 0.7% of soil organic carbon (SOC), have been estimated as 17.48+/-4 g m(-2) for irrigated continuously flooded (IR-CF), 6.95+/-1.86 g m(-2) for rain-fed drought prone (RF-DP), 19+/-6 g m(-2) for rain-fed flood prone (RF-FP) and deep-water (DW), 6.62+/-1.89 g m(-2) for irrigated intermittently flooded single aeration (IR-IF-SA) and 2.01+/-1.49 g m(-2) for IR-IF multiple aeration (MA) paddy water regimes. The state-wise study for 1994 has indicated national CH(4) budget estimate of 4.09+/-1.19 Tg y(-1) and the trend from 1979 to 2006 was in the range of 3.62+/-1 to 4.09+/-1.19 Tg y(-1). Four higher emitting or "hot spot" states (West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) have accounted for 53.9% of total CH(4) emission with RF-FP paddy water regime as the major contributor. CH(4) emissions were enhanced by factors such as SOC ( approximately 1.5 times due to increase in SOC by approximately 1.8 times), paddy cultivars (approximately 1.5 times), age of seedlings (approximately 1.4 times), and seasons (approximately 1.8 times in Kharif or monsoon than in Rabi or winter season).     

Characterization and source identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the urban environment of Delhi

This paper reports on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmospheric particulate matter of Jawaharlal Nehru University campus, an urbanized site of New Delhi, India. Suspended particulate matter samples of 24h duration were collected on glass-fiber filter paper for four representative days in each month during January 2002 to December 2003. PAHs were extracted from filter papers using toluene with ultrasonication method and analysed. Quantitative measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were carried out using the gas chromatography technique. The annual average concentration of total PAHs were found to be 668+/-399 and 672+/-388 ng/m3 in the years 2002 and 2003, respectively. The seasonal average concentrations were found to be maximum in winter and minimum during in the monsoon. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicate that diesel and gasoline driven vehicles are the principal sources of PAHs in all the seasons. In winter coal and wood combustion also significantly contribute to the PAH levels.     

Water quality improvement through bioretention media: nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

High nutrient inputs and eutrophication continue to be one of the highest priority water quality problems. Bioretention is a low-impact development technology that has been advocated for use in urban and other developed areas. This work provides an in-depth analysis on removal of nutrients from a synthetic stormwater runoff by bioretention. Results have indicated good removal of phosphorus (70 to 85%) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (55 to 65%). Nitrate reduction was poor (< 20%) and, in several cases, nitrate production was noted. Variations in flowrate (intensity) and duration had a moderate affect on nutrient removal. Mass balances demonstrate the importance of water attenuation in the facility in reducing mass nutrient loads. Captured nitrogen can be converted to nitrate between storm events and subsequently washed from the system. Analysis on the fate of nutrients in bioretention suggests that accumulation of phosphorus and nitrogen may be controlled by carefully managing growing and harvesting of vegetation.