Prashant R. Thawale is a Senior Technical Officer at EnvironmentalBiotechnology Division, National Environmental Engineering ResearchInstitute. His areas of research work are reclamation of degraded land due toindustrial activity through integrated biotechnological approach and landtreatment of industrial and municipal wastewater.
International Journal of Agriculture: Research and Review, 2011
ABSTRACT This article explores the potential of forestry practices to mitigate climate change. Fo... more ABSTRACT This article explores the potential of forestry practices to mitigate climate change. Forest not only sustains its own carbon but also has the potential to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Reduction of photosynthesizing biomass through indiscriminate deforestation constitutes damage to the self-regulating mechanism that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere combustion. In the present study the biomass densities and carbon stocks of natural tropical forest of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve forest (TATR), Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India was estimated using standard carbon inventory methods. Present methodologies used to obtain carbon stock estimates for large forest areas are mostly based on forest inventory information as well as various factors, such as biomass equations, which transform diameter, height or volume data into biomass estimates. Tectona grandis showed the highest tree diameter of 26cm and average height of 19.85m while the lowest tree diameter and height of 10.35cm and 8.25m was shown by Ziziphus glaberrima, respectively. In addition, the total above and belowground biomass of the trees in the natural forest of TATR were observed to be 178.09 Mg/ha and 46.30 Mg/ha respectively. The carbon stock accumulated in vegetation was found to be 112.19 MgC/ha. Carbon sequestration in trees depends not only on climatic conditions but also on their growth and age. However, the estimation of net carbon uptake and storage by the forest ecosystem is very complex due to various factors that influence growth of trees and respiration of CO2.This study helps to understand the present status of carbon stored and sequestered in tropical dry forest ecosystem.
A seven month, pot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of moderately saline wastewater on ... more A seven month, pot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of moderately saline wastewater on the growth potential of six forestry plant species viz., Eucalyptus calmaldulensis, Dendrocalamus strictus, Casurina equisetfolia, Cassia fistula, Melia dubia, and Bambusa arundinacea under different drainage conditions namely, well-drained saline (WDS) condition and poor-drained saline condition (PDS) and the control with well-drained non-saline condition. WDS treatment resulted in no mortality whereas PDS treatment resulted in mortality in the range of 33-66%. The plant height and root dry biomass increased in the range of 145% to 221.6% and 4.3-37.1 g respectively in WDS treatment, however, 23.60% to 173.4% and 4.1-10.1 g in PDS treatment. Among all, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Dendrocalamus strictus showed high Na þ accumulation in roots (2.16 ± 0.02% and 1.13 ± 0.01%), shoots (1.98 ± 0.01% and 0.74 ± 0.01%) and leaves (1.27 ± 0.02% and 0.86 ± 0.01%) in WDS treatment and in case of PDS treatment root (1.01 ± 0.01% and 0.23 ± 0.01%), shoot (1.12 ± 0.02% and 0.11 ± 0.01%), and leaf (0.07 ± 0.01% and 0.1 ± 0.02). The overall performance of both Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Dendrocalamus strictus was highest in WDS treatment. Therefore, it was concluded, that both plants had better performance than other plant species, a proper drainage system defines the overall productivity and treatment efficiency.
The present study focuses on determining the phyto-treatment efficiency for treatment of moderate... more The present study focuses on determining the phyto-treatment efficiency for treatment of moderately saline wastewater using organic raw materials, such as rice husk, coconut husk, rice straw, and charcoal. The moderately saline wastewater with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration up to 6143.33 ± 5.77 mg/L was applied to the lysimeters at the rate of 200 m3 ha–1 day–1 in five different lysimeter treatments planted with Eucalyptus camaldulensis (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). T1 was a control without any filter bedding material, whereas rice straw, rice husk, coconut husk, and charcoal were used as filter bedding materials in the T2, T3, T4, and T5 treatment systems, respectively. Each treatment showed significant treatment efficiency wherein T3 had the highest removal efficiency of 76.21% followed by T4 (67.57%), T5 (65.18%), T2 (46.46%), and T1 (45.5%). T3 and T4 also showed higher salt accumulation, such as sodium (Na) and potassium (K). Further, the pollution load in terms of TDS ...
A comparative study was carried out over a period of six months to evaluate the efficiency of dif... more A comparative study was carried out over a period of six months to evaluate the efficiency of different substrate material along with macrophytes Typha latifolia and Cyperus rotundus in treating domestic wastewater intended for reuse in agriculture. The study was conducted over a period of six months with different retention time and observations were taken twice per month. One-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests were used to determine statistical significant differences between experimental columns. Treatment with T. latifolia planted in sand and mix substrate with four days retention time remarkably reduced the concentration of all bacterial pathogens. Log reductions observed were approximately 5.01 & 4.82 for total coliform, 4.46 & 3.93 for E coli and 5.52 & 5.48 for shigella respectively. Moreover, these treatments were also efficient in complete removal of fecal coliform and salmonella. Maximum parasites were removed by the treatment having sand alone as a substrate containing C. rotundus, with final outlet concentration of E. histolytica cysts; 0.34±0.44, A. lumbricoides eggs; -0.3±0.22 and S stercoralis larvae; -0.06±0.14 log count/L followed by T. latilolia on the same substrate with final concentration 0.55±0.09, -0.08±0.31 and -0.07±0.12 log count/ L respectively. but the difference was not significant from those planted with T. latifolia in the same substrate. The results suggest that T. latifolia aids in bacterial pathogens removal while C. rotundus in parasites removal. Thus wastewater treatment through constructed wetland having mix plantation of these species along with sand can eliminate some of the major enteric pathogens.
Different industrial activities such as agro-food processing and manufacturing, leather manufactu... more Different industrial activities such as agro-food processing and manufacturing, leather manufacturing, paper and pulp production, etc. generate highly saline wastewater. Direct discharge of saline wastewater has resulted in pollution of waterbodies by very high magnitudes. Consequently, an enormous number of pollutants such as heavy metals, salts, organic matter, etc. are also released into the environment threatening the survival of humans and biota. Saline wastewater also has significant effects on survival of plants, agricultural activities and groundwater systems. Several treatments and disposal technologies are available for saline wastewater but the selection of the most appropriate treatment and disposal technologies still remains a major challenge considering economic or technical constraints. Considering the sustainable management of saline wastewater, the present review is an attempt to compile the existing and emerging technologies applied for the treatment of saline wastewater. Among all the individual and hybrid technologies, land-based treatment systems are proven to be the most efficient technologies considering the energy demands, economic and treatment efficiencies. Likewise, new and sustainable technologies are the need of hour integrating both the treatment and management and the resource recovery factors along with the ultimate goal of the protection in terms of human health and environmental aspect.
Rehabilitation of degraded lands due to mining and other activities requires rebuilding of the ap... more Rehabilitation of degraded lands due to mining and other activities requires rebuilding of the appropriate soil structure and microbial integrity. Organic wastes, in particular plant-based materials, play a vital role in restoration of degraded land when used as amendments for topsoil integrated with microbe-assisted phytoremediation. In this present study, a biotechnological approach using the combination of organic waste amendments, i.e., ETP (effluent treatment plant), sludge from sugarcane and paper industry, and the press mud respectively along with microbial and fungal inoculum isolated from the soil rhizosphere have been applied to study the influence on fertility and productivity of mine spoil from manganese and coal dumps. The organic amendments applied as 100-ton ha−1 and application of biofertilizers boosted the survival of plants such as Tectona grandis (Teak), Dalbergia sisso (North Indian rosewood), Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry), Gmelina arborea (Gamhar), and Acacia auriculiformis (Earpod wattle) from 80 to 100% with robust growth and development during the short span of 25 years. The physicochemical attributes of soil and the microbial count also increased significantly. The pH of mine soil dumps slightly shifted toward alkaline conditions (7.4 to 7.8) whereas bulk density, porosity, and the water holding capacity were greatly improved. Other than this, the nutrient status of mine dump soil and the plants such as available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and the organic carbon content in soil were improvised to a greater extent simultaneously decreasing the available manganese concentration. The findings of the study assure a better land reclamation and restoration approach.
Water stress has become a perennial concern in most of the developing countries due to rapid urba... more Water stress has become a perennial concern in most of the developing countries due to rapid urbanization and population growth. As the growing population requires more fresh water and better ways for wastewater disposal, the demand for wastewater reclamation has increased drastically in recent years. Wastewater, either raw or treated, is being widely used for agricultural irrigation in developing countries, which cause a serious threat to human health mainly because of its pathogenic content. One of the alternative methods to treat wastewater and make it reusable for agricultural irrigation is to implement constructed wetland (CW); a sustainable and cost-effective technology that is applicable for the elimination of both pollutants and pathogens from wastewater. Despite its wide application, the role of macrophytes that form an integral part of CW and specific mechanisms involved in pathogen removal by them is still barely understood due to complexities involved and influencing factors. This has, therefore, attracted various scientific studies to reveal further functional mechanisms involved in vegetated CW to increase its proficiencies. This review paper illustrates the comparative studies of different CW and their pathogen removal efficiencies with major emphasis on macrophytes involved and factors influencing related mechanism. Further, the paper also covers detailed information on the enteric pathogens present in wastewater and the associated health risks involved in its reuse. The ultimate objective is to further clarify the role of CW in enteric pathogen removal and its efficiency for wastewater purification in perspective with safe reuse in agriculture.
Background. In spite of the availability of substitutes for lead and cadmium compounds in paints,... more Background. In spite of the availability of substitutes for lead and cadmium compounds in paints, manufacturers continue to produce paints with high levels of these metals. As the population continues to grow and there is a continued shift from oil-based to water-based paints, the sales and use of these paints will increase the exposure of humans and the environment to these metals. Objectives. We measured the levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in 174 paint samples marketed in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria. Paint samples from different manufacturers registered with and without Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) were considered. Methods. Samples were acid digested using a microwave digester and the levels of the elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Discussion. The levels of Cd and Pb (dry weight) in all samples ranged from 98–1999 μg/g and 170–3231 μg/g, respectively. All the samples were above the permissible limits of...
Mine spoil dump generated due to mining activities poses drastic physico-chemical and biological ... more Mine spoil dump generated due to mining activities poses drastic physico-chemical and biological constraints for sustainable vegetation. The various environmental problems that are associated with mining activities are deforestation, removal of fertile topsoil, unstable slopes prone to sliding and erosion, siltation of water bodies due to wash off of mineral overburden dumps, air pollution due to discharge of dust and noise pollution. Microbe Assisted Phytoremediation Technology (MAPT) has been developed for sustainable restoration of coal mine spoil dump. Results indicated that the application of MAPT had improved up to 3-5 folds the physico-chemical and microbiological properties of the coal mine soil dump. The inoculation of biofertlizers significantly increased the different microbial groups such as Azotobacter, Rhizobium and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) spores, which were practically absent in the coal mine spoil dump. The toxicity of the heavy metals present in the s...
An important goal of ecological rehabilitation is to accelerate natural successional processes to... more An important goal of ecological rehabilitation is to accelerate natural successional processes to increase biological productivity, soil fertility and biotic control over biogeochemical fluxes within the recovering ecosystems. A new approach called Microbe Assisted Green Technology (MAGT) is an integrated biotechnological approach developed at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) through exhaustive laboratory as well as field studies and serve as a model for land reclamation and development of lush green vegetation on mine overburdens. One year old seedlings of native tree species were planted on 6.3 ha area of manganese mine overburden at Gumgaon under Manganese Ore India Ltd., Maharashtra, India. Continuous efforts resulted in nutrient rich soil with high N, P, K and organic carbon; well developed biodiversity, including bacteria, fungi, higher plants (more than 350 species) and different classes of animals. Planted trees accumulated 698 t ha( - 1) above ground biomass and 143 t ha( - 1) below ground mass. This was achieved in 18 years by MAGT, which otherwise takes hundreds of years.
Industrialization and urbanization have been causing tremendous pressure on the water resources. ... more Industrialization and urbanization have been causing tremendous pressure on the water resources. In turn, to maintain the pace of development, it has become necessary to search for alternative sources of water. Conventional wastewater-treatment technologies are cost-...
The relative importance of sand, marble chips and wetland plant Typha latifolia is evaluated in c... more The relative importance of sand, marble chips and wetland plant Typha latifolia is evaluated in constructed wetlands (CWs) for the treatment of domestic wastewater intended for reuse in agriculture. The prototype CWs for the experiments are realized in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns, which are grouped into four treatments viz. sand (<2 mm) + Typha latifolia (cattail), sand, marble chips (5-20 mm) + cattail, and marble chips. The removal percentage of organic and nutritional pollutants from the wastewater is measured at varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the columns. The statistical analysis suggests that, the main effects of sand and cattail are found to be significant (p<0.05) for the removal of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the wastewater. The presence of cattail significantly (p<0.01) contributes for the conversion of total nitrogen in wastewater into NO3(-) by fostering the favorable microbes for the nitrification. The rem...
International Journal of Agriculture: Research and Review, 2011
ABSTRACT This article explores the potential of forestry practices to mitigate climate change. Fo... more ABSTRACT This article explores the potential of forestry practices to mitigate climate change. Forest not only sustains its own carbon but also has the potential to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Reduction of photosynthesizing biomass through indiscriminate deforestation constitutes damage to the self-regulating mechanism that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere combustion. In the present study the biomass densities and carbon stocks of natural tropical forest of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve forest (TATR), Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India was estimated using standard carbon inventory methods. Present methodologies used to obtain carbon stock estimates for large forest areas are mostly based on forest inventory information as well as various factors, such as biomass equations, which transform diameter, height or volume data into biomass estimates. Tectona grandis showed the highest tree diameter of 26cm and average height of 19.85m while the lowest tree diameter and height of 10.35cm and 8.25m was shown by Ziziphus glaberrima, respectively. In addition, the total above and belowground biomass of the trees in the natural forest of TATR were observed to be 178.09 Mg/ha and 46.30 Mg/ha respectively. The carbon stock accumulated in vegetation was found to be 112.19 MgC/ha. Carbon sequestration in trees depends not only on climatic conditions but also on their growth and age. However, the estimation of net carbon uptake and storage by the forest ecosystem is very complex due to various factors that influence growth of trees and respiration of CO2.This study helps to understand the present status of carbon stored and sequestered in tropical dry forest ecosystem.
A seven month, pot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of moderately saline wastewater on ... more A seven month, pot study was conducted to evaluate the impact of moderately saline wastewater on the growth potential of six forestry plant species viz., Eucalyptus calmaldulensis, Dendrocalamus strictus, Casurina equisetfolia, Cassia fistula, Melia dubia, and Bambusa arundinacea under different drainage conditions namely, well-drained saline (WDS) condition and poor-drained saline condition (PDS) and the control with well-drained non-saline condition. WDS treatment resulted in no mortality whereas PDS treatment resulted in mortality in the range of 33-66%. The plant height and root dry biomass increased in the range of 145% to 221.6% and 4.3-37.1 g respectively in WDS treatment, however, 23.60% to 173.4% and 4.1-10.1 g in PDS treatment. Among all, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Dendrocalamus strictus showed high Na þ accumulation in roots (2.16 ± 0.02% and 1.13 ± 0.01%), shoots (1.98 ± 0.01% and 0.74 ± 0.01%) and leaves (1.27 ± 0.02% and 0.86 ± 0.01%) in WDS treatment and in case of PDS treatment root (1.01 ± 0.01% and 0.23 ± 0.01%), shoot (1.12 ± 0.02% and 0.11 ± 0.01%), and leaf (0.07 ± 0.01% and 0.1 ± 0.02). The overall performance of both Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Dendrocalamus strictus was highest in WDS treatment. Therefore, it was concluded, that both plants had better performance than other plant species, a proper drainage system defines the overall productivity and treatment efficiency.
The present study focuses on determining the phyto-treatment efficiency for treatment of moderate... more The present study focuses on determining the phyto-treatment efficiency for treatment of moderately saline wastewater using organic raw materials, such as rice husk, coconut husk, rice straw, and charcoal. The moderately saline wastewater with total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration up to 6143.33 ± 5.77 mg/L was applied to the lysimeters at the rate of 200 m3 ha–1 day–1 in five different lysimeter treatments planted with Eucalyptus camaldulensis (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5). T1 was a control without any filter bedding material, whereas rice straw, rice husk, coconut husk, and charcoal were used as filter bedding materials in the T2, T3, T4, and T5 treatment systems, respectively. Each treatment showed significant treatment efficiency wherein T3 had the highest removal efficiency of 76.21% followed by T4 (67.57%), T5 (65.18%), T2 (46.46%), and T1 (45.5%). T3 and T4 also showed higher salt accumulation, such as sodium (Na) and potassium (K). Further, the pollution load in terms of TDS ...
A comparative study was carried out over a period of six months to evaluate the efficiency of dif... more A comparative study was carried out over a period of six months to evaluate the efficiency of different substrate material along with macrophytes Typha latifolia and Cyperus rotundus in treating domestic wastewater intended for reuse in agriculture. The study was conducted over a period of six months with different retention time and observations were taken twice per month. One-way ANOVA and Tukey&amp;amp;#39;s HSD tests were used to determine statistical significant differences between experimental columns. Treatment with T. latifolia planted in sand and mix substrate with four days retention time remarkably reduced the concentration of all bacterial pathogens. Log reductions observed were approximately 5.01 &amp;amp;amp; 4.82 for total coliform, 4.46 &amp;amp;amp; 3.93 for E coli and 5.52 &amp;amp;amp; 5.48 for shigella respectively. Moreover, these treatments were also efficient in complete removal of fecal coliform and salmonella. Maximum parasites were removed by the treatment having sand alone as a substrate containing C. rotundus, with final outlet concentration of E. histolytica cysts; 0.34±0.44, A. lumbricoides eggs; -0.3±0.22 and S stercoralis larvae; -0.06±0.14 log count/L followed by T. latilolia on the same substrate with final concentration 0.55±0.09, -0.08±0.31 and -0.07±0.12 log count/ L respectively. but the difference was not significant from those planted with T. latifolia in the same substrate. The results suggest that T. latifolia aids in bacterial pathogens removal while C. rotundus in parasites removal. Thus wastewater treatment through constructed wetland having mix plantation of these species along with sand can eliminate some of the major enteric pathogens.
Different industrial activities such as agro-food processing and manufacturing, leather manufactu... more Different industrial activities such as agro-food processing and manufacturing, leather manufacturing, paper and pulp production, etc. generate highly saline wastewater. Direct discharge of saline wastewater has resulted in pollution of waterbodies by very high magnitudes. Consequently, an enormous number of pollutants such as heavy metals, salts, organic matter, etc. are also released into the environment threatening the survival of humans and biota. Saline wastewater also has significant effects on survival of plants, agricultural activities and groundwater systems. Several treatments and disposal technologies are available for saline wastewater but the selection of the most appropriate treatment and disposal technologies still remains a major challenge considering economic or technical constraints. Considering the sustainable management of saline wastewater, the present review is an attempt to compile the existing and emerging technologies applied for the treatment of saline wastewater. Among all the individual and hybrid technologies, land-based treatment systems are proven to be the most efficient technologies considering the energy demands, economic and treatment efficiencies. Likewise, new and sustainable technologies are the need of hour integrating both the treatment and management and the resource recovery factors along with the ultimate goal of the protection in terms of human health and environmental aspect.
Rehabilitation of degraded lands due to mining and other activities requires rebuilding of the ap... more Rehabilitation of degraded lands due to mining and other activities requires rebuilding of the appropriate soil structure and microbial integrity. Organic wastes, in particular plant-based materials, play a vital role in restoration of degraded land when used as amendments for topsoil integrated with microbe-assisted phytoremediation. In this present study, a biotechnological approach using the combination of organic waste amendments, i.e., ETP (effluent treatment plant), sludge from sugarcane and paper industry, and the press mud respectively along with microbial and fungal inoculum isolated from the soil rhizosphere have been applied to study the influence on fertility and productivity of mine spoil from manganese and coal dumps. The organic amendments applied as 100-ton ha−1 and application of biofertilizers boosted the survival of plants such as Tectona grandis (Teak), Dalbergia sisso (North Indian rosewood), Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry), Gmelina arborea (Gamhar), and Acacia auriculiformis (Earpod wattle) from 80 to 100% with robust growth and development during the short span of 25 years. The physicochemical attributes of soil and the microbial count also increased significantly. The pH of mine soil dumps slightly shifted toward alkaline conditions (7.4 to 7.8) whereas bulk density, porosity, and the water holding capacity were greatly improved. Other than this, the nutrient status of mine dump soil and the plants such as available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and the organic carbon content in soil were improvised to a greater extent simultaneously decreasing the available manganese concentration. The findings of the study assure a better land reclamation and restoration approach.
Water stress has become a perennial concern in most of the developing countries due to rapid urba... more Water stress has become a perennial concern in most of the developing countries due to rapid urbanization and population growth. As the growing population requires more fresh water and better ways for wastewater disposal, the demand for wastewater reclamation has increased drastically in recent years. Wastewater, either raw or treated, is being widely used for agricultural irrigation in developing countries, which cause a serious threat to human health mainly because of its pathogenic content. One of the alternative methods to treat wastewater and make it reusable for agricultural irrigation is to implement constructed wetland (CW); a sustainable and cost-effective technology that is applicable for the elimination of both pollutants and pathogens from wastewater. Despite its wide application, the role of macrophytes that form an integral part of CW and specific mechanisms involved in pathogen removal by them is still barely understood due to complexities involved and influencing factors. This has, therefore, attracted various scientific studies to reveal further functional mechanisms involved in vegetated CW to increase its proficiencies. This review paper illustrates the comparative studies of different CW and their pathogen removal efficiencies with major emphasis on macrophytes involved and factors influencing related mechanism. Further, the paper also covers detailed information on the enteric pathogens present in wastewater and the associated health risks involved in its reuse. The ultimate objective is to further clarify the role of CW in enteric pathogen removal and its efficiency for wastewater purification in perspective with safe reuse in agriculture.
Background. In spite of the availability of substitutes for lead and cadmium compounds in paints,... more Background. In spite of the availability of substitutes for lead and cadmium compounds in paints, manufacturers continue to produce paints with high levels of these metals. As the population continues to grow and there is a continued shift from oil-based to water-based paints, the sales and use of these paints will increase the exposure of humans and the environment to these metals. Objectives. We measured the levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in 174 paint samples marketed in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria. Paint samples from different manufacturers registered with and without Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) were considered. Methods. Samples were acid digested using a microwave digester and the levels of the elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Discussion. The levels of Cd and Pb (dry weight) in all samples ranged from 98–1999 μg/g and 170–3231 μg/g, respectively. All the samples were above the permissible limits of...
Mine spoil dump generated due to mining activities poses drastic physico-chemical and biological ... more Mine spoil dump generated due to mining activities poses drastic physico-chemical and biological constraints for sustainable vegetation. The various environmental problems that are associated with mining activities are deforestation, removal of fertile topsoil, unstable slopes prone to sliding and erosion, siltation of water bodies due to wash off of mineral overburden dumps, air pollution due to discharge of dust and noise pollution. Microbe Assisted Phytoremediation Technology (MAPT) has been developed for sustainable restoration of coal mine spoil dump. Results indicated that the application of MAPT had improved up to 3-5 folds the physico-chemical and microbiological properties of the coal mine soil dump. The inoculation of biofertlizers significantly increased the different microbial groups such as Azotobacter, Rhizobium and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) spores, which were practically absent in the coal mine spoil dump. The toxicity of the heavy metals present in the s...
An important goal of ecological rehabilitation is to accelerate natural successional processes to... more An important goal of ecological rehabilitation is to accelerate natural successional processes to increase biological productivity, soil fertility and biotic control over biogeochemical fluxes within the recovering ecosystems. A new approach called Microbe Assisted Green Technology (MAGT) is an integrated biotechnological approach developed at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) through exhaustive laboratory as well as field studies and serve as a model for land reclamation and development of lush green vegetation on mine overburdens. One year old seedlings of native tree species were planted on 6.3 ha area of manganese mine overburden at Gumgaon under Manganese Ore India Ltd., Maharashtra, India. Continuous efforts resulted in nutrient rich soil with high N, P, K and organic carbon; well developed biodiversity, including bacteria, fungi, higher plants (more than 350 species) and different classes of animals. Planted trees accumulated 698 t ha( - 1) above ground biomass and 143 t ha( - 1) below ground mass. This was achieved in 18 years by MAGT, which otherwise takes hundreds of years.
Industrialization and urbanization have been causing tremendous pressure on the water resources. ... more Industrialization and urbanization have been causing tremendous pressure on the water resources. In turn, to maintain the pace of development, it has become necessary to search for alternative sources of water. Conventional wastewater-treatment technologies are cost-...
The relative importance of sand, marble chips and wetland plant Typha latifolia is evaluated in c... more The relative importance of sand, marble chips and wetland plant Typha latifolia is evaluated in constructed wetlands (CWs) for the treatment of domestic wastewater intended for reuse in agriculture. The prototype CWs for the experiments are realized in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns, which are grouped into four treatments viz. sand (<2 mm) + Typha latifolia (cattail), sand, marble chips (5-20 mm) + cattail, and marble chips. The removal percentage of organic and nutritional pollutants from the wastewater is measured at varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the columns. The statistical analysis suggests that, the main effects of sand and cattail are found to be significant (p<0.05) for the removal of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the wastewater. The presence of cattail significantly (p<0.01) contributes for the conversion of total nitrogen in wastewater into NO3(-) by fostering the favorable microbes for the nitrification. The rem...
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