International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology
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Polymer Stabilized Metal Nanoparticles for Catalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue in Water
Full text linkMethylene blue is highly toxic and releases from various industries. It must be transformed into less toxic compounds. The Core-Shell microgels p (Pst core), Pstcore-NIPMamm-MAa and Ag in Pst-p NIPMamm-MAa have been synthesized using the Core-Shell hybrid micro gelling NIPMamm-MAa emulsion polymerization process. The 0.086mM, MB 6.2mM NaBH4 and 0.2916 mg / mL catalysts in the cuvette were measured using UV-visible spectrophotometers. Spectrums were measured at a one-minute interval. The peak at 600 nm steadily decreased over time and was completely eliminated after 11 minutes. Without the catalyst, MB decreases with NaBH4 which showed that the reaction decreases were slow and MB very high within 120 minutes. The Psty core of FT-IR core microgels, pNIpmam-MMAA, and Ag-pNIpmam-MAA core microgels are hybrids. At 2955 and 2845 cm−1 FT-IR spectra, Psty NiPMaM – MaA and Ag-p NiPMaM – MaA were used for core shell microgels, with C-H vibrations expanding the aromatic ring. In this study degradation of Methylene were carried out with Ag- Nanocomposites at different interval of time to check the degradation at minimum time. The degradation of MB dye were carried out with Ag- Nano composites at different interval of time to check the degradation at minimum time.
Keywords: Methylene blue; Pst core NIPMamm-MAa; Ag-p NiPMaM – MaA; NaBH4; nanoparticles degradation
Impact Assessment of Pozzolanic Material Coupled with River Bed Aggregate on Expansive Behavior of High Strength Concrete
Full text linkHigh strength concrete is widely used in engineering structures. Present work is an effort for suitability assessment of river bed aggregates in high strength concrete to be used at structural units of Dam (Spillway & Powerhouse) and the vulnerability of placed concrete expansion. Multiple sizes of coarse aggregate (5-20mm, 20-40mm, and 40-80mm) from Beor river bed material have been tested for physical (water absorption, crushing index, soundness, shape, and bulk density), and mineralogical characterization. Concrete Mix Design (CMD) for Spillway has been optimized using Fly ash and river aggregate that achieved the Unconfined Compressional Strength (UCS) up to 32.5 MPa. The accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT) has been introduced to gauge the reactive aggregates used in CMD.. Expansive properties of concrete were observed at the age of 7 days and 28 days that demonstrate more expansion of the specimen with slag rather than the Fly ash. Results of AMBT suggest that a minimum proportion of GGBS (40%) is needed to limit the AMBT expansion to less than 0.1% for crushed river bed aggregate and sand from the Beor source. The petrographical characterization of coarse aggregate shows the presence of deformed quartz in the coarse aggregate, which directly relates to water absorption (Wa), suggesting its suceseptility to Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR). Modifications in Pozzolanic additives in CMD indicates that 30% mixing of Fly ash can reduce the expansion rate of concrete up to 96.15%.
Keywords: Beor river sand, concrete mix design (cmd), expansive properties, fly ash, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS)
Seasonal Aerosol Classification Over South Asia by Satellite based Atmospheric Optical Data
Full text linkAerosol optical characteristics have been investigated to explore regional and seasonal inconsistencies of aerosols and to define the dominant type throughout South Asia from 2001 to 2021. MODIS aerosol products from collection 6.1 have been used in present study, that comprise daily values of Angstrom exponent (AE) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) data. MODIS-derived AODs are validated by using nine ground-based AERONET station data. Overall, an adequate correlation is found among the two datasets. However, an overestimation of the MODIS retrievals is found in one site named Jaipur and underestimations are found at two sites named as Gandhi-college and Karachi. The seasonal evaluation shows that aerosol distribution found between 0 and 1.05, depending on the change in geographical location. The highest AOD value originates over the Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP), mostly throughout warm season. The second maximum AOD value covers a large area of South Asia during spring, summer and autumn. The lowest values of AOD are found in winter season excluding the IGP. A region with high aerosol optical depth (AOD) values support a low value of angstrom exponent (AE) indicating the coarse aerosol during warm seasons (spring and summer) over IGP. The region with high AOD and high AE values is showing fine aerosol during the mild to cold seasons (autumn and winter). The threshold values for AOD and AE have been used to classify aerosols. The results demonstrate that urban/industrial aerosols prominent in every season across the region dominate in spring and summer due to frequent occurrence of dust events. The mixed type aerosol is second largest contributor in aerosol formation in all seasons. The Biomass burning/smoke aerosol is dominant over IGP due to open forest and crop burning in autumn. Clean and maritime aerosol has small unnoticeable involvement in the studied region.
Keywords: Aerosol, classification, IGP, south asia
Drinking Water Quality Assessment of Metro Bus Stations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi: SHORT COMMUNICATION
No full textWater is the most wonderful substance. Almost 70% of our planet consists of water. The human body comprises almost 60% of water. Safe and clean water is necessary for all purposes in daily life which include different practices like washing, drinking, cooking, and personal cleanliness (Frances and Brack, 2018). Water is known as a universal solvent because it can dissolve a large proportion of natural or man-made substances (Balasubramanian, 2015). Fecal contaminated water is the main reason for waterborne disease. With quick urbanization, the chemical feature of water quality has contributed to increasing concerns as toxic chemicals industrial effluents pose a high hazard to life (Alurralde et al., 1998). Pakistan has been blessed with water resources, but unfortunately over the years, industrial development, overpopulation, and rapid growth have decelerated the water resources (Daud et al., 2017). Different studies show that the majority of the supplies of potable water are polluted (Aziz, 2005). Pakistan ranks 80 out of 122 nations, and both ground and surface drinking water sources are polluted throughout the country with toxic metals, microbes, and pesticides (Nabeela et al., 2014). Even currently some rural areas in Pakistan have no availability of fresh and clean water for regular use (Shahid et al., 2014). The quality of drinking water in Pakistan is reducing day by day due to the waste and pollutants released by the industries. Channeled water also gets contaminated because the network of the pipeline is not planned and laid poorly (Imran et al., 2018).
Biodegradation of Sugarcane Trash with Agro-Industrial and Farm Wastes for Value Added Organic Byproduct
Full text linkArable land degradation, agro-waste management coupled with irrational use of chemicals has led to concern about soil and environmental health. The sugarcane crop generates lot of vegetative biomass after harvesting, which is burnt in field creating environmental implications. A research trail was conducted at green house premises department of soil and environment SAU Tandojam. The waste byproducts of the sugarcane trash was blended with pressmud, poultry and goat manure to have decomposed nutrient rich product subjected to 130 days decomposition/composting. Results revealed that the pH had significant relationship with organic substrate decomposition used for the compost preparation blended with sugarcane trash. The organic carbon loss or mineralization showed great variability and had relationship with the substrate used and decomposition time for a finished product. The more organic carbon (31.80%) was recorded for Cspm and (31.80%) C was found for Cpm. Compost product was rich in carbon potassium values corresponding (4.6%) for Cspm and (2.7%) K for Cgm. It was concluded that sugarcane trash can best be blended with sugarcane press mud of agro-industrial waste. Further it could be recycled with agro-industrial waste for waste management, reduce pollution, chemical fertilizers and used as organic soil amendment.
Keywords: Sugarcane trash, composting, organic carbon, soil amendment
Delineation of Ground Water Recharge Potential Zones in Lahore District, Punjab, Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques
Full text linkLahore is the provincial capital of Punjab and the second most populous city in Pakistan. Aquifer rechargerates have been continuously decreasing over a long period of time, which has caused a significant decline in the watertable level. Rapid population growth, urban development, and industrialization have all raised the demand for watersupplies. Due to significant infrastructural development, a considerable portion of the land is now impervious andrainfall now drains as surface runoff rather than recharging the aquifer level. Average annual rainfall, one of theprimary sources used to replenish the Lahore aquifer, is insufficient to prevent the depletion of the water table, andRiver Ravi stays almost dry except in rainy seasons. Geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS)techniques are used to find suitable areas for replenishment in the Lahore aquifer system in order to enhancesustainability and prevent decreasing groundwater levels. Distance from the water channel, land use/land cover(LULC), slope, geology, drainage density, rainfall, lineament density, and soil type are the eight layers that have beenintegrated with the GIS overlay analysis. Thematic maps are generated using both conventional and remote sensingdata. These maps are eventually converted to raster data. Very good, good, moderate, poor, and very poor are the fivezones that have been delineated. A good to very good suitable part was found to constitute 46.34% of the total study area.
Neotectonic Activity in Quetta-Ziarat Region, Northwest Quetta City, Pakistan
Full text linkGeomorphic parameters are very helpful as they can quickly explain the concerned area, which is going through a tectonic adjustment. For this purpose, four indices were applied to examine the active tectonics in the Quetta-Ziarat region. These indices include: sub-basins asymmetry (Af), transverse topography (T-Factor), hypsometric integral (HI) and stream-length gradient (SL). The calculation of the three indices as denoted by Af, HI and SL show low active tectonics, whereas T-Factor suggests moderate to high level of tectonic activity. While index of active tectonics (IAT) indicated a low to moderate level of active tectonics. In addition, these indices are compared with lithological and climatic consequences to detect the final neotectonics judgement.
Keywords: Neotectonics, asymmetry factor, T-factor, hypsometry, stream-length gradient
The Alteration and Mineralization Characteristics of Miocene Porphyry Cu-Au Deposits of Chagai Magmatic Belt, District Chagai, Balochistan, Pakistan: The Alteration and Mineralization Characteristics of Miocene Porphyry Cu-Au Deposits of Chagai Magmatic Belt, District Chagai, Balochistan, Pakistan
No full textSubduction related Miocene porphyry type deposits are found in the east-west trending Chagai magmaticbelt (CMB) in Pakistan's western margin, Balochistan. This arc exists on the west segment of the Tethyan metallogenicbelt in the south-west of Pakistan. Tethyan metallogenic belt is widely spread over 12,000 km from east to westdirection from Indochina, Tibet, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Alpine mountain range in Europe. During the last thirty toforty years several porphyry deposits have been reported in the Chagai magmatic arc, including the very large RekoDiq H14-H15, large Saindak, Tanjeel, H35, H8 and medium Dasht-e-Kain porphyry deposits and many small porphyrycopper deposits. These porphyry deposits were developed within the phase of calc-alkaline type magmatism in theChagai arc. Tonalite, quartz diorite, and monzonite host the porphyry deposits within the adjacent sedimentary wallrock units of Sinjrani Volcanic Group, Juzzak, Saindak, and Amalaf Formations. The concentric zonal pattern ofhydrothermal alteration in these porphyry deposits of the Chagai magmatic arc follows the world's major porphyrydeposits' alteration pattern. Zones of hydrothermal alteration from distal to proximal part includes a potassic alteration,sericitic-clay-chlorite alteration, sericitic alteration, argillic alteration and propylitic alteration. Major ore mineralizationin these deposits is of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and minor constituents of other base metals that have beenreported to occur within hydrothermal alteration zones in the Miocene porphyry Chagai magmatic arc.
Keywords: Chagai magmatic belt, porphyry, hydrothermal alteration, mineralization
Comparative Analysis of Trace Elements Found in Commonly Used Vegetables Irrigated By Fresh And Waste Water in Karachi, Pakistan
Full text linkUse of municipal waste water (both treated and untreated) has now become a common practice in urban and peri-urban areas. Mostly vegetables in urban cities like Karachi are being irrigated by sewerage water. In this study a comparison of sewage and fresh water-irrigated vegetables has been made with respect to trace metals. Among commonly used vegetables, green onion, cabbage, pumpkin, eggplant, bird’s eye chili and okra were selected. Two sets of these vegetables were collected, one from local farm where irrigation was done with well water and other set of samples was collected from Malir, Karachi where irrigation was done with waste water. Samples were analyzed for heavy metals i.e. K, Na, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, and As by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. It showed that both sets of samples were found to contain metal concentrations beyond the limits set by WHO/EU. Apart from tomato, the concentration of only Cd was near the standard value for both sets. Similar results were obtained for K except for pumpkin in which the concentration for waste water irrigated samples was fairly high. Amount of Cu and Fe were moderately higher than the standard in both samples. Arsenic in all the samples was considerably high while maximum concentration was obtained for Pd against the limits. These findings suggest waste water irrigated vegetables pose high risk to human health. The concentrations of As and Pb were high in fresh water samples possibly, the well water may contain metals, therefore it is important to know the source.
Keywords: Trace metals, fresh water, wastewater, world health organization (WHO).
 
Sediment Characterization and Monsoonal Impact on Beach Morphology at the Three Beaches along the Karachi Coast, Pakistan: Sediment Characterization and Monsoonal Impact on Beach Morphology at the Three Beaches along the Karachi Coast, Pakistan
No full textSediment characteristics plays important role in the determination and functioning of coastal ecosystems.The present study is an attempt to evaluate the variability in sediment characteristics of the three beaches: Clifton,Sandspit and Buleji, at the Karachi coast. The samples were collected during pre-monsoon and south-west monsoonseasons to evaluate the seasonal differences. The sediments of the three sites showed variations in moisture content,organic matter and grain size. The highest mean moisture (27.17%) and organic contents (3.5 %) were recorded fromthe sediments of Clifton. The maximum fraction of sediments (> 80 %) consist of fine to very fine sand at all studiedsites. The sediments of Clifton were high in very fine sand fraction and low in coarse sand fraction as compared toSandspit and Buleji. The sediments of all the three studied sites are moderately sorted, negatively coarse-skewed andshowed leptokurtic distribution. The studied beaches of Clifton, Sandspit and Buleji shows dissimilarity in sedimentcharacteristics as indicated through Cluster and PCA analysis. The monsoonal influence on sediment characteristicswas also observed at all the three studied beaches. The strong wave action during SW monsoon season results in thedeposition of the coarser sediments at the high tide level thus increasing the steepness of the beaches.
Keywords: Grain size, clifton, sandspit, buleji, monsoo