INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (IJEST)
Year:2007 | Volume:4 | Issue:3 (15)|Papers Count:16

A greenhouse experiment was carried out in 2002 at Jordan University of Science and Technology, Agricultural Experiment Station to examine the effect of potassium fertilization on the response of barley (Hordeum vullgare L.) to different soil salinity levels. Five levels of potassium (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g K per pot as KCl) and two salt levels (0.75 and 13 ds/m) were investigated in a split plot design with four replications. Soil salinity affected growth and yield component parameters in most of the cases. However, potassium application alleviated the stress condition and significantly (p<0.05) improved dry matter yield and yield components in barley. The highest dry matter yield (19.63 g/ pot) of barley grown on the very saline soil was obtained in response to the highest potassium level (0.8 gK/pot). Number of kernels per spike, number of tillers per plant, weight of kernels per spike and total top (shoot) dry weight were all significantly influenced by the main effects and their interaction. The content of nitrogen and Potassium in barley shoot was also increased due to potassium application. In general, the result of this experiment indicated that application of potassium to barley grown on saline soil medium could bring about improvements in yield and yield component parameters, which would otherwise suffer badly.

A numerical model was developed to evaluate the response of groundwater flow and the fresh-saltwater interface in relation to the construction of a particle accelerator at the coastal plain of Tokaimura, Japan. Undisturbed conditions were initially simulated and validated against field observations as a prerequisite for the analysis of predictive scenarios. Groundwater heads and the shape of the saltwater interface were appropriately described by the model, although it tended to underestimate salinity concentrations. Saltwater penetrated up to 250 m inland during predevelopment conditions, reaching more than 400 m at the dewatering phase. Flushing of entrapped saline groundwater might occur in addition to seawater intrusion. In depth, multiple saltwater fronts develop in response to the hydraulic properties of the sediments. Groundwater discharges offshore through the sandy aquifers, but salinity fronts prevail in the relatively impermeable layers. Routes for freshwater outflow turned into pathways of seawater intrusion during the pumping phase. The equilibrium would be reestablished within 2 years from the end of the stress, with no evidence of a permanent deterioration of neighbor residential wells. Nonetheless, after construction the accelerator forms a barrier that leads to a sharp rise in piezometric levels and creates a new and long-term disequilibrium in the saltwater wedge. Despite further work is still necessary to test many of the ideas proposed, the present study makes a new contribution to enhance the understanding of the processes occurring in coastal aquifers subjected to anthropogenic influence.

The experiments were conducted in open top chamber system installed at the University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Pakistan. The mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek var.M28) seeds were sown in earthen pots and were kept in filtered air, unfiltered air and ambient air. The ozone concentration was monitored daily during 1000hrs till 1600 h. The data for light intensity and relative humidity was also regularly collected. The sets of plants growing in FA chambers (without ozone and dust particles) responded well as regards growth and yields are concerned. Unfiltered air reduced the number of nodules, their biomass and nitroginase activity in mungbean plants. The present study documents that the species of mycorrhizal fungi sensitive to tropospheric ozone failed to reproduce in ambient air and unfiltered air chambers (without dust particles). Out of a total of 24 species, eighteen species belonged to the genus Glomus, two each to Sclerocystis, to Acaulospora and one each to Gigaspora and Scutellospora. The total number of species was variable during the growth phase. The total number of species reduced in soil of UFA chambers with the passage of time. Species richness reduced to almost half in UFA plants as compared to FA plants. Species of the Genus Glomus were highly abundant species at various harvests in all air treatments. Amongst most abundantly recovered Glomus species were G. fasciculatum, G. mosseae, G. aggregatum, G. caledonicum, G. deserticola, G. geosporum, and G. monosporum. The pattern of abundance kept on varying at various harvests for different air and mycorrhizal treatments. In the case of plants of UFA treatment, only two species of Glomus were abundant namely G. fasciculatum and G. geosporum. Species of Acaulospora and Gigaspora in particular and Scutellospora and Sclerocystis in general were sensitive to polluted air.

A crude contaminated soil, arising from an oil production zone in Tabasco, Mexico was studied. A sample of about 40 kg was dried and screened through meshes 10-100. Total petroleum hydrocarbons and 6 metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, V and Zn) were determined to the different portions. For soil which passed mesh 10, six non-ionic, three anionic and one zwitterionic surfactant solutions (0.5%) were employed to wash the soil. Additional tests using surfactant salt mixtures and surfactants mixtures were carried out. Once the best soil washing conditions were identified, these experimental conditions were applied for washing the rest of the soil portions obtained (meshes 4, 6, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100). Total petroleum hydrocarbons values were in the range of 51,550 to 192,130 mg/kg. Cd was not found in any of the soils portions, and the rest of the metals were found at different concentrations, for every soil mesh. Treatability tests applied to the soils indicated that it is possible to get removals between 9.1 to 20.5%. For the case of a sodium dodecyl sulphate 1% solution, total petroleum hydrocarbons removal was as high as 35.4%. Combinations of sodium docecyl sulphate and salts, gave removal rates up to 49.5%. Total petroleum hydrocarbons concentrations for the whole soil were about 150,600 mg/kg. The higher the particle size, the lower the washing removal rate. The combined effect of particle size and total petroleum hydrocarbons concentration, determines the total petroleum hydrocarbons removal efficiencies. These facts are very important for designing an appropriate soil washing remediation process.

Desorption of Cu and low molecular weight dissolved organics are the primary factors that impact fate and transport of Cu in soils. To improve predictions of the toxicity and threat from Cu contaminated soil, it is critical that time-dependent desorption behavior be understood. In this paper, the effect of organic ligands citrate, malate, and succinate on the kinetics of Cu desorption from contaminated soils varying widely in soil characteristics was investigated at 25o C and the soils used were referred to as clay, calcareous and sandy soils. The amount of Cu released by the used organic ligands varied greatly with physicochemical properties of the soils. The rate of Cu release by different extractants was in the order citric > malic > succinic, which was consistent with the stability constants of Cu complexes with these ligands. The modified Freundlich and the Elovich and Parabolic diffusion models were used to describe dsorption of Cu2+ from the three studied soils as affected by the organic ligands. All of the models fit the data well with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 1.00 (P<0.01). Each Model has a set of assumptions for the different physical and chemical properties of the systems to which they are being applied. The uses of these equations yield different magnitudes for the calculated variable, but the relationships between the soil + organic ligands and their effect (i.e., increase or decrease) on these variables are the same. Such information is critical, since Cu is used in a variety of industrial and manufacturing processes and is one of the most common contaminants found at hazardous waste sites.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the growth response of Vetiveria zizanioides amended with organic amendments to arsenic (As) in contaminated soils and its ability to sequester As. The test results indicate that the plants exhibited high tolerance to As in the soils and their normal growth continued even though As concentrate on reached 500 mg/kg. However, when As concentrations in soils were in the range of 1000~2000 mg/kg the plants could not survive no matter whether the soils were amended. The accumulation of As in roots (185.4 mg/kg) was higher than that in shoots (100.6 mg/kg). The As level in the contaminated soil was reduced from 500 mg/kg to 214 mg/kg after six months of As phytoextraction. Microbial population was not affected in the As contaminated soil amended with dairy sludge, mycorrhizae and Azotobacter.

This study investigates the field performance tests of a commercial grease trap effluent filter for removal of total suspended solids, and oil and grease discharged from the clear zone of full service restaurant grease traps. The grease trap effluent filters were installed on 1,000-gallon, 2,000-gallon and 5,400-gallon full service restaurant grease traps over a period of 8 weeks, and samples were taken at the inlets and outlets. On average, the effluent filters demonstrated to be capable of removing 41% to 57% of TSS, and 43% to 52% of O and G. Field test data also showed that the total amount of TSS removed by the grease trap effluent filter installed on 1,000 gallon, 2,000 gallon and 5,400 gallon grease traps were approximately 2,542 kg, 709 kg, and 2,319 kg, respectively; and the total amount of O and G removed over the same period were approximately 1,104 kg, 271 kg, and 897 kg, respectively.

The nearshore marine environment of the Caspian sea is a major repository for toxic metals originating from various sources. Since the persistent toxic metals pose serious health risks this research concentrated on investigating the concentrations and spatial distribution of metals in the nearshore sediments along the Iranian coast of the Caspian sea. Fourteen sampling sites were selected along the coast and approximately 400 g of surficial sediments were obtained. Samples were sieved and three grain size fractions from each sample plus fourteen bulk samples were selected for the analysis of metals. Laboratory analysis of the samples utilized the Cold Acetic protocol, followed by Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The statistical techniques were used to analyze all obtained data. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that grain size of the sediments was not a major factor controlling the concentrations and spatial distributions of heavy metals. Box and Whisker plots emphasized that metal concentrations were not homogeneously distributed. Discriminant analysis was also proved to be useful in identifying geographic areas where heavy metal concentrations occur along the coast.

A study was conducted to determine the influence of parent material on the contents and distribution of boron and zinc in soils of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Fourty nine, 30, and 20 top 0-30cm soil samples developed from basement complex rock, Kerri-Kerri Formation and Chad Formation, respectively, were collected and analysed using standard laboratory procedures. Results obtained indicate that parent material influenced Zn but not B contents in the soils. Generally, both B and Zn varied widely (CV>30%) between locations in the State, irrespective of the parent material. Organic carbon significantly (P<0.01) and negatively correlated with Zn in soils from BCR (r=-0.410) and CF (r=-0.563) and positively with B in soils developed from KKF (r=0.471) and CF (r=0.345). With means of 0.41 and 1.46 mgkg-1 for B and Zn respectively, their contents are considered adequate for crop growth. Crops grown on soils in some localized areas identified with values below the critical limits for these micronutrients may, however, benefit from their application.

This paper presents the findings of the study on treatment of domestic wastewater using a laboratory scale Hybrid Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (HUASB) reactor. The reactor with a working volume of 5.9 L and plastic cut rings as packing media was operated at varying Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) for a period of 110 days. While the COD removal varied from 75-86%, the BOD removal was in the range of 70-91%. Methane content in the biogas was 62±3%. VFA levels fluctuating between 100 and 186 mg/L (as acetate) did not pose operational problems such as souring of the reactor. During the treatment, nutrient levels exhibited an increasing trend. HUASB system could be designed with very short HRT of 3.3 hours, which will reduce the treatment cost significantly. It appears to be a promising alternative for the treatment of domestic wastewater in developing countries like India.

The present investigation was carried in coral reef areas of Palk Bay, Madapam. Palk Bay corals were found disturbed by human beings due to oil pollution, waste discharge from processing units and discharge of domestic household wastes from the nearby Mandapam town. Environmental conditions of the coral reef habitat in the Palk Bay, Mandapam was analyzed for a period of six months at fortnightly intervals for March to August 2001 on the coral reef areas. Temperature, pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) were analyzed at five different stations of Palk Bay, Madapam. The maximum mean values of temperature, pH, DO, BOD and TOC for the four experimental and control stations were 32.6oC, 8.7, 7.02 ppm, 8.29 ppm and 2.13% and 31.5oC, 8.3, 7.98 ppm, 5.71 ppm and 0.48% respectively. The sampling stations were selected on the basis of their importance.

In order to evaluate the feasibility of implementation of horizontal-flow roughing filtration for drinking water treatment a pilot was designed and run at the bank of Zayandehroud river near the village of Chamkhalifeh. Pilot running was performed in summer 2003 (July, August and September), when the quality of river water was in relatively worst condition. The filter is comprised from three different parts which are separated with perforated baffles. Each compartment is filled with some local sand and gravel considering a special decreasing size regime. The overall function of the filter in removing turbidity and total suspended solids is acceptable. Additionally, iron, manganese and color and coliform removal are also been covered to some extent. Achieved results in this study shows that horizontal-flow roughing filtration may be considered as a packed, low-cost and efficient pretreatment process incase surface water is used as water supply for treatment. Furthermore, when small scale societies are considered and when no major pollutants exist in the water supply as the case in this study-this system may be posed as a total treatment system, in which treated water exited from the filter may be sent to distribution network after a simple post chlorination.

This study aims to investigate the green supply chain management practices likely to be adopted by the electrical and electronic industry in Taiwan, which is dominated by Original Equipment Manufacturing and Original Designing and Manufacturing manufacturers, after the European Union implementation of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment directives. The relationship between green supply chain management practices and environmental performance, as well as financial performance, is studied. The approach of the present research includes a literature review, in depth interviews and questionnaire surveys. The companies in the electrical and electronic industry approved by the International Organization for Standardization 14001 certification in Taiwan before December 2004 were sampled for empirical study. The data were then analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences, and structural equation modelling was used as a path analysis model to verify the hypothetical construction of the study. The results indicate that the original equipment manufacturing and original designing and manufacturing manufacturers in Taiwan's electrical and electronic industry have adopted green procurement and green manufacturing practices in response to the current wave of international green issues and have generated favorable environmental and financial performances for the respective companies.

In this paper, experimentally the pressure distribution over wedge and sphere surface in uniform flow has been investigated. Fluid flow over a smooth wedge surface was investigated experimentally to determine the pressure distribution at different values of Reynolds numbers and wedge angles as well as pressure distributions around the sphere of different size are reported for different Reynolds numbers. The variation of static pressures is larger near the wedge vertex and gradually decreases along the length of the wedge surface. At the forward stagnation point the pressure distribution depends on the size of spheres. Separation of flow takes place at an angle of 78o from forward stagnation point for all sizes of spheres. At the rear stagnation point of the sphere the pressure distribution predicts negative pressures. Experimental results provide useful information of interest to potential industrial application. It helps in determining the shape of various wedge and sphere surfaces used in industries for cooling or heating of different wedge surfaces. In the present experiment, it has been found that the pressure near vertex lower as the included angle of the wedge decreases and at lower values of Reynolds number.

Now a day's water pollution has caused incoveriences for people whom live near the Pavana river in Pune city, India. The river water quality has deteriorated by major water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD) and phosphates level. In present study it is tried to find people's willingness to pay (WTP) for improvement of river water quality. Contingent valuation method (CVM) was utilized for valuation of river water quality in Pavana river. Five categories of users have been chosen and then interviewed: households, farmers, fishermen, washing clothes women, bath taking people. One kilometer from each side of river was covered by researchers for sampling. Mean of willingness to pay was estimated at Rs 17.6 (45 Indian Rupees=$ 1) per family per month. This research shows CVM applicablity and the importance of river quality for Pune city and can effectively be used in developing countries.

Thirty soil samples were analyzed for their properties and cadmium concentration in polluted and unpolluted sites of Isikwuato, Abia State, Nigeria. Polluted soils were more acidic (pH=4.38) than unpolluted ones (pH=5.22). Bulk density increased in polluted soils (1.51 g/cm3). Higher average value of organic matter was recorded in polluted soils (mean value=1.42 %) unlike 0.98 % found in unpolluted soils. Cadmium concentration was higher in polluted soils (0.76 mg/kg) contrasting with 0.02 mg/kg obtained in their unpolluted counterparts. Good relationship existed between exchangeable acidity and cadmium status in polluted soils (R=0.83, R2 = 0.77, N=30) as opposed to values in unpolluted soils (R=0.58, R2 = 0.49, N=30).