A systematic review on iron-based nanoparticle-mediated clean-up of textile dyes: challenges and prospects of scale-up technologies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The projected increase of the global textile industry to USD1002.84 billion in 2027 indicates a simultaneous increase in water pollution due to...     

Physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of urban aerosols during a recent Indonesian biomass burning episode

Air particulate matter (PM) samples were collected in Singapore from 21 to 29 October 2010. During this time period, a severe regional smoke haze episode lasted for a few days (21–23 October). Physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of both haze and non-haze aerosols were evaluated. The average mass concentration of PM_2.5 (PM with aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm) increased by a factor of 4 during the smoke haze period (107.2 μg/m³) as compared to that during the non-smoke haze period (27.0 μg/m³). The PM_2.5 samples were analyzed for 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and 10 transition metals. Out of the seven PAHs known as potential or suspected carcinogens, five were found in significantly higher levels in smoke haze aerosols as compared to those in the background air. Metal concentrations were also found to be higher in haze aerosols. Additionally, the toxicological profile of the PM_2.5 samples was evaluated using a human epithelial lung cell line (A549). Cell viability and death counts were measured after a direct exposure of PM_2.5 samples to A459 cells for a period of 48 h. The percentage of metabolically active cells decreased significantly following a direct exposure to PM samples collected during the haze period. To provide further insights into the toxicological characteristics of the aerosol particles, glutathione levels, as an indirect measure of oxidative stress and caspase-3/7 levels as a measure of apoptotic death, were also evaluated.     

Phytostabilization of mine waste: growth and physiological responses of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp

Greenhouse experiments were carried out for phytoremediation of the Pb/Zn abandoned tailings (pH 3.2 and high metal content) of Rampura-Agucha Mines, Rajasthan. Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (cowpea) was chosen as a test crop. On unamended tailings, the seeds of the test plant showed no germination. The tailing was amended with lime (3% on weight basis), 3% lime + NPK (diammonium phosphate at 60 kg/ha, muriate of potash at 40 kg/ ha) and 3% lime + FYM at 15 t/ha and used for experiments. Quantification of various parameters viz. shoot-root length, shoot-root dry weight, chlorophyll contents (a', 'b' and total) and peroxidase activity of test crop revealed T+ S + 3% lime + NPK to be the most suitable amelioration followed by FYM. The above treatments helped in improving the growth and productivity of the test plants by providing a favorable environment.     

Seed maturity indices in Aisandra butyracea--a multipurpose tree species of lower Himalaya

Fruits of Aisandra butyracea (Roxb.) Lamb. were collected from two sites located at different altitudes in Kumaun Himalaya for analyzing the seed maturity in relation to various fruit and seed characters. The mean seed size (length x width) across the collection dates varied between 186.44 +/- 0.05 and 238.17 +/- 0.5 mm2 across both the elevations. The fruit colour changed from dark green in the beginning to pale yellow on the maturity. The range of seed moisture content (62.83 +/- 1.33 to 63.46 +/- 0.89%) coincided with maximum germination. The colour change and seed moisture content appear to be the major indicators of seed maturation in A. butyracea.     

A facile eco-friendly approach for the one-pot synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-2<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-naphtho[2,3-<Emphasis Type="Italic">e</Emphasis>][1,3]oxazine-5,10-diones using glycerol as a green media

1,3-Oxazines have a wide variety of biological activities. Naphthoquinone scaffolds also exhibit several biological responses such as antithrombotic, apoptosis and lipoxygenase inhibitors. There is, therefore, a need to develop efficient green methodologies for hybridizing the two scaffolds in a single entity. Herein, we report a novel protocol for the synthesis of 3-aryl-3,4-dihydro-2H-naphtho[2,3-e][1,3]oxazine-5,10-diones by one-pot three-component condensation of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, aromatic amines and formaldehyde in glycerol at 50 °C. After separation of products, the glycerol–water layer was extracted using ethyl acetate and the dried glycerol layer was successfully reused several times. The products were obtained in 85–95 % yields in 5–10 min. This environmentally benign protocol holds advantages of high yields, operational simplicity and easy workup over our earlier report.     

Comprehensive inter-comparison of INSAT multispectral rainfall algorithm estimates and TMPA 3B42-RT V7 estimates across different climate regions of India during southwest monsoon period

The main objective of this study is to validate and inter-compare two Near-Real-Time Satellite Rainfall Estimates (NRT-SREs): INSAT Multispectral Rainfall Algorithm (IMSRA, simple blended product) and TMPA 3B42-RT V7 (3B42-RT, multisatellite product) across India. This study aims to provide some insight into the error characteristics of both the NRT-SREs to the algorithm developers and end users by inter-comparing the daily rainfall estimates during the southwest monsoon period of 2010–2013. This study utilizes various volumetric statistics and categorical statistics to understand and evaluate the performance of NRT-SREs in terms of both spatial and volumetric error characteristics (hit, miss, and false error) at different rainfall thresholds across different Köppen–Geiger climate regions of India using the gridded gauge data provided by Indian Meteorological Department as reference dataset. A detailed statistical evaluation shows that the 3B42-RT performs comparatively better than the IMSRA across India. The results indicate that both IMSRA and 3B42-RT have a general tendency of overestimating the low rainfall rates (0–2.5 mm/day) and underestimating the high rainfall rates (>?35.5 mm/day). At lower threshold values (0 and 2.5 mm/day), it is found that the miss error is dominant in IMSRA, whereas the false error is dominant in 3B42-RT. As the threshold increases (7.5 and 35.5 mm/day), both the miss and false errors increase in both SREs. Additionally, the spatial analysis of the results clearly indicate that the performance of the tested NRT-SREs is not uniform across different climatic regions, an important aspect to be considered for development/improvement of the tested NRT-SRE algorithms.     

Influence of aspect and location of stands on biodiversity in a Sal mixed broadleaved forest in Kumaun central Himalaya

In the present study total 21 forest stands on different aspects and locations (Hill base, mid slope and ridge top) on the slope were studied to assess the importance of these two parameters in supporting species regeneration and biodiversity in a mixed broadleaved forest between 380 and 850 m elevation in the Kumauau Himalayan region. A total of 36 tree species were recorded in the forest. In all aspects the tree, sapling and shrub richness was higher at hill base stands in comparison to mid slope and ridge top stand. Maximum tree richness (average across all aspects) was 9.7 and shrub richness was 9.3. Higher richness at hill base may be attributed to more soil moisture and deeper soils which accumulate the hill base where the slope steepness declines. The tree richness was higher in the northern aspect whereas southern aspect was more suitable for the shrub species. From the present study it becomes evident that the base of the hills can support higher biodiversity and are instrumental in supporting regeneration of several tree and shrub species in sal mixed broadleaved forest.     

Particulate matter concentrations and their association with COVID-19-related mortality in Mexico during June 2020 Saharan dust event

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study evaluated the impact of Saharan dust event on particulate matter (PM: PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations by analyzing the daily average...