Major ion chemistry,weathering processes and water quality assessment in upper catchment of Damodar River basin,India

The chemical characteristics of surface, groundwater and mine water of the upper catchment of the Damodar River basin were studied to evaluate the major ion chemistry, geochemical processes controlling water composition and suitability of water for domestic, industrial and irrigation uses. Water samples from ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater were collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS, F, Cl, HCO₃, SO₄, NO_3, Ca, Mg, Na and K. In general, Ca, Na, Mg, HCO₃ and Cl dominate, except in samples from mining areas which have higher concentration of SO₄. Water chemistry of the area reflects continental weathering, aided by mining and other anthropogenic impacts. Limiting groundwater use for domestic purposes are contents of TDS, F, Cl, SO₄, NO₃ and TH that exceed the desirable limits in water collected from mining and urban areas. The calculated values of SAR, RSC and %Na indicate good to permissible use of water for irrigation. High salinity, %Na, Mg-hazard and RSC values at some sites limit use for agricultural purposes.     

Use of hydrochemical parameters for the identification of fresh groundwater resources,Potharlanka Island,India

A hydrochemical study has been carried out on the fresh groundwater resources of Potharlanka, Krishna Delta, India. Groundwater samples were collected at 58 sites and analyzed in June and December 2001. The groundwater is mildly alkaline with a pH of 7.2–8.2, electrical conductivity (EC) varies from 645–4,700 µS/cm in June 2001 (pre-monsoon) and from 605–5,770 µS/cm in December 2001 (post-monsoon). More than 75% of the samples have >1000 mg/l TDS which is higher than the maximum permissible limit for potable water. Na and Cl are the dominating cations and these are directly proportional to TDS. Extremely low HCO ₃/Cl and variable high Mg/Ca (molar ratios) indicated the transformation of the fresh groundwater aquifer systems to saline. Groundwater of this island is classified as Na–Cl, Na–Ca–Cl–HCO ₃, Na–Mg–Cl–SO ₄ and mixed types. A high percentage of mixed water types indicates the possibility of simultaneous fresh groundwater dilution activity along with a seawater ingression/intrusion process. Low rainfall and excessive withdrawal of groundwater has caused the increase of saline water intrusion.     

Water Intake and Utilization in Mithun （Bosfrontalis）： Effect of Environmental Temperature,Rearing System and Concentrate Feed Supplement

Seasonal and sexual variations as well as the effect of dry feed supplement on total drinking water intake and its utilization were observed in mithun （Bosfrontalis） - a semi-wild animal found in North Eastern Hill Region （NEHR） of India. In a completely randomized design, twelve adult mithuns （B. frontalis） as per their sex and body weight were assigned in two different rearing systems （free grazing and free grazing with dry concentrate feed supplementation）, and ten growing male mithuns as per their body weight assigned in two different levels of dry concentrate feed supplementation （1.o kg and 2.0 kg dry concentrate feeds on green forage based diet） and in two different seasons （summer and winter）. It was observed that the environmental temperature had a significant effect on drinking water intake by mithuns. Drinking water consumption （per unit of body weight） was significantly （P 〈 0.05） higher in summer than in winter. Supplementation of concentrate feed on free grazing animals resulted in increase in water consumption. Total water consumption （drinking as well as performed water） was found to be 15.18 litres per 100 kg body weight by growing mithun. Feed dry matter and digestible nutrient intakes by growing mithun were observed to be increased with the increase of supplementation of dry concentrate feed. Roughage to concentrate ratio did not affect the nutrient digestibility. Mithun calves drank an average of 4.30 litres water for each kg of dry matter intake. Metabolic water was significantly （P〈0.01） increased with the increase of supplementation of concentrate feed whereas water turn over, which depends upon the body weight of the animals, did not differ significantly on offering of lower or higher level of dry feed. Faecal water loss of growing mithun was decreased with the increase in intake of concentrate feed and was estimated to be 33 - 46 % of total water intake. Excretion of water through faeces of mithun was about 3.8 % of body weight. It could, there     

A comparison of two techniques for calculating groundwater arsenic-related lung,bladder and liver cancer disease burden using data from Chakdha block,West Bengal

Calculation of excess disease burden for As exposed populations is becoming increasingly important to enable quantitative estimation of the impacts of various As mitigation options. There are several methods by which such calculations may be carried out. In this study, two methods, recently applied to estimating groundwater As-related health risks in southern Asia, to estimate disease burden arising from lung, bladder and liver cancer from As exposure for an As-effected area of West Bengal have been compared. Both utilized calculated distributions of exposure of the studied population to As from groundwater. Method (I) then entailed calculating disease burden by combining published background rates for death and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and standard mortality ratios (SMRs) for excess health impacts related to As exposure, whilst for Method (II), disease burden from As exposure was estimated using the basic DALY formula, combined with incidence rates based on the NRC multistage Weibull model. Dose–response data for both methods were based on studies in Taiwan.     

Winter crop sensitivity to inter-annual climate variability in central India

India is predicted to be one of the most vulnerable agricultural regions to future climate changes. Here, we examined the sensitivity of winter cropping systems to inter-annual climate variability in a local market and subsistence-based agricultural system in central India, a data-rich validation site, in order to identify the climate parameters to which winter crops – mainly wheat and pulses in this region – might be sensitive in the future. We used satellite time-series data to quantify inter-annual variability in multiple climate parameters and in winter crop cover, agricultural census data to quantify irrigation, and field observations to identify locations for specific crop types. We developed three mixed-effect models (250 m to 1 km scale) to identify correlations between crop cover (wheat and pulses) and twenty-two climate and environmental parameters for 2001-2013. We find that winter daytime mean temperature (November–January) is the most significant factor affecting winter crops, irrespective of crop type, and is negatively associated with winter crop cover. With pronounced winter warming projected in the coming decades, effective adaptation by smallholder farmers in similar landscapes would require additional strategies, such as access to fine-scale temperature forecasts and heat-tolerant winter crop varieties.     

Natural zeolites enhance groundwater quality: evidences from Deccan basalts in India

The zeolite minerals characterized with hydrated aluminosilicates, negative ionic charge and 3D framework structure are well known for purifying the groundwater occurring in basaltic aquifer systems. However, the filtering mechanism at in situ field conditions is a complex process, which is rarely studied, and hence, it needs to be demonstrated. This paper explores the mechanism of hydrochemical processes and evolution of natural zeolites associated with basaltic rock to enhance groundwater quality. We present the hydrochemical findings and evolution processes derived from 46 groundwater samples (N_t = 46) belong to zeolitic (N_z = 25) and non-zeolitic (N_nz = 21) zones of a micro-watershed (4.4 km²) beset over basaltic terrain, Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), India. The groundwater samples collected for one hydrological cycle (pre- and post-monsoons) are examined for major ion chemistry to determine the aqueous solution mechanism and ion-exchange process occurred in zeolitic and non-zeolitic zones. Further, the hydrochemical parameters are appraised by means of dominancy of ions, rock–water interactions, silicate weathering, chloro-alkaline indices, cation-exchange bivariate plots and the mechanism controlling groundwater chemistry. The results show that: 1) the purifying efficiency of zeolites for total ionic strength is observed as 63.85 and 68.58% during pre- and post-monsoons, respectively, 2) the significant reduction (36.51%) in total hardness attributed to the positive trend of chloro-alkaline indices depicting the ion-exchange phenomenon between Na⁺ and K⁺ (alkalies) and Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ (alkali-earth) elements in the zeolitic zone, 3) Gibbs plot shows the rock–water interaction as the predominant mechanism controlling groundwater chemistry in the zeolitic zone, and 4) the groundwater quality parameters from zeolitic zone are found within the permissible limit of WHO drinking water standards.     

Quantitative Separation of As(III) and As(V) from a Synthetic Water Solution Using Ion Exchange Columns in the Presence of Fe and Mn Ions

The quantitative separation of As(III) from a water sample containing As(III) and As(V) in the presence of Fe and Mn in an ion exchange resin (AG1 X8) column for the speciation of arsenic is described. Individual and combined effects of Fe and Mn on the separation of As(III) from the solution have been studied separately. In absence of Fe and Mn, the ratio between the As(T) concentration in the eluent and the As(III) concentration in the original sample has been found to be 0.9717 under optimum process conditions. The presence of Fe(II) in the water sample increased the As(T) concentration in the eluent whereas Mn(II) decreased it. Combined effects of Fe and Mn on the percentage increment in the eluent arsenic concentration have been expressed by additive and interactive models. The interactive model has been developed by a statistical software with a 95 % confidence level. In most of the cases the error on the determination of the As(III) concentration had a minimum when using the interactive model.     

A Study Of Global Monopole In Einstein–Cartan Theory

The gravitational field of a global monopole in the context of Einstein–Cartan theory is investigated. A comparison is made with the corresponding results predicted by general relativity. PACS Nos: 98.80cq; 04.20 jb; 04.50     

Water Intake and Utilization in Mithun (Bos frontalis):Effect of Environmental Temperature, Rearing System and Concentrate Feed Supplement

Seasonal and sexual variations as well as the effect of dry feed supplement on total drinking water intake and its utilization were observed in mithun (Bos frontalis)-a semi-wild animal found in North Eastern Hill Region (NEHR) of India. In a completely randomized design, twelve adult mithuns (B. frontalis) as per their sex and body weight were assigned in two different rearing systems (free grazing and free grazing with dry concentrate feed supplementation), and ten growing male mithuns as per their body weight assigned in two different levels of dry concentrate feed supplementation (1.0 kg and 2.0 kg dry concentrate feeds on green forage based diet) and in two different seasons (summer and winter). It was observed that the environmental temperature had a significant effect on drinking water intake by mithuns. Drinking water consumption (per unit of body weight) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in summer than in winter. Supplementation of concentrate feed on free grazing animals resulted in increase in water consumption. Total water consumption (drinking as well as performed water) was found to be 15.18 litres per 100 kg body weight by growing mithun. Feed dry matter and digestible nutrient intakes by growing mithun were observed to be increased with the increase of supplementation of dry concentrate feed. Roughage to concentrate ratio did not affect the nutrient digestibility. Mithun calves drank an average of 4.30 litres water for each kg of dry matter intake. Metabolic water was significantly (P<0.01) increased with the increase of supplementation of concentrate feed whereas water turn over, which depends upon the body weight of the animals, did not differ significantly on offering of lower or higher level of dry feed. Faecal water loss of growing mithun was decreased with the increase in intake of concentrate feed and was estimated to be 33～46% of total water intake. Excretion of water through faeces of mithun was about 3.8% of body weight. It could, therefore, be inferred that water intake by mithun varied with seasons, rearing systems and dry feed consumption. As far as the water nutrition is concerned, it is needed to give an attention while feeding mithun in summer with dry feed supplementation under semi-intensive system of rearing.     

Application of Agro‐Based Biomasses for Zinc Removal from Wastewater – A Review

Zinc remediation of aqueous streams is of special concern due to its highly toxic and persistent nature. Conventional treatment technologies for the removal of zinc are not economical and further generate huge quantity of toxic chemical sludge. Biosorption is emerging as a potential alternative to the existing conventional technologies for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions. Mechanisms involved in the biosorption process include chemisorption, complexation, adsorption–complexation on surface and pores, ion exchange, microprecipitation, heavy metal hydroxide condensation onto the bio surface, and surface adsorption. Biosorption largely depends on parameters such as pH, the initial metal ion concentration, biomass concentration, presence of various competitive metal ions in solution, and to a limited extent on temperature. Biosorption using biomass such as agricultural wastes, industrial residues, municipal solid waste, biosolids, food processing waste, aquatic plants, animal wastes, etc., is regarded as a cost‐effective technique for the treatment of high volume and low concentration complex wastewaters containing zinc metal. Very few reviews are available where readers can get an overview of the sorption capacities of agro based biomasses used for zinc remediation together with the traditional remediation methods. The purpose of this review article is to provide the scattered available information on various aspects of utilization of the agro based biomasses for zinc metal ions removal. An extensive table summarizes the sorption capacities of various adsorbents. These biosorbents can be modified using various methods for better efficiency and multiple reuses to enhance their applicability at industrial scale. We have incorporated most of the valuable available literature on zinc removal from waste water using agro based biomasses in this review.