The purpose of conducting this undergraduate research project is to test the amount of selenium absorbed by fathead minnows when selenium is added to the water supply. Selenium is a nonmetallic element that is found in a variety of chemical forms both in marine and freshwaters (3). In this study there were two groups of fathead minnows studied. One was the control and the other contained 20 ppm of selenium in selenite form. The fathead minnows were placed in a 25-degree Celsius temperature-controlled environment and monitored for five days. The minnows that expired during this time were frozen in plastic bags. After the five days the remaining fish were terminated by exposure. The minnows were converted to ashes in a muffle furnace and prepared following the Yankton Biological Research Field Stations SOP F6.3.13. The samples were then analyzed by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer 200-A. The results showed a substantial difference between the control and experimental groups, thus rendering our hypothesis as accurate.
In this study, scouring around single and double piggyback pipelines in different arrangements was experimentally investigated in a laboratory flume. Two diameter ratios of small pipe diameter (d) to large diameter pipe (D) (d/D) = 0.2 and 0.3 were used. The effect of change in arrangement of piggyback pipelines on the scour depth in live-bed condition was evaluated using the Young et al. criterion. Results showed that the change in arrangement, regardless of the number of piggyback pipelines, significantly reduced the maximum scour depth, and the larger d/D ratio was, the greater was the scour depth reduction.
This study focuses on statistical analysis of the mean monthly, annual and interannual variability of wind speed data in Cameroon for the years 2000 to 2017. The potential and characteristics of wind energy were determined based on the Gamma probability density function (PDF). The wind speed data were collected from ERA-Interim measured at 10 m above ground level (A.G.L). The results show that apart from the Lake Chad Basin and the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) where highest wind speeds and wind power densities not exceeding class 2 are observed due to the influence of the Harmattan and the Monsoon, almost the entire study area presents low and relatively constant wind speeds and power densities belonging mainly to class 1 during all seasons. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of theoretical power (TP) with that based on Gamma PDF show that they are closely related.
The efficacy of grinded watermelon seed as alternative low-cost biosorbents for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions was investigated. Batch adsorption studies were carried out by preparing a simulated waste sample and effects of adsorbent dose, temperature, initial metal concentration, contact time and pH on the percentage Pb(II) removal were evaluated. The Freundlich constant (n) and separation factor (RL) values suggest that the lead ions was favourably adsorbed onto biosorbents. Pseudo-second order kinetics best described the process with R2 (0.997). The results of pseudo second order kinetic model for the adsorption of lead showed straight line graph which starts from the origin. The value 1/n greater than 1 is indicative of cooperative adsorption and Freundlich isotherm. Watermelon seed has viable characteristics for preparing biosorbents.
Petroleum sludge is a residue extracted mostly from petroleum storage. Contaminants from petroleum sludge may exist in the soil for long periods and be transmitted to plants and tissues of living organisms within the soil ecosystem. The aim of this study was to investigate sustainable technology for enhancing bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum sludge. The study involved planting of Bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) and Papyrus (Papyrus cyperus) plants in contaminated soil. Parts of the plant (roots, stem and leaves) were examined for their effectiveness of absorption and bioaccumulation of three heavy metals (lead, copper and chromium). The plants were harvested after every three months of growing for a period of one year. Presence of heavy metal in the soil and the harvested plant parts were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. After growing the plants in the contaminated soil for 12 months, it was found that highest amounts of chromium (86.86%) were reduced by Bamboo plant while copper (83.33%) was the highest reduced metal by Papyrus plant. Heavy metal analysis on the plant parts depicted that Bamboo is an effective plant in accumulation of heavy metals in petroleum contaminated soil over a long period of time. Conversely, Papyrus accumulates heavy metals over a short period of time even in presences of extra amounts of water in the soil. It was further noted that both Bamboo and Papyrus accumulate copper and lead more in the roots than in leaves, however, chromium is most accumulated in leaves.
Water quality index was determined mathematically to assess the water quality of Halda River, a well-known spawning ground of Indian major carps and a tributary of the River Karnaphuli in south-eastern Bangladesh. Water quality and water quality indexes for seasonal and yearly were calculated from three selected stations situated upstream to downstream covering the entire fishing and spawning area by Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index method based on ten physicochemical parameters (Temperature, Transparency, TDS, Conductivity, pH, DO, BOD, Calcium, Total Hardness, and Total Alkalinity), analyzed monthly for two years, during January 2017 to December 2018. The Index classified the river water as good to poor during different seasons and annually. In the Station-1 (Nazirhat) upstream the water was good in monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter, but was poor during pre-monsoon. In the Station-2 (Satterghat) mid-stream, the water was good in pre-monsoon and winter andwas poor during monsoon and post-monsoon. In the Station-3 (Madunaghat) downstream, the water was poor for the entire four seasons. However, annually for two years, water was good in Stations 1 and 2 but was poor in Station-3. Index classified the water of Stations-1 and 2 as usable for domestic, irrigation, and industrial purposes, while the water of Station-3 is usable for irrigation and industrial uses only, and the river water is not fit for drinking without treatment. The level of all ten parameters was congenial for fishes in stations 1 and 2, whereas in Station-3 eight parameters excluding DO and BOD were suitable for fish. The study might help to create awareness among the users of river water for drinking and fisheries purposes and to keep the water in good condition.
The geographical location owned by Situbondo Regency has a coastal area, which could have the potential for seawater intrusion. Therefore, this study aims to explore water resources, namely groundwater in a coastal area of Situbondo Regency - Banyuwangi Regency, which can be used to determine the feasibility of life, especially for humans and animals. Interpretation of groundwater depth is obtained through processing Geoelectric Resistivity Mapping data, then matching the value with direct depth measurements, then measuring using the salinity parameter. Geoelectric measurements obtained an interpretive value of groundwater depth of 12.4 meters, and in direct measurements of the depth of groundwater, the average value was 12.04 meters below the surface, which means that the interpretation value is not much different from the direct measurement value. Then based on the salinity parameter, it can be concluded that the area measured in this study experienced intrusion, with an average salinity value of 2.6 ‰. Therefore, in general, it can be assumed that the intrusion of seawater occurred at the research location. For future improvements, it is necessary to carry out further research along the road from Situbondo District - Banyuwangi Regency to obtain a wider picture.
Environmental degradation related to hazardous pollutants from economic activity became a major concern in many rapidly developing mega cities of the global South. In this study, the level of selected parameters (pH, TDS, TSS, TS, Alkalinity, Hardness, DO, BOD, COD, Na, Fe, Cr, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cl-, Cu, and SO4-2, NO3- and PO4-2) were measured to find water quality of canals in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Samples were collected from 17 different canals in and around Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) area. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis (CA) were used to assess the metal contamination of chemical parameters in the canals. Mean, Median, Minimum, Maximum and Standard Deviation were used to assess the variation of results of samples of canals. The analysis shows that in most of the samples physical and chemical parameters of hazardous materials were found. SO4-2, Cr, Cu and Pb were present as major pollutants with high concentration level, while Cl-, Cd, Na and Fe emerged as minor pollutants. Further, TDS, Alkalinity and Hardness were found to increase alarmingly while BOD levels were found below the acceptable limit and rests were unchanged. Finally, data for the presence of metal in the canal sediments shows Cr and Pb levels were higher than the recommended sediment quality by both guidelines of Department of Environment (DoE), Bangladesh and the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA). From overall findings it is evident that sustaining environmental quality needs special attention to check hazardous pollutants in the water of canals in Dhaka.
Physicochemical characteristics of any water body should be well known before using its water for different domestic purposes and also for different management needs. In Bangladesh, pond water is generally used by the middle to low income classesâ peoples for various purposes ignoring its quality. This study was conducted on monthly basis for two years, from January 2017 to December 2018 to find out the limnological qualities of water of three different types of ponds used by local inhabitants at Chittagong University Campus. The results of twelve limnological parameters were: air temperature (20.1-33°C), water temperature (18-33°C), transparency (14-85 cm), conductivity (22-423 μS/cm), total dissolved solids (TDS: 0-230 mg/l), pH (6.1-8.4), dissolved oxygen (DO: 0.9-16.5 mg/l), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD: 0.8-12.3 mg/l), free carbon dioxide (freeCO2: 2-26.97 mg/l), calcium (Ca++: 1.72-32.68 mg/l), total hardness (4-110 mg/l) and alkalinity (40-98 mg/l). Over use and dumping of household wastes disrupted the normal limnological features of Pond 1, in comparison with other two less (Pond 2) and almost unused (Pond 3) ponds. Extensive use by inhabitants and also physical structure of ponds were found to be responsible for variation and differences among some physicochemical properties of water. Among the three ponds, Pond 1 was found to be extensively used for household uses, than Pond 2 and Pond 3, and thus detected as high, less and not contaminated respectively. Significant direct or inverse correlations were observed among most of the factors.
Landslide occurrence in Okemesi, an ancient town in the southwestern Nigeria on 24th of September 2017 was the third in the last two decades that led to loss of properties worth millions of Naira. This paper presents a geological investigation and quantitative modelling of the topographic surface of the area of landslide occurrence with the view of identifying the factors responsible for the land failure mechanism. The investigation included reconnaissance survey, geological mapping of the area to determine the underlying lithologic units, systematic sampling of soils and rocks at the affected sites at a sampling interval of 100 m, determination of geotechnical properties of the soils and rocks as well as Atterberg limits. Index and engineering properties of the soils such as load bearing capacities of the rocks and soils, repose angles and specific gravity were determined in the laboratory. The result of geotechnical analysis revealed that the soils are predominantly sandy clay with clay content ranging from 9.0 - 24.6%, sand content 60.2 – 70.6%, and silt content 13.5- 24.6% respectively. The soils were classified as poorly graded on basis of the unified soil classification system with specific gravity ranging from 2.640 - 2.690. Laboratory estimated repose angles also range from 28.20 – 38.280, which indicated that analyzed soils showed high level of instability This can be attributed to the major damage caused by the slump at the toe and lower section of the slope during the 2017 landslide. It is therefore pertinent that the settlers be relocated to away from the schistose quartzitic hill to avoid loss of lives in future that might arise from possible reactivated landslide.
Nowadays, water scarcity is one of the most important subject that many scientists are involved. On the other hand, environment pollution is another worrying problem what increase water scarcity via resources pollution. Both effect on human live, then finding comprehensive alternative is inevitable. Natural hydrologic water cycle (Macro Cycle) investigation shows nature provide comprehensive solution as natural cycle what could be imitated as reusing processed water that is called minor cycle. Today, common treatment processes could not be feasible as a standard way and then most of consumers refuse it. But innovative design and treatment elements arrangement in a process beside new technologies, can provide comprehensive solutions via minor cycle doctrine.
Soil samples were collected from two different steel industries of Narayanganj District, Bangladesh. The samples were then dried, made fine powder and the pellets have been made for irradiation by 2.2 MeV proton beams of current ranges from 10 to 15 nA. Ion Beam Analyzing (IBA) technique Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) was used for sample irradiation. Data acquisition has been done using MAESTRO-32 software and the data files are analyzed using GUPIX/DAN-32. Elements to be found in the studied samples are: K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Pd. Heavy metal with higher concentration was found in the study area and the concentration of heavy metal decreases with depth. The main objective of the research work is to explore and identify heavy elements presence in soil samples affected by the industrial area for human health.
Effective stream and wetland Best Management Practices (BMPs) restore the physical processes associated with ecological functions to their Proper Functioning Condition (PFC, i.e., the highest attainable ecological status of a riparian area without consideration of economic, administrative, or social constraints). Ecological functions connect stream monitoring and management to mitigate the causes of ecosystem degradation and enhance restoration. The ecological function approach supports sustainable management of many ecosystem services including water quality, water stability (aquifer recharge), and fish and wildlife habitats. The 1993 Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) report listed the Dungeness River as a Tier 1 key watershed, noted that watersheds are the logical spatial unit for ecosystem management, and that watersheds are important in species management, and understanding the interdependence of physical processes. Watersheds are at the spatial scale where physical and biological disturbances can be observed, and where management constraints and planning options for restoration objectives and strategies can be readily assessed. The US Forest Service (USFS) developed a management strategy for the Middle Dungeness River, and in the 1990s, the Upper Dungeness River was listed as impaired due to sediment, which initiated a US Forest Service change to land management practices. The Lower Dungeness River and bay are listed as impaired due to fecal coliform contamination. Assessing and monitoring the drivers of ecosystem function (vegetation, hydrology, soil, and landform) as part of a watershed adaptive management plan, and implementing BMPs to increase ecological functions, will improve aquatic habitat and water quality. Most BMPs, such as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), attempt to improve water quality by reducing the amount of external pollutants reaching the impacted waterbodies, but do not focus on improving the watershed functions. The Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) approach is used to examine the condition of wetlands and streams and provide guidance for quantitative approaches (e.g., TMDL, remote sensing) used in watershed restoration. Improving watershed functions is a BMP that facilitates increased flows of water, nutrients, sediment, and other materials, and improves habitat quality. Using improved watershed functions as a BMP, facilitated by the use of remote sensing, TMDLs, and the PFC methodology is a more effective means of reducing risks across a watershed than by using TMDLs alone.
In this modern era with the improvement in technology, people can realize that they can only survive, if ournature survives. So scientists are trying their best to cooperate with our mother like environment by reducing the amount of waste product. Again people are very conscious about different diseases even if while dressing themselves up. From all these thoughts he casein or milk fiber is discovered which may help both the human being & the nature. From the huge amount of discarded milk, a special type of fabric can be produced which is silky, smooth, very desirable for high fashion, appealing to high end consumers who are not only interested in ecology but also the economic & social responsibility supporting the fashionable collections. This article is all about the manufacturing process of casein fiber, it’s special features & comfortable uses. Again there are some techniques of producing casein fiber which are beyond any kind of harm to the environment. With the interest in & the use of this textile fiber growing, supply is challenged to meet the demand. So this article is very well suited with the modernization of the textile sector. It is an overview of the casein fiber & garments which also includes it’s drawbacks & the points which require further improvement. This article will help the researchers to reach the casein fiebr at a very remarkable stage of use as textile garments.
The effluent of an anaerobic digester is rich in terms of solid concentration, particularly the suspended solids [1]. It may be rich in terms of nutrients also depending upon the source from where it has been generated. These solids in the effluent are reflected in terms of high COD. The effluent of the anaerobic digester can be used for irrigation purpose or may be discharged into some receiving water-body or on land. It can be further treated also to enhance its recyclability. In each case, it is desirable that the effluent is of high quality or in other words it is having less solid content. The solid content of the effluent can be reduced either by effluent settling or by effluent filtration. The settling of effluent is also a growing technology yet it is in its primitive stage. The present work has experimentally explored the second option that is the effluent filtration. It is found that the effluent can be effectively filtered to reduce the COD and solid content of itself, thus making the disposal easier. The experimental study has been done for the campus of an engineering college, SSBT’s College of Engineering and Technology, Bambhori, Jalgaon, MS.
The need to control our environment from industrial waste water pollution has ignited interest in cost effective products to treat industrial effluents. Adsorption of cadmium (II) ions from wastewater using activated carbon from African elemi seeds was studied. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, temperature and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption efficiency. Results showed that increasing all the parameters, with the exception of temperature, increases the adsorption capacity. The process followed the pseudo-second order kinetics model which showed chemical adsorption. The experimental data was fitted well by the Freundlich isotherm indicating adsorption on heterogeneous surface. Thermodynamic data (negative ΔG, negative ΔH and positive ΔS) showed that the process was feasible, spontaneous, and exothermic with an increase in the randomness at the solid/solution interface. The study revealed that activated carbon from African elemi seeds could be used as a low cost adsorbent for removal of cadmium (II) ions from wastewater.
Radionuclide migration from a disposal facility is one of the most crucial factors for protecting man and environment. To ensure safety of a disposal facility, radionuclide migration or adsorption behavior is a key issue in operational and post operational phase. In this perspective, laboratory based column experiments was carried out to investigate theadsorption behavior of radionuclide on the cement and soil mediums. Present experiments simulate the migration behavior of radionuclide through the cement and soil barrier into the environment if the waste packs inside a disposal site encounter rain infiltration. In this study, some simulant cement chunk was produced with a water-cement ratio of 0.50 each, and soil samples were prepared with various grain sizes from 90 µm to 2 mm. In this study adsorption and hence migration behavior of solid spent resin was verified experimentally. In addition, adsorption of two radionuclides, namely 60Co and 137Cs was investigated as liquid waste by using the gamma spectrometry analysis. The highest activity distribution of 60Co at 1173.2 keV and 137Cs was found in concrete medium 53.49%, and 46.82 in the soil medium, respectively. Thus, locally prepared multiple barriers of cement and soil medium could reasonably be suitable for liquid waste immobilization.
This study examined applicability and performance of SWAT model for the catchment of Megech watershed in Tana basin located in Amhara region of northern Ethiopia. Calibration and validation of runoff process has been done on monthly basis for the periods 1984-2004 and 2005-2014. Trend of rainfall in 35 years has been done using the Mann-Kendall trend test. Analysis of water balance showed that base flow is 52% of the total discharge in the Megech watershed that contributes more than surface runoff. Total surface runoff of Megech watershed is about 48% of the total and 37% of losses in the watershed through the evapotranspiration. The result indicated that there has been good agreement between simulated and observed flow. Therefore, the model performance has been applicable and strong predictive capability for the Megech watershed. According to Mann-Kendall trend test, during short rainy season substantial decreasing trend was observed in all the stations. Likewise, during the long rainy season increasing trend was recorded. It can be concluded that on the annual scale, the trend of rainfall during the study periods have shown a decreasing trend with lower variability of rainfall distribution.
Computer clusters are getting more and more employed for highly demanding computational tasks in environmental engineering, as the new parallel computing technologies are improving steadily and have attained a high standard. Nevertheless, for a task to execute in a cluster, it needs to be written following paradigms of parallelism, which is not necessarily dominated by the implementer of a specific problem, such as analysis of meteorological data, simulation of pollution dispersion among many others. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a computer platform capable of parallelizing, manipulating, analyzing and evaluating meteorological observational data and controlling simulation. Task specific features can be added to the platform through plugins, rendering it flexible and extensible for a large range of tasks. A simple plugin was created to validate and evaluate the functionality of the platform with satisfactory results. The test application considers a simple function to carry out the calculation of the four statistical moments (mean, variance, skewness and kurtosis) of a given variable in a given time scale. Despite its simplicity, this plugin can already be used for exploring the relevance of some variables in order to use this information in a procedure for data reduction.
