International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology
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Sustainability of Urban Regions and Migration in Pakistan: A GIS Analysis
Full text linkThe concept of sustainable migration has emerged recently after realizing the potential of migration in framing and altering the social, economic and environmental structures at destination, especially in the context of sustainable development goals (SDGs). An empirical investigation on the link between regional sustainability and sustainable migration is rare in literature, especially in the context of Pakistan’s urban areas. Present study aims at analysing the relationship between the two by geographic information system (GIS) spatially. This study shows that out of thirteen urban regions, hosting above-average migration along with positive in-migration growth, the migration towards nine regions is unsustainable. Two mega cities namely, Karachi and Lahore are included. This highlights the sustainable growth of regions, specifically and the nation generally. Therefore, in the national policy framework, migration policies should appear as an integral part
Earthquake Hazard in District Ziarat, Baluchistan: Mitigation Measures
Full text linkThe individual citizen’s preparedness for the impact and mitigation of potentially catastrophic future earthquakes in Ziarat district will depend on their level of understanding of seismic hazards in the region and the collateral damages. It is based on an adequate program of civil defence which includes the measures that must be taken for the protection of people. Present study aims at suggesting mitigation measures to suggest that the respondents’ age, education and occupation are statistically significant with the vulnerability reduction, that is tested on Pearson’s Chi-Square test. For this purpose, a sample of 193 households was surveyed from the four union councils of district Ziarat, with a semi-structured questionnaire using the proportional allocation method. It was found that earthquake hazard mitigation measures were significantly affected by people’s education level and occupation. A number of measures include the need of taking necessary measures in the study area for all age groups of population. Apart from launching essential education and training, awareness dissemination regarding highly hazardous and vulnerable areas/conditions of households at risk is indispensable
The Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Environmental Quality: An Empirical Analysis for South Asian Economies
Full text linkPresent study is an attempt to provide an in-depth understanding of the relationship between ICT, financial development, governance effectiveness, and COE nexus in selected South Asian countries. The data were acquired from WDI and applied FMOLS, DOLS, FEOLS methods of estimation for the period 1995-2019. It is observed that ICT has negative while financial development has a positive impact on COE in the case of four South Asian economies. Concerning the impact of governance on COE, it is observed that governance effectiveness is negatively associated with COE. It is evident from the empirical analysis that COE can be mitigated with effective governance policies
Methane and Coal Dust Problem in Underground Coal Mining and Alternative Ventilation Techniques: Methane and Coal Dust Problem in Underground Coal Mining and Alternative Ventilation Techniques
No full textMethane and coal dust explosions are among the most important risk factors that cause fatal occupationalaccidents in underground coal mining. One of the most important reasons for these explosions is inadequate orunfavourable ventilation conditions. In cases where the generally used classical ventilation systems are insufficient,attempts are made to continue ventilation with classical methods instead of some methods that may be considered asalternatives, and these methods often lose their applicability due to high costs. In this study, methods that emphasize theirapplicability as alternatives in risky situations are proposed and the results of some study examples are evaluated.
Keywords: Methane, coal dust, conventional ventilation, recirculation of air.
Evaluation of Coal Supplied to Soma Thermal Power Plant (Türkiye) with Statistical Process Control Techniques: Evaluation of Coal Supplied to Soma Thermal Power Plant (Türkiye) with Statistical Process Control Techniques
No full textStatistical Process Control (SPC) is a method developed to ensure that production activities are carried out inaccordance with predetermined quality specifications and to minimize the production of defective products/goods bylargely preventing non-standard production. Various scientific methods are used when the calorific values of coal fed tothermal power plants are examined in terms of quality. In this study, the calorific values and other specifications of thecoal fed to the Soma Thermal Power Plant (Manisa/Türkiye) and whether the process is under control or not are examinedby considering the two-year data for tracking and monitoring the process with the Statistical Process Control (SPC)method, taking into account both the design conditions of the power plant and the production parameters. The adequacyof the processes for which stability analysis was performed was evaluated in the next stage. When the two-year controlcharts (????̅ and R ) of units 1-4 and unit 5-6 in the power plant were examined, it was determined that although the process was generally under control in terms of 10-day homogeneity, there were abnormal behaviors showing specific reasons in the ????̅ chart. Therefore, the process that feeds coal to groups 1-4 and 5-6 of the power plant for the two years in question is unstable. It was also concluded that the process was insufficient to meet the calorific value limits specified on an annual basis. Keywords: Statistical process control, Soma thermal power plant, process stability, process adequacy
Assessment of Marine Coastal Water Pollution from Karachi Harbour Pakistan
Full text linkIn Pakistan, marine pollution is a major problem that is caused by the waste from industrial, municipal, agronomy, and oil leak sources. The pollutant loads along with the coastline areas near Karachi is received from terrestrial contaminants including discharges from Karachi Harbour located on the estuary of the Lyari river. Karachi generates 472 Million Gallon per Day (MGD) of wastewater out of which only 55 MGD is treated and the rest is discharged in the sea. The prevailing sewage treatment plants are functioning at reduced capacity due to the insufficient transmission capacity of interceptors. Water sampling was carried out from the Lyari River and five different selected coastal point around Karachi harbour for physicochemical parameters and selected heavy metals. Results show that the Karachi Harbour area is noticeably polluted, whereas; the coastal environment in the vicinity of Karachi is also under the stress of pollution. High COD and BOD5 values were noticed at the Lyari river samples and the sampling locations close to the Lyari river outfall area. The Pb, Cd, Ni, and Hg heavy metals that pollute marine water are found. This situation is due to the discharge of mixed effluents of industrial and domestic wastes as well as dredging, cargo handling, dumping of ship waste and other coastal activities. The highest value of pollution observed at Karachi Harbour which is near Lyari river mouth, where the domestic and industrial effluents with organic and inorganic wastes have a greater influence on the water quality and the marine environment. At present, there is no effective controlling mechanism for industries to treat their waste, nor has any investigation to assess increasing marine pollution been carried out. As a result, there is an adverse impact on fish habitat and mangroves, corrosion of cargo ships, naval vessels and the residents living in the coastal area. Therefore, the government agencies and industrial sectors should work together to avert marine pollution and attain total environmental sustainability
Sand Quality Improvement Using Watermelon (Citrullus Lanatus) Seeds -Derived UreaseInduced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation: Sand Quality Improvement Using Watermelon (Citrullus Lanatus) Seeds -Derived UreaseInduced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation
No full textIn Pakistan, the global warming and liquefaction problems have increased due to CO2 emissions during thecement manufacturing process and the water absorption ability of the cement, respectively. Recently, enzyme-inducedcarbonate precipitation (EICP) has become increasingly popular due to its eco-friendly nature and mechanical properties.This study is aimed to extract the crude urease enzyme from watermelon seeds, considered "food waste," to test its effectson biocementation and produce a building material with more strength and less permeability for water absorption.Watermelon seeds were used in dry and germinated conditions to investigate urease activity and calcium carbonateformation. The EICP-coated brick showed less weight change than the control brick. The bricks were added in cycles (1,7, 14 times); the 14-cycle brick was firmer than the other two bricks, but still wasn't sufficiently durable. Therefore toovercome this problem, another EICP method was used, which is the one-phase method, in which a large volume of EICPsolution was mixed with sand in the same brick, and compacted in a mold again. The brick was incubated at 35–37 ˚Cand cured for 14 days, resulting in a hardened brick. A water absorption test was conducted on the sample, and it wasfound that the bio brick could not endure the water conditions for a long period of time. Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM) confirmed that major vaterites were formed instead of calcite, which was the cause of some disintegration of thebio brick. However, it is suggested that the EICP solution can be used as a binder in crack-filling.
Keywords; Watermelon seeds, urease, EICP, calcium carbonate, bio cement
Application of Zinc Modified Biochars to Enhance Zinc Availability, Speciation and Pearl Millet Growth in Zn-Deficient Soil: Application of Zinc Modified Biochars to Enhance Zinc Availability, Speciation and Pearl Millet Growth in Zn-Deficient Soil
No full textZinc deficiency poses a serious threat to numerous crops and global human population. Recently, soil biochar amendment has been promoted as a sustainable farming method. However, its consequence on the bioavailability of Zn in cereal crop has not been fully addressed. In the present study, 0.01% Zn-SO4 (w/w) was loaded in fruit waste, farmyard manure and coconut shell pyrolysis at 400℃, for 2 h to make fruit waste Zn-modified biochar (FWZn-MBC), farmyard manure Zn-modified biochar (FYZn-MBC) and coconut shell Zn-modified biochar (CSZn-MBC). Except control treatment, all the modified biochars were applied at 1, 2 and 4% doses on zinc availability, speciation, pearl millet growth and chemical properties in Zn-deficient soil. The obtained results show that Zn mobility in soil was 70.04% with application of FYZn-MBC 4% as compared to other treatments. The maximum uptake of Zn in shoot and root by pearl millet plant was observed by 74.02 and 53% with addition of FYZn-MBC 4% as compared to control soil, due to increase of soil organic matter. The chlorophyll SPAD values in the pearl millet aerial surface increased from 30.23 to 39.24% with application of FYZn-MBC 4% than control soil. The exchangeable fraction of Zn increased from 7.34 to 14.71% with application of FYZn-MBC 4%. The correlation matrix results indicated that CaCO3 positively correlated with soil pH, and soil organic matter had strong correlation with chlorophyll. Overall, future studies must be carried out to examine the long-term impact of FYZn-MBC 4% on Zn phyto-availability in Zn-deficient soil. Keywords: Modified amendments, zinc phytoavailability, fractionation, pearl millet growth, soil chemical properties
Seam Modelling and Reserve Calculation for Lignite Field in Adana-Tufanbeyli (Turkey)
Full text linkSince the first investment in mining operations is very high, so, it is absolutely important to model the field inthree dimensions for appropriate planning and cost analysis. The whole data set belonging to the geological, geophysicaland drilling exploration studies carried out in the field should be evaluated as a package. In the modelling phase, thecomputer-aided tri-dimensional mining software has been used instead of the classical reserve calculation methods beingutilized in previous years. Thus, more realistic and shorter results are achieved. In the present work, three-dimensionalseam modelling of the Adana-Tufanbeyli (Turkey) lignite field was carried out. In modelling, the coal horizon of thefield was examined. Then, the sub-seam levels in the horizon were determined and after examining their geometricrelationships with each other, three sub-seams were defined. Seam composites were prepared by the downhole methodto make the analysis results of different sizes uniform. It is possible to make block quality estimations, which will be thebasis for reserve calculations, by creating variograms in different directions. Variograms are first created in the verticaldirection and then in the horizontal direction respectively, to obtain the necessary parameters. The nugget effect andstructural distance parameters were obtained from the created variogram models. To assign quality estimation values onthe block model, the Kriging method was used when the number of data was sufficient, and the inverse distance methodwas applied, when it was insufficient. As a result of this modelling study, a total of 355.617.194 tons of lignite reserveswith an average calorific value of 1.153 Kcal/kg were determined in the field
Mapping Alteration Zones for Detection of Economic Minerals using Integrated Tools in District Lower Dir, Northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Mapping Alteration Zones for Detection of Economic Minerals using Integrated Tools in District Lower Dir, Northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
No full textThe study area is the part of Lower Dir which is geographically situated in the NW of Khyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince, Pakistan. Geologically this area lies in the western part of the well-known Kohistan Island Arc. It representsthe best exposure to subduction-related island arc and has been regarded as the prominent metallogenic belt that hosts avariety of various minerals. The area has experienced various tectonic episodes in the past and altered the rockassemblages which developed the huge potential of copper and other precious base metals. To detect and monitor thesealteration zones, remote sensing techniques coupled with field observation were evaluated in the current study.Landsat-7, Landsat-8, and Sentinel-2B images were processed under the shelter of Principal component (Crostatechnique) analysis to demarcate the separate alteration zones. It was confirmed from the results that the signature ofthe mapped alteration zone reflects the ground truth observation of copper mineralization in the target area.Furthermore, remote sensing signatures were correlated with the petrographic details which also confirmed thesealteration zones. Spectrometry of the selected samples also delineates the same signature which is best fitted with theremote sensing data. From our current analysis, we suggest that a principal component technique in terms of medium tohigh-resolution remote sensing data is more beneficial for mineral exploration.
Keywords; Landsat-8, sentinel-2B, principal component analysis, alteration zones