Energy Use and Sulphur Dioxide Emissions in Asia

This paper presents a review of energy use in 22 selected countries of Asia and estimates the anthropogenic emission of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) for the selected countries, both at national and disaggregated sub-country regional levels. The paper also makes a comparative assessment of the Asian countries in terms of SO₂emission intensity (i.e. emission per GDP), emission per capita and emission density (i.e. emission per unit area). Total SO₂emission in the region was estimated to be about 38 million tons in 1990. Five countries, China, India, South Korea, Japan and Thailand, accounted for over 91% of the regional SO₂emission. Coal use had the dominant share (81%) of the total emission from the region. Among the economic sectors, industry contributed the largest share (49%) to the total emissions of the selected countries as a whole, followed by the power sector (30%). These findings suggest the need for mitigation strategies focussed on the industry and power sectors of the major emitting countries in Asia.     

Production and characterization of Komagataeibacter xylinus SGP8 nanocellulose and its calcite based composite for removal of Cd ions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the present study, fermentative production of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) by using Komagataeibacter xylinus strain SGP8 and characterization of...     

Co-substrate-mediated utilization of high concentration of phenol by Aspergillus niger FP7 and reduction of its phytotoxicity on Vigna radiata L.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Phenol and its derivatives behave as mutagens, teratogens and carcinogens inducing adverse physiological effects and are considered environmental...     

Arsenic speciation in polychaetes (Annelida) and sediments from the intertidal mudflat of Sundarban mangrove wetland, India

This paper documents the concentration of total arsenic and individual arsenic species in four soft-bottom benthic polychaetes (Perenereis cultifera, Ganganereis sootai, Lumbrinereis notocirrata and Dendronereis arborifera) along with host sediments from Sundarban mangrove wetland, India. An additional six sites were considered exclusively for surface sediments for this purpose. Polychaetes were collected along with the host sediments and measured for their total arsenic content using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Arsenic concentrations in polychaete body tissues varied greatly, suggesting species-specific characteristics and inherent peculiarities in arsenic metabolism. Arsenic was generally present in polychaetes as arsenate (As^V ranges from 0.16 to 0.50 mg kg^?1) or arsenite (As^III ranges from 0.10 to 0.41 mg kg^?1) (30–53 % as inorganic As) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA^V <1–25 %). Arsenobetaine (AB < 16 %), and PO₄-arsenoriboside (8–48 %) were also detected as minor constituents, whilst monomethylarsonic acid (MA^V) was not detected in any of the polychaetes. The highest total As (14.7 mg kg^?1 dry wt) was observed in the polychaete D. arborifera collected from the vicinity of a sewage outfall in which the majority of As was present as an uncharacterised compound (10.3 mg kg^?1 dry wt) eluted prior to AB. Host sediments ranged from 2.5 to 10.4 mg kg^?1 of total As. This work supports the importance of speciation analysis of As, because of the ubiquitous occurrence of this metalloid in the environment, and its variable toxicity depending on chemical form. It is also the first work to report the composition of As species in polychaetes from the Indian Sundarban wetlands.     

Chemopreventive role of Indigofera aspalathoides against 20-methylcholanthrene-induced carcinogenesis in mouse

This investigation was undertaken to evaluate the chemopreventive effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Indigofera aspalathoides (HAIA) against 20-methylcholanthrene (20-MC)-induced carcinogenesis in mice. Tumor was induced by single subcutaneous administration of 20-MC (200 µg per mouse) in Swiss albino mice. After 24 h of 20-MC administration, HAIA was administered at the doses of 250 and 500 mg kg^?1 body weight orally for 90 consecutive days. Mice of all groups were observed for 15 weeks to record tumor incidence (fibrosarcoma) and survival time. After 15 weeks the mice were sacrificed for the estimation of hematological profiles like hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), red blood cell (RBC), and liver biochemical parameters, namely lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT). HAIA treatment markedly reduced tumor incidence and prolonged the life span of sarcoma-bearing mice as compared to 20-MC control mice. Hematological profiles were significantly (p < 0.001) restored to normal levels in HAIA-treated mice as compared to 20-MC control mice. HAIA treatment significantly (p < 0.001) modulated the aforesaid liver biochemical parameters as compared to 20-MC control. The results concluded that I. aspalathoides demonstrated a remarkable chemopreventive effect in chemical-induced carcinogenesis in mouse. The potential chemopreventive action may be due to its antioxidant and detoxifying properties.     

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in flora and fauna of Hooghly estuary,east coast of India

Spectroscopic determinations of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Co and Ni were carried out in 23 organisms including seaweeds, zooplankters, molluscs and fishes from Hooghly estuary at the confluence of Bay of Bengal. Seaweeds and gastropods were more efficient in accumulating levels while zooplankters bivalves and fishes showed intermediate levels. Analyses were performed on the sediment, water and on the individual dissected organs of a mussel, oyster and teleost fish. Bioaccumulation of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu in the soft body parts (gills, mantle, liver etc.) of the three species showed a high degree of organ specificity in some cases. Major sources of the micropollutants include natural weathering, catchment runoff, urban and industrial discharges that may pose an ecological risk to the local estuarine ecosystem.     

Studies on soil parameters of sediments from the River Ganga phosphorus mobilization,interactions with sediment and the phosphorus cycle

Large quantities of sediment are transported by the River Ganga (The Ganges) particularly In its deltaic region. Attempts have been made to study the physicochemical parameters of the bottom sediments of the River Ganga at various depths at Kamarhati and along the banks of the River Ganga in the lower deltaic region. The results give vital information regarding the pollution load carried by the river and the enrichment of its sediments with nutrients such as P, N and other substances such as C and S (as sulphates). The mobilization of the P, N, C and S (as sulphates) in the sediments is compared with their natural abundance. The enrichment of the river beds with P, the interaction of the sediment and the characteristics of the sediments are ascertained. Some aspects of the phosphorus cycle and its importance are also discussed. The recycling and reuse of sediments for agricultural purposes have been proposed in order to restore ecological imbalances due to nutrient loss.Mrs M. Chattopadhyay (née Ray) and D. Mukherjee are both post-doctorate ex-senior research scholars within the Department of Chemistry, Kalyani University, where Professor S.C. Lahiri was until recently head of department. Mr S.K. Bhattacharya is director of the Ganga Action Plan Sector, Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority, Unnayan Bhavan (1st floor), Salt Lake, Calcutta 700 091, India. The information given in this paper is supplementary to that provided by certain of the same authors inThe Environmentalist 13(3), 199–210.     

CNG cylinder burst in a bus during gas filling – Lesson learned

An accident leading to bursting of a compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinder fitted to a passenger bus in India resulted one person died and four persons injured. This paper presents the incident, the human factor involved, safety issues and lesson learned.     

Sea-level rise and coastal vulnerability: an assessment of Andhra Pradesh coast,India through remote sensing and GIS

The eustatic sea-level rise due to global warming is predicted to be about 18 to 59 cm by the 2100 (IPCC 2007), which necessitates identification and protection of vulnerable sections of coasts. Assessment of vulnerability level of Andhra Pradesh (AP) coast as an example is demonstrated in this study using five physical variables, namely coastal geomorphology, coastal slope, shoreline change, mean spring tide range, and significant wave height. A coastal vulnerability index was prepared by integrating the differentially weighted rank values of the five variables, based on which the coastline is segmented into low-, moderate-, high-, and very high risk categories. About 43% of the 1,030-km-long AP coast is under very high-risk, followed by another 35% under high-risk if the sea level rises by ~0.6 m displacing more than 1.29 million people living within 2.0 m elevation in 282 villages in the region.     

Heavy metal uptake and its effect on macronutrients, chlorophyll, protein, and peroxidase activity of Paspalum distichum grown on sludge-dosed soils

This study assessed the heavy metal (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) uptake and its effect on biochemical parameters in Paspalum distichum, a wetland plant. Sludge collected from Bhalswa waste dump, New Delhi, was used as heavy metal source and dosed in different proportions viz. 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% to the garden soil. The plants accumulated metals mostly in belowground organs. The metal accumulation followed the order: Cr>Mn>Cu>Zn>Ni>Pb. The range of heavy metal concentration in tissue of belowground organs after 180 days of growth was 1,778.65–4,288.01 ppm Cr, 828.11–1,360 ppm Mn, 236.52–330.07 ppm Ni, 155.79–282.35 ppm Cu, 27.05–91.16 ppm Zn, and 27.09–50.87 ppm Pb. The biochemical parameters viz. chlorophyll and protein contents and peroxidase (POD) activity exhibited no considerable adverse effect indicating the plants’ tolerance towards heavy metals. The high POD activity and synthesis of new protein bands at high sludge-dosed plants were also in support of this fact.