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- Coupled green pretreatment of petha wastewater and rice straw
Abstract: Publication date: February 2020Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Volume 5Author(s): Dolly Kumari, Radhika SinghAbstractThe present study describes a novel method in which petha wastewater (PWW) and rice straw (RS) were pretreated symbiotically to improve the quality of both wastes. This pretreatment helped in lignocellulosic degradation of RS, which can easily undergo anaerobic digestion (AD) for biofuel production. pH and alkalinity of PWW was reduced within limits after pretreatment and amount of soluble sugars of RS also increased significantly. Hence we can kill two birds with one stone i.e. solve disposal problem of highly alkaline PWW and RS simultaneously. Saccharification of RS took place which can then be easily biodegradable anaerobically. Percent increase in cellulose was 9.62% whereas percent decrease in hemicellulose and lignin were 7.23% and 8.88% respectively with respect to untreated RS. pH of PWW was reduced from 12 to 6.4 and calcium carbonate alkalinity was completely reduced to null value from initial value of 2400 mg/L. Structural changes like roughness and porosity are shown in SEM images for both untreated and PWW pretreated RS.
- Characterizing spatio-temporal patterns of social vulnerability to
droughts, degradation and desertification in the Brazilian northeast
Abstract: Publication date: Available online 13 December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability IndicatorsAuthor(s): Rita Marcia da Silva Pinto Vieira, Marcelo Francisco Sestini, Javier Tomasella, Victor Marchezini, Guilherme Reis Pereira, Alexandre Augusto Barbosa, Fabrícia Cristina Santos, Daniel Andrés Rodriguez, Flávio Rodrigues do Nascimento, Marcos Oliveira Santana, Francisco Carneiro Barreto Campello, Jean Pierre Henry Balbaud OmettoAbstractExamples of how environmental susceptibility has a direct impact on the social vulnerability of a population, by affecting both the social and cultural life quality are discussed for the Northeast of Brazil, which is considered to be the poorest region of the country. Several direct and indirect mechanisms associated to soil degradation/desertification are addressed, mainly in relation to the impact they cause to the livelihood such as income, immigration/emigration rate, and mortality. Our purpose is to provide, based on a social vulnerability index, a spatial-temporal analysis of the population dynamics in response to the effects of degradation/desertification and extended periods of drought. The results of this study demonstrated that social vulnerability is mostly dictated by social factors but marginally by environmental factors. This conclusion has an impact on federal public policies designed to reduce social inequality in the region.
- The Effects of Energy Use on Infant Mortality Rates in Africa
Abstract: Publication date: Available online 10 December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability IndicatorsAuthor(s): Olatunji Abdul ShobandeAbstractThe availability and supply of electricity remains pivotal to the social and economic wellbeing of people and society. Researchers have confirmed that access to electricity greatly impacts quality of life as well as life expectancy. Today, while most developing nations continue to grapple with the consequences of an epileptic power supply and its effects on their socio-economic and environmental prosperity, developed nations are focused on promoting policies and programs to sustain and improve the provision of adequate electricity that guarantees less emissions, pollution and hazards to human health. At the moment, about a hundred million people lack access to enough clean, affordable and reliable energy to meet their daily needs. However, the growing need for electricity to power our world and our lives portends dangerous consequences that must be prevented. This paper examines the effects of energy use on the infant mortality rate in Africa by using a panel of 23 African countries for the period from 1999 and 2014. The Gary Becker hypothesis and the Grossman models are used to examine the relationship between energy related predictors and infant mortality fundamentals. The results of the study show that energy predictors have a negative and significant impact on infant mortality rates among the African countries examined. Further results show that a high degree of pollution causes a rise in mortality rates, whereas proceeds from natural resource rents reduce the level of infant mortality. Thus, this empirical estimation suggests that there is an urgent need for government intervention programs to rescue the region from this energy dilemma.
- Identification of pluriannual periodicities in series of drought indexes
and its relationship with macroclimatic indicators
Abstract: Publication date: November–December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Volumes 3–4Author(s): Leticia Vicario, Érica Díaz, Carlos Marcelo García, Andrés RodríguezAbstractIn Latin America, drought studies generally develop on climatic or hydrological approach and there are few studies available on the relationship between different kind of droughts and macroclimatic processes. The main objective of this paper was to relate the times series of droughts indexes to relevant macroclimatic indicators in Central Region of Argentina. For that, the Fourier analysis was used to identify the pluri-annual periodicities of macroclimatic indicators and representative indexes of hydrometeorological and hydrological droughts. The indexes were calculated with time series of precipitation and flow data of stations located in Carcarañá River basin. According to dominant frequencies, series with Fourier band-pass filters were filtered. Full and filtered series of indexes and indicators were compared through the correlation coefficient, for to identify and compare the time scale of the processes involved. A significant relationship in pluriannual periodicities of some droughts indexes and macroclimatic indicators was observed.
- Combining multicriteria decision analysis with GIS for suitably siting
landfills in a Nigerian state
Abstract: Publication date: November–December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Volumes 3–4Author(s): Fidelis O. Ajibade, Olabanji O. Olajire, Temitope F. Ajibade, Nathaniel A. Nwogwu, Kayode H. Lasisi, Ayopo B. Alo, Titilayo A. Owolabi, James R. AdewumiAbstractPopulation explosion coupled with poor governance and land use planning is responsible for indiscriminate dumping of solid waste in unsuitable sites. Despite the vast availability of modern methods of siting landfills, many waste disposal methods in Akure are piled up in open sites and unsafe. Owing to this lack of effectiveness of these common methods in Akure, a better approach is adopted to enable the analysis of a number of required qualitative and quantitative issues for landfill site selection. This study is aimed at identifying suitable sites for solid waste disposal and management while considering all essential factors and rating criteria by integrating GIS with multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in Akure, Ondo State. Standards for siting landfill formulated by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) were employed in this study. The criteria that are considered herein are land use, slope, distance to drainage, distance to linear features, soil, geology, distance to the residence and road accessibility. These criteria were assigned fuzzy membership classes based on their importance in siting landfill. The fuzzy members of all criteria were overlaid to generate the final landfill site suitability map which was classified into five: not suitable (34.1%), less suitable (50.4%), moderately suitable (0.3%), suitable (0.02%) and highly suitable (15.5%). The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique was employed in the selection of the landfill site with reverence to multiple criteria and the fuzzy membership classes in accordance with the standards of the EPA. The result of this study serves as guide for further field survey.
- Three-pronged sustainability assessment of ten towns in the vicinity of
Bangkok, Thailand
Abstract: Publication date: November–December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Volumes 3–4Author(s): Viriya Taecharungroj, Pheereeya Boonchaiyapruek, Morakot MuthutaAbstractThe purpose of the current research is to develop a method that assesses the levels of sustainability in towns in Thailand from various dimensions and multiple perspectives. The three-pronged assessment illustrates the integration of the three perspectives, namely, those of residents, the physical reality, and the local government; such an integration is important yet limited in the existing literature. This assessment also attempts to overcome some of the challenges of sustainability indicators, including comparability, dynamism, availability, comprehensibility, effectiveness, and sufficiency. The scope of this study consists of ten towns in the six provinces in the vicinity of Bangkok, which are at risk of sprawling development from Bangkok. To determine the levels of resident perceptions, the authors used a cluster random sampling method to collect data from 2157 respondents. Thirty-six indicators were used to assess the physical reality. Regarding the investments of the local government, 488 projects of the 10 towns were categorised based on the 11 dimensions of place sustainability. Towns can use this method to monitor the efficiency of investments over time and to plan more effective investments. A workshop was organised for towns to adjust project planning according to the Four-Action Framework.
- Cyanobacteria: A sustainable and commercial bio-resource in production of
bio-fertilizer and bio-fuel from waste waters
Abstract: Publication date: November–December 2019Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, Volumes 3–4Author(s): Jay Shankar Singh, Arun Kumar, Mani SinghAbstractThe indiscriminate increasing the human population and development has posed extra burden on the soil and water resources. Micro-algae and cyanobacteria compared to other organisms are eco-friendly, larger cell size and efficient biomass production, makes them best and sustainable solution for the problems related to soil fertility and available water resources. Compared to chemical fertilizers, the cyanobacterial bio-fertilizer can act as supplements to fertilizer N contributing up to 30 kg N ha−1. These bio-agents are also considered as potential candidate for lipid content production because of their rapid biomass production efficiency. The micro-algae biomass can be used to produce biofuels. Large scale biomass production and harvesting of cyanobacteria and micro-algae in waste water or their integration cultivation in sewage and effluent treatment plants could be very useful for waste water treatment. There is the need to find out how the cyanobacterial technology can be applied cheaply enough at the local-village level while still being effective alternatives options for the chemical fertilizers. The micro-algae, adapted to local water and soil conditions, test ponds and soils should be being seeded with these bio-agents which are naturally occurring in local native habitats. The goal should be for farmers to be able to produce the efficient biomass producing micro-algal agents on-site to use in their own fields as bio-fertilizers and bio-fuel production. This review article reveals use of cyanobacteria and micro-algae in waste water treatments, slow release bio-fertilizer for sustainable agriculture and also as feed stock for eco-friendly bio-fuels generation.
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