Antibiotics, disinfectants and bacteria resistant to them have been detected in environmental compartments such as waste water, surface water, ground water, sediments and soils. Antibiotics are released into the environment after their use in medicine, veterinary medicine and their employment as growth promoters in animal husbandry, fish farming and other fields. There is increasing concern about the growing resistance of pathogenic bacteria in the environment, and their ecotoxic effects. Increasingly, antibiotic resistance is seen as an ecological problem. This includes both the ecology of resistance genes and that of the resistant bacteria themselves. Little is known about the effects of subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics and disinfectants on environmental bacteria, especially with respect to resistance. According to the present state of our knowledge, the impact on the frequency of resistance transfer by antibacterials present in the environment is questionable. The input of resistant bacteria into the environment seems to be an important source of resistance in the environment. The possible impact of resistant bacteria on the environment is not yet known. Further research into these issues is warranted.

Resistance in the Environment

Changes in monsoon rainfall are caused by human-produced aerosols slowing the tropical atmospheric circulation. Observations show that South Asia underwent a widespread summertime drying during the second half of the 20th century, but it is unclear whether this trend was due to natural variations or human activities. We used a series of climate model experiments to investigate the South Asian monsoon response to natural and anthropogenic forcings. We find that the observed precipitation decrease can be attributed mainly to human-influenced aerosol emissions. The drying is a robust outcome of a slowdown of the tropical meridional overturning circulation, which compensates for the aerosol-induced energy imbalance between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These results provide compelling evidence of the prominent role of aerosols in shaping regional climate change over South Asia.

Anthropogenic aerosols and the weakening of the South Asian summer monsoon

A review of the recent advances on the treatment of industrial wastewaters by Sulfate Radical-based Advanced Oxidation Processes (SR-AOPs)

Critical review of advanced oxidation processes in organic wastewater treatment.

Olive stones have been widely used as a renewable energy biowaste source. As they are rich in elemental carbon (40–45 wt%), much research focussed on effectively converting olive stones, as precursors, into activated carbon adsorbents. However, only a few studies have concentrated on summarising the various techniques used to produce activated carbon from olive stone. This article reviews the research undertaken on the production and application of activated carbon as an adsorbent from olive stones for wastewater treatment. Various physical, chemical and physico-chemical treatments to remove heavy metals, organics and dyes are discussed, and the resultant adsorption capacities are reported. In several cases, very high adsorption capacities are recorded. Finally, the future prospects of these materials as adsorbents are discussed, and after further development work, olive stone-derived activated carbons have great potential especially in the area of organic polluted wastewaters.

/pdf/production-and-applications-of-activated-carbons-as-4s1nlx4lkm.pdf

Production and applications of activated carbons as adsorbents from olive stones

http://tudr.thapar.edu:8080/jspui/bitstream/10266/1158/3/1158.pdf

Photocatalytic degradation of procion yellow die

The present study investigates the effect of addition of calcium hypochlorite in the titanium dioxide (TiO2) mediated degradation of bio-recalcitrant wastewater from pharmaceutical industry. The degradation studies were carried out in photoreactor irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light at 365 nm under slurry mode. The reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) was estimated as an index of degradation. The influence of process parameters viz., catalyst dose, pH, oxidant concentration and source of light (UV/Solar) on degradation was studied. The degradation efficiency was also compared with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which has been widely used as an oxidant in the photocatalytic systems. The degradation efficiency of wastewater with oxidant alone was found to be comparatively less. Degradation of 67% was achieved in UV/TiO2 system at optimized conditions (3.0 g/L TiO2, pH 4) after 7 h of irradiation. The use of calcium hypochlorite (0.25 g/L) along with TiO2 (3.0 g/L) at pH 4 has been found to increase the degradation efficiency of wastewater up to 82% which would facilitate the recycling of wastewater from pharmaceutical industry.

STUDIES ON THE USE OF CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE IN THE TiO2 MEDIATED DEGRADATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTEWATER

Parametric optimization of rice bran-based bi-functional catalyst in the one-pot conversion of indigenous algal biomass into biodiesel using response surface methodology

This study highlights variability in mass levels and source identification of PM 2.5 bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the tricity of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula in India. The samples of PM 2.5 werecollected from industrial and residential and sensitive receptor sites during summer (April-May 2015) and winter (December 2015-January 2016) season. Sampling was done using medium volume sampler and chemical analysis was done using gas-chromatography technique. The average mass levels of PM 2.5 varied from 31 to 91 µg m -3 exceeding to NAAQ standard of 60µg m -3 and total PAHs varied from 5.76 to 75.62 ngm -3 with a seasonal variability as higher in winter than in summer season. The positive correlation between PM 2.5 & TPAHs suggested similarity in source and origin. Diagnostic ratio and principal components analysis suggested vehicular emissions, coal combustion, wood and biomass burning as the main source of PAHs in the study area for potential health hazards.

/pdf/source-apportionment-of-pm2-5-bound-polycyclic-aromatic-3mioj0tl1t.pdf

Source apportionment of PM2.5 bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from a Tricity in the foothills of Himalayas in Northern India

.........................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................vii LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................................x CHAPTER

http://tudr.thapar.edu:8080/jspui/bitstream/10266/681/4/681.pdf

Amit Dhir

Papers

Photocatalytic degradation of procion yellow die

STUDIES ON THE USE OF CALCIUM HYPOCHLORITE IN THE TiO2 MEDIATED DEGRADATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTEWATER

Parametric optimization of rice bran-based bi-functional catalyst in the one-pot conversion of indigenous algal biomass into biodiesel using response surface methodology

Source apportionment of PM2.5 bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from a Tricity in the foothills of Himalayas in Northern India

Studies on the Photocatalytic Degradation of Dye and Textile Wastewater