Aqueous heavy metals removal by adsorption on β-diketone-functionalized styrene–divinylbenzene copolymeric resin

An investigation was undertaken regarding the adsorption of different heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions using ??-diketone-functionalized styrene divinylbenzene resin under different experimental conditions such as initial concentration of metal ions, contact time, pH, and chelating capacity. The functionalization of resin was carried out by the condensation reaction of sodium salt of ??-diketones (pentane-1,3-dione) and chloromethylated styrene?Cdivinylbenzene resin in dichloromethane. Functionalized resin beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The batch method was employed using different metal ions solution from 5 to 15?mg/L at different contact times. The adsorption kinetics was tested for the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order reaction at different experimental conditions. The rate constant of adsorption kinetic models were also calculated and good correlation coefficient (R ²?>?0.9941) was obtained for pseudo-second order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption value obtain for lead (0.725728?mg/g), chromium (0.9199?mg/g), nickel (0.4974?mg/g), cobalt (0.6196?mg/g) and cadmium (0.6519?mg/g) at equilibrium condition, which shows that ??-diketone-functionalized styrene divinylbenzene resin is an effective adsorbent for toxic metal ions.     

Laser radiation in active amplifying media treated as a transport problem: Transfer equation derived and exactly solved

The flow of laser radiation in a plane-parallel cylindrical slab of active amplifying medium with axial symmetry is treated as a problem in radiative transfer. The appropriate one-dimensional transfer equation describing the transfer of laser radiation has been derived by an appeal to Einstein'sA, B coefficients (describing the processes of stimulated line absorption, spontaneous line emission, and stimulated line emission sustained by population inversion in the medium) and considering the rate equations to completely establish the rational of the transfer equation obtained. The equation is then exactly solved and the angular distribution of the emergent laser beam intensity is obtained; its numerically computed values are given in tables and plotted in graphs showing the nature of peaks of the emerging laser beam intensity about the axis of the laser cylinder.     

An evaluation of the undiscovered mineral resources of India based on the concept of unit regional value

Unit regional value (URV) and unit regional weight (URW) are relatively new concepts which are used to measure the intensity of the development of the mineral resources of any particular region. URV and URW of the mineral resources of India have been evaluated by sector, by commodity, as well as by state. The results are compared with values for the U.S.A. established by earlier workers and which can be taken as a standard for comparison with the mineral resources of other regions. URV of India, evaluated through the years 1898–1985, shows that the total mineral resources produced stands at $24.4 billion U.S. (deflated to 1967 value). Log URV of India lies below one standard deviation of the value for the states of the U.S. Like the U.S. India's major contribution to its URV is from fuels, but it is much less compared to that of the U.S. Next to fuels, metals, nonmetals, construction materials, and precious materials follow in that order. Except for two states, viz. Bihar and West Bengal, all other states are just below two standard deviations of the states of the U.S. The state of J&K is even much lower than the two standard deviations mark. It is concluded that India has a high potential for undiscovered mineral resources. However, this will require a large investment in exploration, on the order of Rs. 7760 crores, in the next few years.     

Carbon and oxygen isotopic variations in peritidal stromatolite cycles, Paleoproterozoic Kajrahat Limestone, Vindhyan basin of central India

Variations of carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios in response to cyclical sea level fluctuations have been documented from a Paleoproterozoic peritidal stromatolite succession. The upper division of the Kajrahat Limestone, Vindhyan Supergroup of central India consists of several shallowing upward stromatolite cycles identified by regular and systematic changes in stromatolite size. Normally, larger stromatolites are followed upward in the succession by smaller stromatolites and microbial laminites that occupy the top of the cycle. Desiccation cracks are found in all the facies indicating subaerial exposure. We investigated the stable isotope compositional variations across nine complete stromatolite cycles showing frequent subaerial emergence. Carbon and oxygen isotopic values of the limestones, in general, are comparable to contemporary marine values available from earlier studies but show regular depletion in response to shallowing of the water level. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of the limestones vary within an individual stromatolite cycle; depleted values characterize the topmost part of the cycles. The isotope pattern is explained by micritic carbonate deposition in different sub environments of the shallow marine domain having different salinity and variable duration of exposure. These variations also probably caused the observed scatter in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of supratidal microbial laminites.     

On the affinity of Chuaria–Tawuia complex: A multidisciplinary study

In this study, biometric and structural engineering tool have been used to examine a possible relationship within Chuaria–Tawuia complex and micro-FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analyses to understand the biological affinity of Chuaria circularis Walcott, collected from the Mesoproterozoic Suket Shales of the Vindhyan Supergroup and the Neoproterozoic Halkal Shales of the Bhima Group of peninsular India. Biometric analyses of well preserved carbonized specimens show wide variation in morphology and uni-modal distribution. We believe and demonstrate to a reasonable extent that C. circularis most likely was a part of Tawuia-like cylindrical body of algal origin. Specimens with notch/cleft and overlapping preservation, mostly recorded in the size range of 3–5 mm, are of special interest. Five different models proposed earlier on the life cycle of C. circularis are discussed. A new model, termed as ‘Hybrid model’ based on present multidisciplinary study assessing cylindrical and spherical shapes suggesting variable cell wall strength and algal affinity is proposed. This model discusses and demonstrates varied geometrical morphologies assumed by Chuaria and Tawuia, and also shows the inter-relationship of Chuaria–Tawuia complex.Structural engineering tool (thin walled pressure vessel theory) was applied to investigate the implications of possible geometrical shapes (sphere and cylinder), membrane (cell wall) stresses and ambient pressure environment on morphologically similar C. circularis and Tawuia. The results suggest that membrane stresses developed on the structures similar to Chuaria–Tawuia complex were directly proportional to radius and inversely proportional to the thickness in both cases. In case of hollow cylindrical structure, the membrane stresses in circumferential direction (hoop stress) are twice of the longitudinal direction indicating that rupture or fragmentation in the body of Tawuia would have occurred due to hoop stress. It appears that notches and discontinuities seen in some of the specimens of Chuaria may be related to rupture suggesting their possible location in 3D Chuaria.The micro-FTIR spectra of C. circularis are characterized by both aliphatic and aromatic absorption bands. The aliphaticity is indicated by prominent alkyl group bands between 2800–3000 and 1300–1500 cm⁻¹. The prominent absorption signals at 700–900 cm⁻¹ (peaking at 875 and 860 cm⁻¹) are due to aromatic CH out of plane deformation. A narrow, strong band is centred at 1540 cm⁻¹ which could be COOH band. The presence of strong aliphatic bands in FTIR spectra suggests that the biogeopolymer of C. circularis is of aliphatic nature. The wall chemistry indicates the presence of ‘algaenan’—a biopolymer of algae.     

Prediction of Arsenic in Bedrock Derived Stream Sediments at a Gold Mine Site Under Conditions of Sparse Data

Arsenic is often present in gold mining areas. The high sensitivity of arsenic to biogeochemical conditions may lead to catastrophic consequences through contamination of resources such as ground water. Therefore, it is critical to understand the spatial occurrence of arsenic across a given site. Previous studies using traditional pattern recognition techniques such as neural networks and kriging have not been entirely successful in predicting arsenic concentrations across a gold mining area. The methods used in this paper are the support vector machines (SVM) and robust least-square support vector machines (robust LS-SVM). The two techniques were used to predict arsenic concentrations in the sediments of Circle City, Alaska, using the gold concentration distribution present within the sediments. The analysis of the results shows an improved performance and better predictive capabilities of SVM and robust LS-SVM than that of the neural networks and kriging techniques. The robust LS-SVM performed better than the SVM. The performance of the SVM was affected by outliers. The removal of the outliers from the data set and application of SVM showed improved results.     

The origin and maturation of lagoonal glauconites: a case study from the Oligocene Maniyara Fort Formation,western Kutch,India

An integrated study of the sedimentology, micropalaeontology, mineralogy and geochemistry of glauconites in the Oligocene Maniyara Fort Formation (western Kutch, India), has been undertaken. Authigenic glauconites, mostly of evolved type, formed within a back‐barrier lagoonal environment. Foraminifera help constrain the biostratigraphy and along with sedimentological evidence, provide information on the depositional conditions. Glauconite in the Maniyara Fort Formation occurs either as infillings within intra‐particle pores of larger foraminifers, or as an altered form of faecal pellets. X‐ray diffraction studies reveal the less mature nature of glauconite infillings compared to the glauconite pellets. Electron microprobe investigation confirms a relative enrichment of K₂O and total Fe₂O₃ in the latter. Both varieties of glauconite formed by initial authigenic precipitation of K‐poor glauconite and subsequently matured by addition of potassium in the interlayer sites and fixation of total iron in the octahedral sites; calcium, magnesium and aluminum were released from the glauconite structure concomitantly. Alkaline conditions during the entire process of glauconite formation did not allow dissolution of foraminiferal tests. Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of the Maniyara Fort Formation glauconites are more similar to deep marine glauconites than those reported from other shallow or marginal marine settings. A low negative cerium anomaly, as well as abundant pyrite, suggests formation of glauconite in sub‐oxic micro‐environments, created by decay of organic matter associated with foraminiferal chambers and faecal pellets. Sub‐oxic condition apparently prevailed relatively longer within the Maniyara Fort Formation lagoons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Strong ground motion parameters of the 18 September 2011 Sikkim Earthquake Mw = 6.9 and its analysis: a recent seismic hazard scenario

Natural Hazards - The 18 September 2011 earthquake in Sikkim was one the most devastating earthquake in Sikkim Himalaya in India–Asia collision boundary. The source characteristic of this...     

Archean Granitoids at the Contact of Eastern Ghat Granulite Belt and Singhbhum-Orissa Craton, in Bhuban-Rengali Sector, Orissa, India

The small granite plutons occurring at the contact of the Singhbhum-Orissa Iron Ore craton (IOC) to the north and the Eastern Ghat Granulite Belt (EGGB) to the south in eastern Indian shield are characterised by the presence of enclaves of the granulites of EGGB and the greenschist facies rocks of IOC. These granites also bear the imprints of later cataclastic deformation which is present at the contact of the IOC and the EGGB. In situ Pb-Pb zircon dating of these granites gives minimum age of their formation 2.80 Ga. A whole-rock three point Rb-Sr isochron age of this rock is found to be 2.90 Ga. Therefore, the true age of formation of these granites will be around 2.90–2.80 Ga. These granitic rocks also contain xenocrystic zircon components of 3.50 Ga and show a later metasomatic or metamorphic effect 2.48 Ga obtained from the analyses on overgrowths developed on 2.80 Ga old zircon cores. The presence of granulitic enclaves within these contact zone granite indicates that the granulite facies metamorphism of the EGGB is 2.80 Ga or still older in age. The cataclastic deformations observed at the contact zone of the two adjacent cratons is definitely younger than 2.80 Ga and possibly related to 2.48 Ga event observed from the overgrowths. As 2.80 Ga granite plutons of small dimensions are also observed at the western margin of the IOC; it can be concluded that a geologic event occurred 2.80 Ga over the IOC when small granite bodies evolved at the marginal part of this craton after its stabilisation at 3.09 Ga.