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Application of life cycle assessment in municipal solid waste management: A worldwide critical review
No full textThe whopping increase in solid waste generation all over the world calls for the development of waste
management strategies for a sustainable environment. By the quantification of environmental impacts,
life cycle assessment (LCA) tool can help in answering the call. It evaluates the environmental performance
of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system which helps decision-maker in selecting
the best management strategy with minimum impacts on the environment. But, up to what extent the
LCA methodology can be applied to MSWM systems? To address this question, the present study
analyzed the 153 LCA studies published till date since 2013 all over the world. The present study
analyzed the time evolution, geographical distribution, and methodology applied in LCA studies. It
summarized the use of the functional unit, LCA model, Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) method,
MSWM options, and the critical findings of the selected LCAs, along with MSW composition, income
group, and the gaps in the application of the studies. For evaluating the dependence of publication of
studies and country's economic condition, the countries in which LCA studies were conducted are
classified into four groups on the basis of income level viz., lower income, lower middle income, upper
middle income, and higher income countries. In terms of technological coverage, 1 ton of MSW was the
most used functional unit. SimaPro was the majorly used LCA model while 56 of the total studies didn't
mention about the use of LCA model, only 66 of the total studies included sensitivity analysis in the
assessment. Integrated solid waste management was found to be the most preferred waste management
option. Also, a very limited number of studies have included life cycle costing and social aspects of
MSWM system. The results indicated that the majority of the LCA studies are based in Europe and Asia.
Shockingly, 178 out of the total countries in the world have not published a single LCA study on MSWM
since 2013. Also, it was found that the effect of increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the publication
of LCA studies is irrelevant, possible reasons being the lack of data, time and economic constraints.
Establishment of environment-friendly policies and initiatives by the Government along with the
participation of public, non-government and private organizations through training courses and seminars
might help in improving the LCA applicability in the field of MSWM
Nanoporous imprinted polymers (nanoMIPs) for controlled release of cancer drug
No full textIn this article, a new approach to directly synthesize drug molecule imbedded in the nanometer sized polymer
particles is reported. Molecular imprinting is used to prepare polymers for drug specific for selectively loading of
a desired drug. Computer simulations were performed to provide mechanistic insights on the binding modalities
of model cancer drug, amygdalin with the polymer precursors. Controlled release of amygdalin from nanoMIPs
was studied in vitro cell test and monitoring the absorbance at λem of 390 nm by fluorescence. The nanoparticles
imprinted with amygdalin (nanoMIPs) showed high drug loading (0.98 mg g−1) and also releases drug in a
controlled way without burst release. The polymer releases amygdalin 0.095 μg (5 min), 0.120 μg (30 min),
0.180 μg (180 min), 0.205 μg in 300 min in de-ionized water and similar pattern of release was observed in buffer
2 and 7. The sustained release of drug from nanoMIPs follows Fickian diffusion; and uniformity in nanoMIPs size
have significant impact on release of drug. Swelling of nanoMIP is one of the dominant factors influencing the
drug release patterns. The imprinting procedure and the studies reported in this study would be highly useful in
future for cancer drug administration
Sono-electro-chemical Treatment of Reactive Black 5 Dye and Real Textile Effluent Using MnSO4/Na2S2O8 Electrolytes
No full textThis study examines the decolourization of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye in aqueous solution and textile wastewater treatment
by sono-electro-chemical method to obtain synergistic efect. The electrolytic cell equipped with stainless steel anode and
graphite cathode was used for this study. Sodium persulphate (NaS) and manganese sulphate (MnS) are used as electrolytes
to facilitate the process. The efects of various operational parameters such as initial solution pH, NaS concentration, MnS
concentration, ultrasound power and voltage on the sono-electro-chemical treatment were investigated. The results have
demonstrated that the enhanced colour removal efciency was achieved at pH 2 for electro-chemical process; however, better
efciency was reached by synergistic efect of sono-electro-chemical treatment in the presence of less amount of electrolytes
with the short reaction time than the individual sono-chemical and electro-chemical process. The maximum decolourization
achieved was 89% under the condition: 100 ppm RB5, 50 ppm NaS, 75 ppm MnS, solution pH and 44 W ultrasound power,
20 V. When the similar methodology was adopted to real textile efuent, 90% of TOC removal was observed and it indicates
the employment of studied process for industrial wastewater treatment purposes
Detoxification of water and wastewater by advanced oxidation processes
No full textNowadays there is a continuously increasing attention for the treatment of recalcitrant compounds present in
water and wastewater due to their toxicity on both human health and the environment. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are found to be effective for the degradation of recalcitrant compounds by increasing biodegradability and reducing toxicity. The present review focuses on the detoxification aspects of AOPs with special
emphasis on arsenic toxicity. Different bioassays employing bacteria, invertebrates, algae, plants, and fish have
been critically reviewed in this article as a valuable tool for assessing the toxicity as well as biodegradability of
the industrial wastewater post AOP treatment. Various toxicity tests employed during AOP treatment of wastewater with high toxicity revealed that AOPs are effective for reducing their toxicity significantly. These processes
are also effective to reduce arsenic toxicity by oxidizing arsenite to arsenate. By-products formed during AOP
treatment of wastewater are also found more toxic than its parent compound. Thus, toxicity tests are essential
for AOP treated wastewater before its disposal
Rapid determination of lead ions using polyaniline-zirconium (IV) iodate-based ion selective electrode
No full textLead (II) is the hazardous and toxic material for human being and animals since it damages the central nervous
system causing disorder of the circulatory system and brain. Hence to overcome the toxic effects of lead, rapid,
simple and effective methods to detect Pb (II) is necessary. Pb (II) ISE membrane was prepared by the use of
polyaniline-zirconium (IV) iodate composite cation-exchange material. To prepare this electrode, a solution
casting method was used, and the prepared electrode was subjected to different characterisation techniques
including SEM, XRD and FTIR. Outstanding results were obtained for properties such as porosity, thickness,
water content, electrical conductivity and swelling. The membrane was found to have a working concentration
ranging between 1×10−12 M and 1×10-1 M, and the Nernstian slope was obtained as 29.28 mV which lead to
change in ion concentration. It showed good stability and can be used for six months without any deviance. The
experimental studies showed that the response time is very fast, i.e. 10 s for lead ion concentration ranges from
1×10-8 to 1×10-1 M. It has been studied for concentration ranging at 1×10-1 M, and 1×10-3 M with a pH
ranging between 2.5 and 6.5 and it was found to operate successfully. It exhibited good reproducibility as well as
the detection limit
Impact of on-site sanitation systems on groundwater sources in a coastal aquifer in Chennai, India
No full textOn-site sanitation is the most preferred mode of
sanitation due to expensive off-site sanitation. The increasing
population especially in the peri-urban areas has led to increasing
use of on-site sanitation systems in India. However,
the habitations in the vicinity of these systems do not have
centralised water supply and are dependent on groundwater
sources. However, there is concern about leaching of faecal
coliforms and nitrate from the septic tanks to the underlying
aquifer. The present study is attempted at two sites in the
coastal city of Chennai where on-site sanitation is prevailing.
The sample locations (16 nos.) are selected in such a way that
groundwater sources are situated in the vicinity of on-site
sanitation systems. The groundwater sources are the bore
wells installed by the private agencies. It is observed that
parameters considered key parameters to study the impact of
the on-site sanitation systems, namely Na2+, Cl−, NO3
−, faecal
coliform and total dissolved solids, exceed the concentration
limits recommended by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The
piper diagram analysis identifies that the predominant cations
and anions are respectively Na+, and Cl−
, SO4
− and
HCO3
−.The Gibbs plot shows ground water quality is dominated
by the evaporation process in both the seasons. The Cl/
HCO3 ratio in many samples confirms the seawater intrusion
in the study area. Elevated concentrations of faecal coliforms
in all the samples (16 nos.) confirm the significant amount of
groundwater pollution from the on-site sanitation systems. It
is desired that policy planners and implementation agencies
should undertake detailed scientific and hydrogeological studies
of the region in order to examine the feasibility of
implementing on-site sanitation systems
Arsenite-oxidation performance of microbes from abandoned iron ore
Full text linkArsenite is considered to be more toxic than arsenate (an average of 100 times). It can be oxidized to arsenate by chemical reaction or microbiological interactions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the arsenite-oxidizing microbes that exist in iron ore mine in India. We cultured 13 morphologically distinct bacterial strains, among which, 6 strains could grow in high concentrations and shows the arsenite transforming abilities. Analysis of the amplified 16S rDNA gene sequences of the isolates revealed them to belong to alpha-, gamma- Proteobacteria and Firmicutes particularly in genera Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas, Ochrobactrum, Enterobacter and Bacillus. Further, qualitative silver nitrate screening assay and quantification by HPLC-ICP-MS analysis of these strains indicated the transformation of arsenite to arsenate. Moreover, the isolates were genetically analyzed for presence of arsenic arsenite transporter gene (arsB) that indicates the genetic ability of bacteria to tolerate the most toxic arsenic species
Challenges associated with plastic waste disposal and allied microbial routes for its effective degradation: A comprehensive review
No full textRecalcitrant nature of plastic is a matter of huge concern, its increasing demand made it more complicated
to handle the issue of plastic waste, and hence new challenges came in front in response to plastic
degradation. With the increasing demand for plastics and rising pressure for its safe disposal, biodegradable
plastics and plastic biodegradation gained a lot of attention in the recent years. Biodegradation
of plastics is one of the best possible ways to treat these recalcitrant plastics in an environment-friendly
manner. This paper reviews the recent achievements in the area of biodegradation with the best suitable
microbial species to look after the issue of plastic waste disposal. The present review mainly focuses on
the challenges involved in the process of plastic degradation, conventional treatments available to treat
these plastics, the best possible routes of biodegradation and associated impacts on the society as well as
on the environment
Plasmonics driven engineered pasteurizers for solar water disinfection (SWADIS)
No full textRampant environmental pollution is the most ubiquitous concern of current world. A sustainable panacea to
overarching contamination of water-borne pathogens demands cheap and eco-friendly oriented research. Solar
energy is effortlessly accessible in most of the weather conditions and can be used for water decontamination. In
this context, Solar Water Disinfection (SWADIS) appears to be feasible solution. Herein we are reporting newly
developed Carbon nanoparticles (CNP) which shows absorption of light in broad region extending from
Ultraviolet–Visible (UV) to Infrared Spectroscopy (IR). This CNP with pronounced photothermal effect has been
used for SWADIS. Photothermal effect of plasmonic nanomaterials has massive potential and has exploited for
disinfection of water. Moving towards practical device design we have developed an efficient CNP based
Multipurpose Solar Pasteurizer (MSP) and Nano-Solar Pasteurizer (NSP) which can efficiently perform the
SWADIS. Result shows that upon irradiation under natural solar radiation pasteurizers can thermally inactivate
the bacteria. The system proves to be able to perform 100% bacterial inactivation in sunny days. We also
conducted bacterial inactivation experiments by simulating 106 CFU mL−1 concentration of E. coli in water to
mimic field conditions. Results are evident that pasteurizers achieved 100% bacterial inactivation within period
of ˜45 min under sunlight
Mixed industrial wastewater treatment by combined electrochemical advanced oxidation and biological processes
No full textNowadays, because the quality and quantity of mixed industrial wastewater keep fluctuating in recent
times, the treatment of mixed industrial wastewater has gained more attention. The main target of this
study is to degrade the wastewater through a combination of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) and biological treatment. To enhance the biodegradability of the wastewater, ElectroFenton process, along with external persulphate addition, was applied before the biological treatment.
The effect of voltage, catalyst concentration and persulphate dosage was studied. The optimized conditions selected for the experiments were pH-3, effective area-25 cm2
, electrode spacing-1 cm while
voltage-10 V, persulphate dosage-200 mg L1
, and catalyst dosage-10 mg L1 were optimized during the
experiments leading towards 60% of COD removal efficiency in course of 1 h of electrolysis. Addition of
tert-butyl alcohol and ethanol revealed the existence of sulphate and hydroxyl radicals as the major
oxidants that help in pollutant degradation by combining EAOPs and biological treatment. Overall 94%
COD removal efficiency was achieved. Therefore, for the organic pollutant degradation, combined process
serves to be an efficient and effective treatment option