Sustainable utilization of industrial wastes in controlled low-strength materials: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The construction industry is experiencing an increasing demand for sustainable alternative materials. There is huge scope for converting the...     

Enhanced solar still productivity using transparent walls with an integral trough and organic porous absorber material

This experimental work has been conducted to compare the performance of the modified stills with that of the conventional still. Three modified stills (S1, S2, and S3) and conventional still (S4) were fabricated, each with 0.5 m² of the basin area. S1 and S3 had transparent double glass walls with air in between acting as insulation, whereas S2 has a single transparent wall. S4 has insulated plywood walls painted black from inside. A mixture of coco peat and charcoal was used in S1, S2, and S3, whereas there was no basin material for S4. Experiments were conducted by changing the water quantity in the solar still ranging from 5 to 10 kg. Maximum distillate output of 5.46 l/m²-d was obtained for S2, whereas it was 3.80 l/m²-d for S4 for an average solar radiation intensity of 675 W/m² (24.3 MJ/m²-d). Use of transparent walls with troughs to collect condensate increased the condenser area by 78.4%. The distillate water cost per liter was estimated as Rs. 0.86 (0.013 US$) and Rs. 1.61 (0.025 US$) for S2 and S4, respectively. Energy payback time for S2 was estimated as 4 months. Theoretical and experimental values showed that there is a significant loss of incoming solar radiation due to wall shadow.     

Research on sustainable development for environmental management

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Kinetics of natural oxidant demand by permanganate in aquifer solids

During in situ chemical oxidation with permanganate, natural organic matter and other reduced species in the subsurface compete with the target compounds for the available oxidant and can exert a significant natural oxidant demand. This competition between target and nontarget compounds can have a significant impact on the permeation, dispersal, and persistence of permanganate in the subsurface. The kinetics of natural oxidant demand by permanganate was investigated using a composite sample made up of aquifer material collected from three different sites. The study found that although the depletion of organic carbon increased with increased permanganate dosage and increased reaction period, the mass ratio of MnO(4)(-):OC (wt/wt) was relatively constant over time (11.4+/-0.9). The reaction order and rate with respect to permanganate were found to decrease with time suggesting a continuum of reactions with the slower reactions becoming more controlling with time. However, the data also suggests that this continuum of reactions can be simplified into short- and long-term kinetic expressions representing fast and slow reactions. An independent first-order kinetic model with separate fast and slow reaction rate constants was used to successfully describe the complete kinetic expression of natural oxidant demand. The kinetic parameters used in the model are easily determined and can be used to better understand the complex kinetics of natural oxidant demand.     

Solar active fire clay based hetero-Fenton catalyst over a wide pH range for degradation of Acid Violet 7

Fe(Ⅲ) immobilized fire clay (Fe-FC) was prepared using ferric nitrate by solid state dispersion method and this hetero-Fenton catalyst was applied for the degradation of Acid Violet 7 (AV 7) under natural sunlight. The 26% ferric nitrate loaded fire clay was found to be most efficient. The experimental conditions such as solution pH, H₂O₂ concentration for efficient degradation of AV 7 have been determined. Unlike Fenton catalyst, Fe-FC is photoactive over a wide pH range of 3-7. This catalyst was found to be stable and reusable. The GC-MS analysis of experimental solutions during irradiation revealed the formation of 2,8-diaminonaphthalene-1,3,6-triol, 8-aminonaphthalene-1,2,3,6-tetrol, 2-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6,8-tetrol and 2-aminobenzene-1,3-diol/5-aminonbenzene-1,3-diol/ 2-aminobenzene-1,4-diol as intermediates. The 26% ferric nitrate loaded fire clay was characterized by XRD, ICP-AES, BET surface area, FT-IR, SEM-EDS and UV-DRS studies.     

Application of waste eggshell as a source of calcium in bacterial bio-cementation to enhance the engineering characteristics of sand

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A technique to produce bio-cementation in sandy soil using the microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) process and calcium ions...