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Reduction of Arsenate Induced Oxidative Stress in Mungbean Seedlings by Phosphate
Salts and Phytohormones
-- Arpita Swarnakar and Subhendu Mukherji
Effect of Sodium arsenate
(Na2HAsO4.7H2O) on the growth and activity of few oxidizing enzymes of
mungbean seedlings was investigated and it was found to have drastic effects on the growth and biochemical metabolism
of germinating mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.)) Wilczek cv. B-105) seedlings. With an increase in the concentration
of Na2HAsO4.7H2O (5
mM, 10 mM and 20 mM), a significant decrease in the seedling length, fresh weight and
dry weight of mungbean seedlings was observed. Different growth promoters were used for amelioration.
Reduction in growth inhibition was achieved by pretreating the seeds with phytohormones
(GA3, IAA, Kinetin), macronutrients
(KH2PO4,
NaH2PO4.2H2O,
K2SO4,
CaCl2.2H2O and
MgSO4.7H2O) and organic acids
(pyruvate, citrate, malate, fumarate and succinate). Best results were shown by
GA3, KH2PO4,
NaH2PO4 and pyruvate. An appreciable stimulation in the activity of some oxidizing enzymes, viz., catalase, catechol peroxidase and
ascorbate peroxidase was noticed in seedlings growing in the presence of
Na2HAsO4.7H2O indicating oxidative
stress. Pretreatment of mungbean seedlings with
GA3, KH2PO4,
NaH2PO4.2H2O and pyruvate helped in the reduction
of oxidative stress (to some extent) and thus provided resistance to the mungbean seedlings against As-toxicity
and hence has an ameliorating effect against As-induced stress.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Assessment of Pollution Potential of First Flush Runoff from
an Urban Roadway
-- Shivani Sood, Vibhor Sood and Siby John
Management of stormwater is still an unattended activity in India; even today some states are budget deficit
in management of municipal wastewater. Stormwater runoff is usually turbid and constitutes a significant
quantity of metal elements, organic compounds, suspended and dissolved solids and inorganic constituents. Traffic
and land use are considered as the main contributors to this nonpoint source pollution. Lateral pavement sheet
flows from various zones of Chandigarh (India) were monitored during first flush of winter 2009. The results
obtained revealed that TSS, COD and concentrations of heavy metals like
Cr6+, Fe, Zn, Pb, Ni were exceeding the
Indian national surface water discharge standards. Although the contaminant fate and transport in the environment is
a complex issue, this paper emphasizes the need for BMP for tackling this potential threat to the environment.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Composting of Food and Vegetable Waste
-- Kunwar D Yadav , N J Mistry ,
Daxesh Pandya and Bhupesh
Ganvit
Composting is one of the cheap and best methods for disposal of organic waste and its conversion into
valuable products. Reduction in volatile solids is an indicator of loss of carbon content in waste and the rate of
degradation. It depends on the characteristics of organic constituents. The main objective of the present study is to find out
the degradation aspects of food and vegetable waste. The study was conducted in two phases: (1) to find out
the degradation rate in terms of change in volatile solids during the composting process; and (2) to study the
leachate characteristics of food and vegetable waste. The results showed that around 55-58% of volatile solids
reductions was possible within four months of composting of food and vegetable waste. Odor is the one of the
major problems during the initial stage of composting of food and vegetable waste. Leachate production was more
in vegetable waste compared to food waste.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Development of Land Suitability Model (Lsm)
for Irrigation Management Using Remote Sensing,
Gis, Gps and Field Studies: A Case Study of a Part
of Nagarjunasagar Command Area, Prakasam District,
Andhra Pradesh, India
-- K Santosh Kumar and M Anji Reddy
Land suitability provides a rational basis to analyze various soil, nutrient and land parameters to arrive at
an optimum solution for various problems of natural resources. It includes land capability classification,
land irrigability assessment, soil suitability for crops, suitability to plantation/trees/aquaculture, etc. Remote
sensing has shown great potential in land suitability model mapping and monitoring due to its advantages over
the traditional procedures in terms of cost and time effectiveness in the availability of information over larger
areas. Hence, it is proposed to use remote sensing data for the mapping of natural resources. Nevertheless, the
surface reflectance spectra over a wide range of objects and conditions should be identified and interpreted into
meaningful outputs prior to decision making and applications. Satellite remote sensing images, such as IRS P6 LISS IV
MX have been used. Geographic Information System (GIS) has become an important tool because it enables
the integration of complex decisions to be taken under multi-variant situations of the resource base and their
dynamics. Survey of literature reveals that GIS techniques have been employed for development of land suitability
model for irrigation management
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Changes
in Mangroves Along Thane Creek of Mumbai
(India) Using Geospatial Tools
-- P Rama Chandra Prasad, Chiranjibi Pattanaik,
S Narendra
Prasad and C B S Dutt
Advanced geospatial tools like remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) proved beneficial
in providing a detailed scenario on land use and land cover patterns. The increasing population poses pressure
on natural resources, has modified them at irrecoverable levels. The present study was carried out to analyze
the spatial and temporal changes which occurred along the parts of Thane creek of Mumbai using different
satellite imagery viz., 1992 (Landsat Thematic Mapper), 2001 (Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper) and 2005 (IRS
P6 LISS IV multispectral) data. Satellite data was classified using supervised techniques to delineate different
land cover features. The study found an increase of mangrove areas along the coastline from 1992 to 2001 and
decrease in area from 2001 to 2005. We suggest for conservation of remaining mangrove areas in future.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Pall Rings Media Performance Studies on Upflow Aerobic Fixed
Bed Bioreactor for the Treatment
of Dairy Wastewater
-- Madan Mohan Reddy K, Sanjeeva Rayudu E and Srimurali M
Laboratory studies were conducted to assess the influence of Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) on the
performance of Upflow Aerobic Fixed Bed Bioreactor (UAFBBR) for the treatment of dairy wastewater. Simple model
of reactor 3.815 L capacity UAFBBR packed with support media pall rings of size 1.5 cm thick and 3.0 cm
diameter having a shape of corrugated modular blocks were installed. The study was carried out for a period of 125
days. Influent Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of dairy wastewater was
at an average of 890 and 1,250 mg/L respectively, was fed into the reactor daily and operated in progression at
24, 18 and 12 h HRT. The waste treatment performance indicates that the UAFBBR packed with pall rings
media demonstrated the highest COD and BOD removal efficiency of 93.16% and 96.17% respectively at 24 h HRT
and a substantial decrease of efficiency was observed for progressive 18 and 12 h HRT.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Quantification of Chlorine and Hydrogen Chloride in Air Using Chemically-Treated Filter
-- A H Abba, M Rashid, C M Hasfalina,
Z Z Noor and T B
Whei
Air pollution is a major cause of environmental health problems with devastating effects all over the world.
In recent years, new techniques of air sampling have been developed for the assessment of air pollutants. In
this study, a simplified technique based on the US EPA Test Method 26/26A is developed to quantify the
concentration of Chlorine (Cl2) and Hydrogen chloride (HCl) in indoor air. The collection of acid gases is compared by
liquid absorption between impingers and the chemically-treated filter. Results show that there is a linear
relationship between the concentration of the acid gases collected and their flow rates in both cases. The
chemically-treated filter method is found to quantify both
Cl2 and HCl to a certain sensitivity compared to the impinger
method. Errors are inherent in the measurement system. Although the uncertainties cannot be reduced to zero, by
quality assurance study, the new methods are viable. Small-sized apparatus, portable, simple to operate and
exclusiveness of any volatility are some of the advantages of the developed filter. It is also shown that chemical reaction of
Cl2 with Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and HCl with Sulphuric acid
(H2SO4), produced ion chlorides that can
be determined instrumentally.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Saline Intrusion Modeling of Sea Water Level Rise Impact on
a Natural River in Miri, Sarawak
-- Hii Ching Poon, Fredrik Josep Putuhena and Salim Said
The main objective of the salinity modeling exercise is to investigate the extent of salinity during raw water
abstraction at the Bakong Intake facility when drought event coincides with a spring tide scenario, and the impact of sea
water level rise on salinity extent. The saline intrusion limits along the river is crucial because the Bakong Intake is the
only existing abstraction facility available to supply treated water to the nearby dwellers. Field surveys were carried
out to obtain river cross section data, real time water level sampling and salinity sampling data. The collected data
were used as input for the hydraulic model development and calibration. 180 mm/yr sea water level rise proposed
by IPCC (2007) was adopted in hydraulic modeling to investigate the impact of sea water level rise on saline
intrusion and intake abstraction operation. The modeling results indicate that at an abstraction rate of 240 Million Liters
per Day (MLD) over a 1 in 50 year drought, the salinity level at the Bakong Intake would have reached 7 mg/L and
11 mg/L without and with sea water level rise respectively, which is well within the acceptable level of
250 mg/L based on the Malaysian National Standard for Drinking Water Quality 2000. Therefore, in a 1 in
50-year drought event, an abstraction rate of 240 MLD at Bakong Intake is sustainable with maximum simulated
salinity level below 20 mg/L.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
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