Showing papers in "Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution in 2011"

Bioconversion of Poultry and Fish Waste by Lucilia Sericata and Sarcophaga Carnaria Larvae

Abstract: Agricultural, industrial, and household waste contaminates the environment, disrupts the food chain, and spreads infectious diseases. Fly larvae digest animal waste, and in so doing significantly reduce their volume and convert the waste to materials that can be used as food additives and fertilizers for organic farming. Larvae of L. sericata and S. carnaria were efficient in reducing the mass of poultry and fish waste by 2.5-5.5 fold. The average yield of larvae reared on fish and poultry waste was approximately 304 g, while the bioconversion rate ranged between 16.6 and 39.6%. Water and undigested waste accounted for 60%-77% of the larvae and pupae body mass, while protein followed by fat and carbohydrate were the most important components. Representatives of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Micrococcus and sulfite-reducing Clostridia species were isolated from the waste products as well as from the larvae and pupae of both flies used. The weights of striped bass fed with standard fish food supplemented with larvae increased slightly, when compared to those fed on standard food alone. The species of fly, the number of eggs, the type of waste material used and its chemical composition affected the bioconversion rate, the yield of fly larvae, and the waste mass reduction. Fly larvae and their byproducts could be used beneficially as a supplement for animal food for the poultry and fish industry, as well as reducing the quantity of waste.

Seasonal and Spatial Occurrence and Distribution of Respirable Particulate-bound Atmospheric Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Hisar City (India) and Their Potential Health-risks

Abstract: A group of nine PAHs was detected using HPLC in commercial, industrial and residential areas of Hisar city and their health effects were discussed. PAHs have detrimental biological effects, including acute and chronic toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. An average of total PAHs in commercial, industrial and residential areas was found to be 1798.52, 2196.81 and 2474.13 mg/g, respectively. For seasonal changes, maximum variations were observed in monsoon followed by post-monsoon season, summer, autumn, and least in winter. Among the nine PAHs analysed, benzo(k)fluoranthene exhibited maximum concentration throughout the period of study. Significantly high variation was observed for benzo(b)fluoranthene followed by benzo(k)fluoranthene, pyrene and benzo(e)pyrene. Benzo(ghi)perylene > anthracene > fluoranthene > phenanthrene > naphthalene represented significantly low variations. Large PAHs were predominantly present and they represented large variations of concentration during the study. The presence of other air pollutants can affect the residence time of PAHs in air and the atmospheric chemical lifetimes of particle-bound PAH with respect to thermal reactions tend to be longer than those of gas-phase PAH.

Soundscape of Bhadrak Town, India: An Analysis from Road Traffic Noise Perspective

Abstract: The road traffic noise environment in Bhadrak, one of the district head quarters of Orissa in terms of standard noise indices, community response and community health effects are worked out in the present study. Noise pollution is analysed in five different squares (road sections) to assess the sound scape of the town. The sources of noise at the studied sites are predominantly attributable to motor vehicular traffic. Taking the tolerated noise level of 70 dB (A) during the day time on the main roads as standard for United Kingdom and many other European countries, in absence of regulation regarding permissible level for road traffic noise in India, the noise levels of all the five investigated locations were found to be beyond permissible limit during day time. Noise produced from cargo carrying trucks, bus, Bolero, trekker, motor cycle, tractor, dumper, tempo, ranges from 103.2- 123.4, 101.2-118.3, 96.8-115.5, 98.3-113.2, 92.5-110.2, 106.4-116.5, 101.2-119.6 and 95.5-114.7 respectively. Thus, the contributions of individual vehicles towards noise pollution were found to be more than the road traffic noise-limit, i.e., 70 dB (A). A preliminary survey adopting questionnaire method amongst 256 local inhabitants has also been carried out to gather information about the suffering of people. The direct impacts include sleep disturbance, loss of concentration, annoyance and irritation, hypertension, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problem, restlessness, depression, fatigue and mental stress etc.

Combinational system for the treatment of textile waste water: a future perspective

Abstract: In recent times, control of pollution has been a major concern. Textile dyes which are important organic compounds are also significant industrial pollutants. Textile dyes are commonly xenobiotic in nature and are not degraded easily by biological systems. Currently the treatment of textile waste water for remediation of recalcitrant dyes is based on either physical, chemical and biological treatment. Each process has its own advantages as well as disadvantages and therefore various combinations have been tried to achieve efficient, eco-friendly and economic treatment of textile waste water. The present review is an attempt to summarise the three treatments and the possible combination in use. We have also proposed alternatives comprising of adsorption, chemical oxidation and biodegradation process. The proposed combination system involves use of pre treated sugarcane bagasse for adsorption of dyes followed by treatment of dyes with Fenton reagent for chemical oxidation which can then be easily biodegraded with suitable micro organisms under aerobic conditions.

Assessment of Groundwater Pollution near Municipal Solid Waste Landfill

Abstract: The leachate produced by waste disposal sites contains a large amount of contaminants which are likely to pollute ground water. The impact of such sites upon ground water can be judged by monitoring the concentration of potential contaminants at a number of specific monitoring points. In this study, the quality of ground water around a municipal solid waste dumping site was investigated. It is clearly evident from the ground water monitoring that the leachate generated from the landfill site is affecting the groundwater quality in the adjacent areas through percolation in the subsoil and with the passage of time the concentration of most of the parameters were found to be increased. Thus the study revealed that the ground water in and around the landfill site should not be used for drinking purpose unless it meets specific standards. Indiscriminate dumping of wastes in developed areas without proper solid waste management practices should be stopped.

Correlation between Physicochemical Water Parameters Using Regression Analysis: A Case Study of River Ram Ganga at Moradabad, India

Abstract: A study was carried out in river Ram Ganga (India) to assess the extent of pollution by different industrial and domestic activities. Water samples were collected from river Ram Ganga at six sites and analysed for acidity, alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) during summer, winter and rainy season. The collected data subjected to statistical analysis and some good correlation between parameters is established. Regression equations also established between above parameters to predict the level of contamination of river Ram Ganga. The present study gives us a tool to find the value of physicochemical parameters and extent of pollution theoretically, which is not only time saving but also cost effective.

Urbanization and Changing Air Quality in Delhi–A Comparative Analysis and Strategy for Its Better Management

Abstract: Air pollution, a demon created by mankind, can lead to consequences lasting from hours to decades. It has become a serious and growing problem in rapidly expanding cities of India where unprecedented and unplanned urbanization accompanied by rapid vehicular growth are among the major factors that exacerbate air quality. Delhi, the capital city of India, is facing an uphill task to provide clean air to its citizens. The present study analyzes the data of particulate pollutants (i.e. SPM, RSPM or PM10) concentration over the 17 years to assess the changing ambient air quality of the study area. The relationship between outdoor and indoor pollution levels was evaluated based on primary data collected from 1583 households of respective areas. On the bases of both primary and secondary sources of data, it can be summarized that the air quality in the study area has been deteriorating day by day and despite the implementation of different clean fuel policies, the pollutants were well above the standard limit set by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Use of indigenous plants as pollutants absorber was suggested to mitigate and manage this problem in the sustainable urban development perspectives. It is also recommended that more efforts should be made to understand the dynamics of urban environmental problems.

Regionalization of Storm Duration for Determining Derived Flood Frequency Curve: A Case Study for Victoria in Australia

Abstract: A holistic approach of design flood estimation such as the Monte Carlo simulation technique involves the simulation of thousands of storm and runoff events to determine a derived flood frequency curve. The implementation of such a technique requires the specification of the distributions of various input variables to the rainfall runoff model such as storm duration, storm intensity and initial and continuing losses. This paper presents a case study which focuses on the regionalization of the distribution of storm duration in the state of Victoria, Australia. This in particular compares the one-parameter exponential and two-parameter Gamma distributions in approximating the distribution of storm duration from 91 pluviograph stations in Victoria. Based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Anderson-Darling tests, it has been found that the two-parameter Gamma distribution provides a better fit to the storm duration data in Victoria than the one-parameter exponential distribution. The application of the fitted Gamma distribution in the Monte Carlo simulation technique for generating flood frequency curves shows that this approximates the observed flood frequency curves for the selected test catchments quite well. The methodology presented in this paper can be adapted to other states of Australia or other countries, in particular where a sufficient quantity of continuous rainfall and stream flow data are available. This would particularly be useful in hydrological study of the important/large water infrastructure projects.

Agricultural Intensification in South Asia and Its Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emission: A Review

Abstract: This paper reviewed the agricultural intensification in South Asian region. The indications of intensification in terms of intensive use of chemical fertilizers (urea) and introduction of agro equipments like tractor were reviewed. From 1961 to 2005, Sri Lanka was in the top position to intensify agriculture. There has been a feedback loop between agricultural intensification and climate change. The observed positive outcome of agricultural intensification are mainly improved livelihood and secure food whereas enhanced emissions of greenhouse gases due to addition of nitrogen fertilizers (N inputs) was examined as one of the negative outcomes. Agricultural soil has been adding up major green house gases like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere through tillage, fertilizer application and irrigation. From the review, N 2 O emission from total arable land (in '000 ha) were analysed and estimated. The N2O emission rate was found to be highest in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (3 kg of N2O-N ha -1 ) followed by India and Pakistan (2 kg of N 2 O-N ha -1 ), assuming that crop intensification will demand urea application

Hydrography of Dhaka City Catchment and Impact of Urbanization on Water Flows: A Review

Abstract: Dhaka has one of the fastest urban growth rates of the world with around 12 million people in 2006. It is located on extensive sub-continental floodplains of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra with average elevation of 6 m above mean sea level (MSL). It is surrounded by four rivers with well distributed streams, drainage channels, inland and open waters. Physiographical, spatial and temporal environments of these waters profoundly influence inhabitants' life. Mass shrinkage has occurred during the last four decades due to encroachment and filling-up, man-made changes in elevation pattern and siltation with debris from urban development activities. Groundwater storage is on the verge of mass threat because of increasing pollution of surface waters. Water logging has become every-rainy season phenomenon due to unplanned urbanization. Development activities are required to enhance the water environments safe and sustained, and regulations are needed to be imposed to protect these environments.

Heavy Metal Translocation in Soil Near to the Effluent Discharge Channel of Industrial Complex, West Bengal, India

Abstract: The present study focuses on the heavy metal translocation and its potential impact on soil contamination near to the industrial effluents discharge channel. Metal concentrations in contaminated soil are considerably higher than background levels and decreases with increasing depth and distance from effluent channel. A significant correlation between heavy metals and soil physical factor was observed in both vertical and lateral direction. The enrichment of heavy metals in vertical direction are Fe > Cr > Mn > Cd > Cu > Pb > Zn > Ni whereas in lateral direction Fe > Cr > Mn > Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni > Cd. Concentration factor (CF) was very high for Fe and Cr compared to other metals. Pollution Load Index (PLI) of soil samples shows highest metal accumulation at surface soil, nearest to wastewater channel. Fe, Cr, Mn and Zn were found to be present in greater amounts in comparison to Pb, Cu, Cd and Ni. The results indicate that heavy metal concentration in surrounding soil is highly influenced by discharge of untreated effluents from sponge iron industries which is expected to increase with time due to geoaccumulation.

Municipal Solid Waste and the Plant Diversity on Landfill Site of Doon Valley

Abstract: Solid waste generation and its disposal to safer sites are posing a threat to environment and human existence. Due to poor solid waste management practices, problems of health, sanitation and environmental degradation are unavoidable. In the current paper we have tried to assess the total Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated in Doon Valley and its disposal to landfill site along with the plant species that grow on this site. A total of 116 plant species were recorded growing in landfill site. They included two tree species, four shrub species and remaining herb species. These included many invasive species like Lantana camara, Eupatorium adenophorum, Ageratum conyzoides and Parthenium hysterophorus. The plants are best source to remediate the solid wastes and this technique is phytoremediation. However, it is a slow process but certainly cost effective.

Mitigation of Arsenic by Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) Plant

Abstract: Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) plant removes arsenic remarkably both from artificial arsenic solution and naturally arsenic contaminated ground water. Two clay containers (locally known as “Chari”), one with water hyacinth plant in distilled water as a control and another with water hyacinth plant in artificial arsenic solution (0.3 mg/l) was used to set up the experiment. The arsenic concentration of the water was tested over multiple trails using a Hach colorimetric test kit. It was observed that water hyacinth reduced arsenic level from 0.3 mg/l to 0.01 mg/l for one trail, 0.05 mg/l for two trails and lost all ability to remove arsenic after five trails. Again, water hyacinth plant was placed in a clay container in which naturally arsenic contaminated (0.8 mg/l) ground water was used for a period of one month. Sampling was conducted in every two successive days. Rate of arsenic extraction through water hyacinth plant was higher in first two weeks and after that it seems to be constant. All laboratory tests were performed by SDDC method to determine arsenic content in root, bladder and leaves of hyacinth plant. About 4050% arsenic was removed through water hyacinth from arsenic contaminated ground water. Roots, bladders and leaves of hyacinth plant absorbed most of the removed arsenic.

Softening of Hard Water by Bentonite Mineral

Abstract: The paper reports and discusses the results of removal of hardness by Bentonite minerals. Hybridised IX- fibres that contain dispersed hydrated ferric oxide (HFO) nano particles have also been reported for removal of hardness. Locally available bentonite minerals generally consist of montmorillonite. Besides useful adsorbent of ions in solution, bentonite is known for ion exchange. Bentonite is mixed well with water sample and time is allowed for ion exchange to take place. As a result calcium ion is exchanged. This ion exchange process here has been recognized for softening of water or benign removal of hardness. The particle size is of 0.3 m prepared in the laboratory. The main constituents of bentonite minerals are alumina, silica, iron oxide and oxides of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. The bentonites have been found to be a natural exchanger. The cation exchange capacity of bentonite minerals may be attributed to the lattice structure as the clay minerals contain anions and cations in the exchangeable state. The bentonite minerals of 0.3 m size has been studied with different doses up to a certain interval of time and with fixed dose to different interval of time. The experiments were done by simple titration with N/50 HCl using methyl orange as an indicator.

Assessing Drought Scenario over India during Monsoon 2009 – An Approach Based on Standardized Precipitation Index

Abstract: An attempt has been made in this study to assess drought scenario over India during monsoon 2009, the latest drought of India, employing Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). Monthly rainfall data, for more than hundred years, for the 36 meteorological subdivisions as well as the country as a whole have been used in the analysis. The study brought out drought scenario over the country in different time scales. SPI for June indicated a gruesome picture of drought when out of 36 only 5 sub-divisions did not suffer from any drought. Though the drought scenario improved in July yet in the subsequent months of August and September the picture became grim. SPI of (June+July), (July+August), (June+July+August) and (June+July+August+September) revealed the continued grim picture of drought during monsoon 2009. SPI, analysed for the individual sub-divisions falling in different homogeneous regions, revealed that the usually surplus sub-divisions of northeast India were worst hit by drought, whereas in the drought prone Saurashtra and Kutch in northwest India drought was minimal.

Nickel Recovery from Spent Ni/Al_2O_3 Catalysts Using Nitric Acid Solution

Abstract: This study investigates the possibility of recovering nickel from the spent catalyst (Ni/Al2O3) used in the steam reforming process of a fertilizer industry. In the leaching process, nickel is recovered as nickel nitrate using nitric acid as a solvent The effects of acid concentration, temperature, solid to liquid (S:L) ratio and reaction time on nickel recovery were examined. The 95% leaching efficiency of nickel from the spent catalysts having size between 1-2 mm was achieved at optimized conditions: 40% acid concentration (v/v), temperature 90oC, solid:liquid ratio of 1:10 g/ml and leaching time 5 hour.

Microbial Denitrification of Ground Water ¨C Batch Study

Abstract: Nitrate pollution of ground water is increasing alarmingly in various countries. Biological denitrification has been found as the most inexpensive and effective technique for nitrate removal. The present work involves batch studies for heterotrophic biological denitrification using cotton as the carbon source and Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIM 5059 and Pseudomonas stutzeri NCIM 5136 as the microbial strains. A maximum removal of 91.0 mg/l at 30 oC for the strain Pseudomonas fluorescens and 89.2 mg/l at 40 oC for the strain Pseudomonas stutzeri was observed for an initial nitrate concentration of 100 mg/l. Both the organisms followed Monods Growth Kinetics with μmax values of 5.88 days -1 for Pseudomonas fluorescens and 5 days -1 for Pseudomonas stutzeri, respectively.