Microplastics have recently become a major environmental issue due to their ubiquitous distribution, uncontrolled environmental occurrences, small sizes and long lifetimes. Actual remediation methods include filtration, incineration and advanced oxidation processes such as ozonation, but those methods require high energy or generate unwanted by-products. Here we tested the degradation of fragmented, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) microplastic residues, by visible light-induced heterogeneous photocatalysis activated by zinc oxide nanorods. The reaction was monitored using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analyser and optical imaging. Results show a 30% increase of the carbonyl index of residues, and an increase of brittleness accompanied by a large number of wrinkles, cracks and cavities on the surface. The degree of oxidation was directly proportional to the catalyst surface area. A mechanism for polyethylene degradation is proposed.
Air pollution in the workplace environment due to industrial operation have been found to cause serious occupational health
hazard. Similarly, heat stress is still most neglected occupational hazard in the tropical and subtropical countries like
India. The hot climate augments the heat exposure close to sources like furnaces. In this study an attempt is made to assess
air pollution and heat exposure levels to workers in the workplace environment in glass manufacturing unit located in the
State of Gujarat, India. Samples for workplace air quality were collected for SPM, SO2, NO2 and CO2 at eight locations. Results of workplace air quality showed 8-hourly average concentrations of SPM: 165–9118 μg/m3, SO2: 6–9 μg/m3 and NO2: 5–42 μg/m3, which were below the threshold limit values of workplace environment. The level of CO2 in workplace air of the plant was found to be in the range 827–2886 μg/m3, which was below TLV but much higher than the normal concentration for CO2 in the air (585 mg/m3). Indoor heat exposure was studied near the furnace and at various locations in an industrial complex for glass manufacturing.
The heat exposure parameters including the air temperature, the wet bulb temperature, and the globe parameters were measured.
The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), an indicator of heat, exceeded ACGIH TLVs limits most of the time at all the locations
in workplace areas. The recommended duration of work and rest have also been estimated. 相似文献
Air pollution has assumed gigantic proportion killing almost half a million Asians every year. Urban pollution mainly comprises
of emissions from buses, trucks, motorcycle other forms of motorized transport and its supporting activities. As Asia's cities
continue to expand the number of vehicles have risen resulting in greater pollution. Fugitive emissions from retail distribution
center in urban area constitute a major source. Petrol vapours escape during refueling adding pollutants like benzene, toluene,
ethylbenzene and xylene to ambient air. This paper discusses a study on fugitive emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
at some refueling station in two metropolitan cities of India, i.e., Mumbai and Delhi. Concentration of VOCs in ambient air
at petrol retail distribution center is estimated by using TO-17 method. Concentration of benzene in ambient air in Delhi
clearly shows the effect of intervention in use of petroleum and diesel fuel and shift to CNG. Chemical Mass Balance (CMB)
model is used to estimate source contributions. At Delhi besides diesel combustion engines, refueling emissions are also major
sources. At Mumbai evaporative emissions are found to contribute maximum to Total VOC (TVOC) concentration in ambient air. 相似文献
Forests and soils are a major sink of carbon, and land use changes can affect the magnitude of above ground and below ground carbon stores and the net flux of carbon between the land and the atmosphere. Studies on methods for examining the future consequences of changes in patterns of land use change and carbon flux gains importance, as they provide different options for CO2 mitigation strategies. In this study, a simulation approach combining Markov chain processes and carbon pools for forests and soils has been implemented to study the carbon flows over a period of time. Markov chains have been computed by converting the land use change and forestry data of India from 1997 to 1999 into a matrix of conditional probabilities reflecting the changes from one class at time t to another class time t+1. Results from Markov modeling suggested Indian forests as a potential sink for 0.94 Gt carbon, with an increase in dense forest area of about 75.93 Mha and decrease of about 3.4 Mha and 5.0 Mha in open and scrub forests, if similar land use changes that occurred during 1997–1999 would continue. The limiting probabilities suggested 34.27 percent as dense forest, 6.90 as open forest, 0.4 percent mangrove forest, 0.1 percent scrub and 58 percent as non-forest area. Although Indian forests are found to be a potential carbon sink, analysis of results from transition probabilities for different years till 2050 suggests that, the forests will continue to be a source of about 20.59 MtC to the atmosphere. The implications of these results in the context of increasing anthropogenic pressure on open and scrub forests and their contribution to carbon source from land use change and forestry sector are discussed. Some of the mitigation aspects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use change and forestry sector in India are also reviewed in the study. 相似文献
Activated carbon, developed from fertilizer waste, has been used for the removal of Hg2+, Cr6+, Pb2+, and Cu2+. Mass transfer kinetic approach has been successfully applied for the determination of various parameters necessary for designing a fixed-bed absorber. Parameters selected are the length of the (PAZ) primary adsorption zone (δ), total time involved for the establishment of primary adsorption zone (tx), mass rate of flow to the absorber (Fm), time for primary adsorption zone to move down its length (tδ), amount of adsorbate adsorbed in PAZ from breakpoint to exhaustion (Ms), fractional capacity (f), time of initial formation of PAZ (tf) and per cent saturation of column at break point. Chemical regeneration has been achieved with 1 M HNO3. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Compressed natural gas is an alternative green fuel for automobile industry. Recently, the Indian government is targeting to replace all the... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There has been alarming depletion of manganese (Mn) reserves owing to the ongoing extensive mining operations for catering the massive industrial... 相似文献
Tool life has been a vital issue in machining titanium alloys. Recently, an atomization-based cutting fluid (ACF) application has been found to be an effective approach for cooling and lubrication in micromachining operations. In this study, an ACF spray system is developed for macro-scale turning of Ti–6Al–4V. The spray system is designed to minimize interaction between the fluid droplets, and the gas nozzle to control the divergence of the fluid droplets. Experiments are conducted to study the effect of five specific ACF spray parameters including fluid flow rate, spray distance, impingement angle, and type and pressure level of the droplet carrier gas on cutting forces, tool life, and chip characteristics. It has been observed that the combination of lower pressure (150 psi) air-mixed CO2 with a higher flow rate (20 ml/min) and a larger spray distance (35 mm) produces a significantly longer tool life and broken chips. The results also reveal that the ACF spray system can extend tool life up to 40–50% over flood cooling. 相似文献