ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Rock Magnetic Investigations of Surface and sub-surface soil Samples from
five Lake Catchments in Tropical Southern India
Iron oxide minerals in soils provide valuable insights into pedogenic processes. A wealth of such
information has been obtained by rock magnetic investigations on temperate soils but similar studies on tropical soils are rare. Here, we report rock magnetic data on pristine soil profiles and surficial soils from five catchments in the tropical southern India and throw light on the pedogenic processes. We ruled out contributions from greigite, bacterial magnetite and anthropogenic sources; hence, the magnetic signal is mainly from the catchment, principally pedogenic and, thus, has a climatic signature embedded in it. The Pookot profile from a high rainfall (~4000 mm/year) region does not exhibit any magnetic enhancement at the surface. In fact, there is hardly any difference between surface and sub-surface samples, which reflects on its deeply weathered
nature as a result of the high rainfall. The Shantisagara profile exhibits lessivage of magnetic minerals, resulting in a thick magnetically enhanced zone. It shows the highest χlf values among the five profiles studied. The Thimmannanayakanakere (TK) and Ayyanakere (AK) soil profiles do not exhibit any magnetic enhancement of top-soil. In fact, χlf values increase towards the profile-bottom, suggesting top-soil erosion, besides contribution of magnetic minerals from parent rocks. In the TK profile, there is a clear distinction between surface and sub-surface samples, the former being magnetically coarser grained. The Kurburukere profile exhibits moderate to strong χlf values and a mild magnetic enhancement at the surface.The data would be useful for establishing soil-sediment linkages for paleoclimatic studies of lake sediments.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_467_8ed29a5b464cdac7a0cac33382a92b01.pdf
2012-01-01
1
18
10.22059/ijer.2011.467
Rock magnetism
Magnetic enhancement
Tropical soils
Pedogenesis
Erosion
Lessivage
K.
Sandeep
paleosoil@gmail.com
1
Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri 574199, INDIA, 2 Present address: Geological Survey of India-Training Institute, Bandlaguda, Hyderabad 500068, INDIA
LEAD_AUTHOR
A.K.
Warrier
2
Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri 574199, INDIA, Present address: Antarctic Science Division, National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research, Headland Sada, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa 403 804, India
AUTHOR
B.G.
Harshavardhana
3
Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri 574199, INDIA
AUTHOR
R.
Shankar
shankar@ijer.ir
4
Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri 574199, INDIA
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Bioaccumulation of Metals in Tissues of Solea Vulgaris from the outer Coast
and Ria de Vigo, NE Atlantic (Spain)
Ría and coastal zone are, in particular, vulnerable to heavy metals pollution. Concentrations of
10 metals in liver, muscle and kidney of the sole (Solea vulgaris) from Ría of Vigo and its coastal zone (Spain) were measured from April 2006 to February 2007 and the relationships between fish size age and metal concentrations in the tissues was investigated. Concentrations of the heavy metals in examined fish ranged as follows: Cd (0.01- 0.7), Pb (0.1- 2.5), Hg (0.01- 0.7), Cu (3.3- 46.7), Zn (15- 274), As (3- 151), Se (0.9- 18.2), Mn (0.9- 9.76) μg/g dryweight. Kidney and liver showed the highest levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. The concentration of metals was significantly affected by the sampling site and fish tissues. Our results indicated that all heavy metals were found the highest in muscle tissue. A comparison of metals concentration in fishes from both sites showed higher bioaccumulation in the exemplars captured in Ría. This indicates that there is a
trend of higher metal pollution level in the estuarine environment. Although, metals levels in the tissues in the area do not exceed contamination levels, measures are recommended for lowering heavy metals inputs into Ría of Vigo. Heavy metals in the edible parts of the investigated fish were in the permissible safety levels for human uses.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_468_2e0570df059b9318313ae51198f319da.pdf
2012-01-01
19
24
10.22059/ijer.2011.468
Assessment
Heavy metals
Fish
Vigo
L.
Mhadhbi
lazhar@uvigo.es
1
ECIMAT (Estación de ciencias Mariñas de Toralla), Vigo University, 36310 Vigo,Spain
LEAD_AUTHOR
A.
Palanca
2
Animal Anatomy Laboratory, Vigo University, 36310 Vigo, Spain
AUTHOR
T.
Gharred
3
Marine Biotechnological Institute of Monastir,Tunisia
AUTHOR
M.
Boumaiza
4
Hidrobiology Unit, Enironmental Biomonitoring Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Bizerte, Tunisia
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Direct Treatment of Settled Sewage by DHS Reactors with Different Sizes
of Sponge Support Media
The down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor, which was developed for post-treatment of
effluent from up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process treating sewage, uses polyurethane sponge as media to retain biomass. Wastewater is trickled from the top of the reactor and purified by microorganisms retained both inside and outside of the sponge media as the wastewater flows vertically down through the reactor. Three DHS reactors employing different sizes of sponge media with the same total sponge volume were used for the direct treatment of settled sewage. All the reactors exhibited excellent performance in removal of COD, ammonium nitrogen, and fecal coliform at a fixed hydraulic retention time of 2.0 h based on the sponge volume. It was shown that smaller sponge media produced better removal efficiencies for all the
parameters listed above. The most reasonable explanation for this might be that smaller sponge media allows better oxygen uptake in the stream flowing down through the reactors.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_469_e5193c8e1845554ed62785923faac275.pdf
2012-01-01
25
32
10.22059/ijer.2011.469
DHS
Settled sewage
Sponge support media
Sponge size
DO
Sh.
Uemura
uemura@wangan.c.kisarazu.ac.jp
1
Department of Environmental Engineering, Kisarazu National College of Technology 2-11-1 Kiyomidaihigashi, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0041, Japan
LEAD_AUTHOR
S.
Suzuki
2
Nippon Steel Kankyo Engineering Co. LTD., 2-1-38 Shiohama, Kisarazu, Chiba 292-0383, Japan
AUTHOR
Y.
Maruyama
3
Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd., 2-18-12 Nishiochiai, Shinjuku, Tokyo 161-8575, Japan
AUTHOR
H.
Harada
4
Tohoku University, 06 Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Ecotoxicology of Nano-TiO2 – An Evaluation of its Toxicity to
Organisms of Aquatic Ecosystems
The production and use of synthetic nanoparticles is growing rapidly, and therefore the presence
of these materials in the environment seems inevitable. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) presents various possible uses in industry, cosmetics, and even in the treatment of contaminated environments. Studies about the potential ecotoxicological risks of TiO2 nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) have been published but their results are still inconclusive. It should be noted that the properties of the diverse nano-TiO2 must be considered in order to establish experimental models to study their toxicity to environmentally relevant species. Moreover, the lack of descriptions and characterization of nanoparticles, as well as differences in the experimental conditions employed, have been a compromising factor in the comparison of results obtained in various studies. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to make a simple review of the principal properties of TiO2, especially in nanoparticulate form, which should be considered in aquatic toxicology studies, and a compilation of the works that have been published on the subject.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_470_cdc1d006dace442b71300f18a790a2a6.pdf
2012-01-01
33
50
10.22059/ijer.2011.470
Nano-TiO2
Nanotechnology
Ecotoxicology
Water
Aquatic organisms
Z.
Clemente
zairaclemente@hotmail.com
1
Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, CEP 13083-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil
LEAD_AUTHOR
V.L.
Castro
2
Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa, Rodovia SP340 km 127.5, C.P. 69, CEP 13820-000 Jaguariúna, SP, Brazil
AUTHOR
C.M.
Jonsson
3
Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Biosafety, Embrapa, Rodovia SP340 km 127.5, C.P. 69, CEP 13820-000 Jaguariúna, SP, Brazil
AUTHOR
L.F.
Fraceto
4
Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas – UNICAMP, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, CEP 13083-862 Campinas, SP, Brazil
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Estimating Total Economic Value of Coral Reefs of Kish Island (Persian Gulf)
This paper is concerned with the economic valuation of the coral reef within Kish Island in
Persian Gulf of Iran. For calculating this value, all components of use and non-use values are estimated and then according to each of them, suitable method has applied. Many different evaluation tools such as contingent valuation method, zonal travel cost method, replacement cost, avoided cost method, value at risk method are used. The semi non parametric distribution free estimator for calculating the contingent valuation method is applied. The probability of willingness to pay the same as the probability of accepting bids is estimated by using data based on questioners approach using stated preference method. The result indicates that the total
economic value of this unique ecosystem in Kish Island is at least 14.6 million dollar per year, showing the importance of conservation value of the ecosystem. Its largest component of total economic value is about 62 percent attributed to the recreational value. This is followed by conservation value which is about 23 percent of the economic value. Since coastal protection and waste assimilation functions of coral reef are 10 percent, it is also suitable factor in illustrating total economic value. The economic value for each hectare of this ecosystem in Kish Island is US$ 237,000 in 2009.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_471_1136f0f01e26c179eeb81df9723a81d9.pdf
2012-01-01
51
60
10.22059/ijer.2011.471
Fourier functional form
TEV of Coral reef
CV method
SNPDF estimator
EWTP
Persian Gulf
Iran
Sh.
Madani
sh.madani@inio.ac.ir
1
Iranian National Institute for Oceanography, P.O. Box 14155-4781,Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
M.
Ahmadian
2
Faculty of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
M.
KhaliliAraghi
3
Faculty of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
F.
Rahbar
4
Faculty of Economics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
An Investigation on Vehicle’s Fuel consumption and Exhaust Emissions
in Different Driving Conditions
In this paper, vehicle’s fuel consumption and exhaust emissions are investigated in different
driving conditions based on driving segments clustering. Driving data collection is performed using global positioning systems in real traffic conditions. The driving data is clustered into five groups using k-means clustering technique. Vehicle’s fuel consumption and exhaust emissions (i.e. HC, NOx and CO) are investigated in different driving conditions using computer simulations. The relationship between driving features and vehicle’s fuel consumption and exhaust emissions is also presented. According to the simulation results, vehicle’s fuel consumption decreases as average velocity increases from very congested traffic condition to freeway traffic condition. The most HC is produced is low speeds. The results also demonstrate that high accelerations and decelerations cause high amount of NOx. About the CO emission, a moderate driving in
which the velocity and accelerations are not very high or very low, leads to the least amount of CO.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_472_3087a3233c92c5a4f4285f874615b13b.pdf
2012-01-01
61
70
10.22059/ijer.2011.472
A.
Fotouhi
afotouhi@iust.ac.ir
1
Systems Simulation and Control Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
Gh.M.
Montazeri
2
Systems Simulation and Control Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Evaluating the Developed Countries Policy Making Toward Environmental Cases
Today, Economic and environmental performance are tightly closed to each other. The natural
environment plays an important role in supporting economic activity; directly, by providing resources and raw materials such as water, timber and minerals that are required as inputs for the production of goods and services; and indirectly, through services provided by ecosystems including carbon sequestration, water purification, managing flood risks, and nutrient cycling. Natural resources are, therefore, vital for securing economic growth and development, not just today but for future generations. Economic growth has also provided developing countries the opportunity to improve the quality of life of their citizens, and to balance the environmental challenges they face. Investment, aid and demand for imports from advanced economies all
have an important role in supporting economic growth and development through the world. The main objective of this paper is to highlight the role of the natural environment in supporting and contributing to economic growth, and the role of environmental policy in achieving improved environmental outcomes in ways that are compatible with the long-term health and stability of the economy. It does not try to answer the question of what the sustainable level of economic growth might be, but instead reviews the evidence and sets out an approach for securing environmentally sustainable economic growth for current and future
generations.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_473_242cf6f0c45d4b2730b0136a7f855df8.pdf
2012-01-01
71
80
10.22059/ijer.2011.473
Developed Countries
environment
Policy making
Productivity Growth
ecosystem
A.
Mossalanejad
abbassmossalanejad@gmail.com
1
Department of political sciences, Faculty of law and political sciences, University of Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Biodegradation of MTBE by Bacteria Isolated from oil Hydrocarbons-
Contaminated Environments
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) belongs to the group of gasoline oxygenates and persistent
environment contaminants, and shows potential for biodegradation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, through application of pure microbial cultures. Presented research shows that indigenous bacterial isolates 6sy and 24p, selected from oil hydrocarbons-contaminated environments, were capable of utilizing MTBE as sole carbon and energy source. Based on 16S rDNA sequence analysis, bacterial isolates 6sy and 24p were identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. saprophyticus and Pseudomonas sp., respectively. The MTBE
biodegradation rate was affected by longevity of incubation period and initial MTBE concentration. After 3 weeks of incubation at 25°C in a dark, the removal rates of initial 25 and 125 ppm MTBE concentrations by Staphylococcus saprophyticus 6sy were found to be 97, and 63%, respectively, while efficiency of Pseudomonas sp. in degradation of indicated concentrations was 96, and 40%, respectively. Both bacterial isolates were able to grow in MTBE-containing growth medium. Highest growth rate of bacterial isolates was observed at the end of incubation period. The presented results indicated the potential of these bacterial isolates in bioremediation of MTBE-contaminated environments.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_474_4e06eebfbddfd346e76ca80da90a1cb5.pdf
2012-01-01
81
86
10.22059/ijer.2011.474
Bioremediation
MTBE-degrading bacteria
Staphylococcus
Pseudomonas
B.
Lalevic
lalevicb@yahoo.com
1
University of Belgrade, Faculty of agriculture, 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Serbia
LEAD_AUTHOR
V.
Raicevic
2
University of Belgrade, Faculty of agriculture, 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Serbia
AUTHOR
D.
Kikovic
3
Faculty of natural sciences, 38220 Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia
AUTHOR
L.
Jovanovic
4
Educons University, 21208 Sremska Kamenica, Serbia
AUTHOR
G.
Surlan-Momirovic
5
University of Belgrade, Faculty of agriculture, 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Serbia
AUTHOR
J.
Jovic
6
Institute for plant protection and environment 11080 Belgrade-Zemun, Serbia
AUTHOR
A.R.
Talaie
7
Jami Institute of Technology, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Najafabad, Iran
AUTHOR
F.
Morina
8
Institute for multidisciplinary researches, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
In situ Measurement of Bioavailable Metal Concentrations at the Downstream
on the Morava River using Transplanted Aquatic mosses and DGT Technique
This work summarized the results of a long term monitoring programme performed downstream
on the Morava river (Czech Republic). During this programme the total dissolved concentrations and bioavailable fraction of selected metals (Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu) were monitored. For the determination of bioavailable metals species, diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) together with moss bags technique utilizing Fontinalis antipyretica moss species were used. All of the measured metal concentrations were compared with an amount of accumulated mass by Fontinalis antipyretica, represented as a concentration factor, CF. Obtained results shown that further investigation of DGT technique and metal accumulation processes by Fontinalis antipyretica is needed to conclude if the DGT technique is a good alternative for the biomonitoring technique using Fontinalis antipyretica moss bags as a means to measure (bio)available metal concentrations in natural water. Significant correlation with CF was found in the case of DGTZn and DGTPb concentrations. On the other site, accumulated mass of Cu by Fontinalis antipyretica correlated significantly with total dissolved concentration of Cu. In the case of Ni no correlation was found between total dissolved Ni concentrations, DGTNi concentration and CF of Fontinalis antipyretica.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_475_16ddccf379f1f0fc0319b01450ac01e1.pdf
2012-01-01
87
94
10.22059/ijer.2011.475
Diffusive gradient
Fontinalis antipyretica
Water analysis
Passive sampling
Metals
P.
Diviš
divis79@yahoo.com
1
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Purkyňova 118, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
LEAD_AUTHOR
J.
Machát
2
Research Centre for Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
AUTHOR
R.
Szkandera
3
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Purkyňova 118, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
AUTHOR
H.
Dočekalová
4
Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Machine Learning for Predictive Management: Short and Long term Prediction of
Phytoplankton Biomass using Genetic Algorithm Based Recurrent Neural Networks
In the regulated Nakdong River, algal proliferations are annually observed in some seasons, with
cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) appearing in summer and diatom blooms (Stephanodiscus hantzschii) in winter. This study aims to develop two ecological models forecasting future chlorophyll a at two time-steps (one-week and one-year forecasts), using recurrent neural networks tuned by genetic algorithm (GA-RNN). A moving average (MA) method pre-processes the data for both short- and long-term forecasting to evaluate the effect of noise downscaling on model predictability and to estimate its usefulness and trend prediction for management purposes. Twenty-five physicochemical and biological components (e.g. water temperature,
DO, pH, dams discharge, river flow, rainfall, zooplankton abundance, nutrient concentration, etc. from 1994 to 2006) are used as input variables to predict chlorophyll a. GA-RNN models show a satisfactory level of performance for both predictions. Using genetic operations in the network training enables us to avoid numerous trial-and-error model constructions. MA-smoothed data improves the predictivity of models by removing residuals in the data prediction and enhancing the trend of time-series patterns. The results demonstrate efficient development of ecological models through selecting appropriate network structures. Data pre-processing with MA helps in forecasting long-term seasonality and trend of chlorophyll a, an important outcome for
decision makers because it provides more reaction time to establish and control management strategies.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_476_cbec508266b5c111103d3870528df51d.pdf
2012-01-01
95
108
10.22059/ijer.2011.476
genetic algorithm
Nakdong River
Biomass
Management
Sensitivity analysis
Time-series prediction
D.K.
Kim
1
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-721, South Korea
AUTHOR
K.S.
Jeong
2
Department of Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-735, South Korea
AUTHOR
R.I.B.
McKay
3
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-721, South Korea
AUTHOR
T.S.
Chon
4
Department of Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan, 609-735, South Korea
AUTHOR
G.J.
Joo
gjjoo@pusan.ac.kr
5
School of Computer Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-721, South Korea
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Heavy Metals and PAH Assessment Based on Mussel Caging in the
North Coast of Tunisia (Mediterranean Sea)
In the framework of the Mytilos project (Interreg IIIB Medocc), international research cruises
were carried out in 2006 in order to evaluate the level of Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) along the coast of the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Caged mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were placed in situ at six sites in the North coast of Tunisia. Results showed total PAH levels were in the range 45.6-241.6 ng/g dry weight (dw). The ranges of trace metals concentrations expressed in μg/gdw are: Hg (0.1- 0.2), Pb (0.4-0.7), Cd (0.9-2.9), Cu (2.9-3.9), Fe (117-248) and Zn (250-426). Higher concentrations were observed at Rades, La Galite and Tabarka which can be attributed to the industrial activities implanted in the
coast of Algeria and in the city of Rades. Concentrations of PAH, Cd, Pb, Fe and Zn are generally different from initial concentrations (before caging), depending on the adaptability of transplanted mussels to be used as bio-indicator of contaminants. Yet bio-monitoring using mussels give information on compound bioavailability which depends on their ability to accumulate contaminants in its tissue.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_477_6c1d1bd2b847a248cf12b86f1b109f79.pdf
2012-01-01
109
118
10.22059/ijer.2011.477
PAHs
Heavy metals
Mediterranean Sea
North coast of Tunisia
Mussel caging
N.
Mzoughi
nadia.mzoughi@instm.rnrt.tn
1
Institut National des Sciences et Technologie de la Mer, Laboratoire Milieu Marin, Port depêche, 2015 La Goulette, Tunisie
LEAD_AUTHOR
L.
Chouba
2
Institut National des Sciences et Technologie de la Mer, Laboratoire Milieu Marin, Port depêche, 2015 La Goulette, Tunisie
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Treatment of Landfill Leachate by Fenton Process with Nano sized Zero
Valent Iron particles
Leachate treatment from municipal landfills has been always a major anxiety in waste management due to its high level of various contaminations. In this paper the effect of Nanosized Zero Valent Iron particles (NZVI) in Fenton process for the treatment of high COD strength landfill leachate was scrutinized. The results corroborated this procedure was fast and efficient. In fact, about 87% of initial COD (38 g/L) was reduced in an hour. The various operation conditions such as pH, initial H2O2 concentration, H2O2/Fe molar ratio and temperature in a batch reactor were investigated. The optimum condition was obtained at pH value of 2, temperature of 40°C and H2O2 to Fe molar ratio equal to 39 by using only 0.07 M of NZVI. In such conditions, 0.08 M H2O2 for the removal of 1 g/L of COD was needed. Furthermore, hydrogen peroxide consumption after
Fenton process was evaluated and it was found that it had a direct relationship with COD removal efficiency.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_478_fb5d3615655fce1e77c4c6f47b3018fc.pdf
2012-01-01
119
128
10.22059/ijer.2011.478
Fenton process
Nanosized zero valent iron (NZVI)
Landfill leachate
COD removal
S.
Shafieiyoun
saeedshf@gmail.com
1
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT), Hafez St., Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
T.
Ebadi
2
Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT), Hafez St., Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran
AUTHOR
M.
Nikazar
3
Chemical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT), Hafez St., Tehran, 15875-4413, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Study on High-strength Anaerobic Landfill Leachate Treatability By
Membrane Bioreactor Coupled with Reverse Osmosis
One of the most important concerns in Tehran municipal landfill is the production of leachate
and its potential for water resources pollution, this study was undertaken to examine feasibility of biological and physico/chemical treating of high-strength landfill leachate that was collected from Tehran municipal landfill. Average COD of the leachate in aerobic submerged membrane bioreactor is 68000 mg/L. The reactor with a working volume of 175 L, having membrane module (Hollow fiber) with pore size of 0.1 μm coupled with reverse osmosis with pore size of 0.001 μm was used in this study. The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was maintained at 3.2 mg/L and solid retention times (SRTs) and hydraulic retention times (HRT) were controlled at 55 and 15 days respectively. the average Membrane Bioreactor effluent COD was 1733 mg/L with average removal efficiency of 97.46%. The average NH 4 –N removal efficiencies was 99%. On the other hand, an almost complete nitrification was achieved during this period. PO4 –P concentration in the effluent was low and its average removal efficiency was as high as 90%; especially during the operation period. The averages reverse osmosis (RO) effluent COD was 335 mg/L with average removal efficiency of 99.13%. PO4-P concentration in the RO effluent was 0.86 mg/L and its average removal efficiency was 99.33%. The use of Membrane technologies, more especially reverse osmosis offers the best solution of achieving full purification with average COD removal efficiency of 99% and solving the problem of water resources pollution.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_479_c0cac2532573dd70965c2ce948ec20c7.pdf
2012-01-01
129
138
10.22059/ijer.2011.479
Municipal Solid Waste
Hollow fiber
MBR
RO
Nutrient removal
R.
Mahmoudkhani
rmahmoudkhani@iautmu.ac.ir
1
Department of Environmental and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
A.H.
Hassani
2
Department of Environmental and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
A.
Torabian
3
Graduate Faculty of Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
S.M.
Borghei
4
Department of Environmental and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Toxic Effects of Acute Exposure of Diazinon in turbot (Psetta maxima)
Early Life Stage (ELS)
In the present study, the toxic effects on the embryos and larvae of the turbot were used as a
model to investigate the diazinon, which contaminates aquatic ecosystems. The number of dead embryos significantly increased in response to diazinon concentrations 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, 3.2, and 7.4 mg/L. The 48h LC50 value of diazinon for turbot embryos was estimated at 1.85 mg/L. Dose–response decreases in hatching success were recorded as 97, 92.4, 80.3, 60.3, 38.7 and 27.1%, respectively. The number of dead larvae significantly increased with increasing diazinon concentrations exposed for 24–96 h (p < 0.05). The 24, 48, 72 and 96h LC50 values of diazinon for turbot larvae were estimated at 4.8 (6.4-5.12), 3.3 (4.73-2.52), 2.1 (3.29- 1.65) and 1.23 (0.87–2.38) mg/L, respectively. There were significant differences in the LC50 values obtained
at different exposure times (p
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_480_7d1a114dda640a2f1fa8d5f9f7095691.pdf
2012-01-01
139
144
10.22059/ijer.2011.480
Turbot
Embryo-larvae
Acute toxicity
sublethal effects
diazinon
L.
Mhadhbi
lazhar@uvigo.es
1
Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMAT) E-36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
AUTHOR
M.
Boumaiza
2
Hydrobiology Unit, Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Bizerte, University of Carthage, Zarzouna 7021, Tunisia
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Recycling Of Chromite Waste for Concrete: Full Factorial Design Approach
Recently full factorial design approach has been used to assess the recycling potential of a given
waste. The objective of this study is to identify the significant factors and interactions involved in maximizing compressive strength of concrete when chromium waste is used as admixture. In this respect, experimental factors at two levels, which are admixture type (chromite/ chromite+ superplastizer), admixture percentage (5-15%) and cure duration (7-28 days), are selected as possible candidates affecting the compressive strength. The modeling technique presented in this paper is based on 23 full factor experimental design and can easily be implemented to see the effect of any input factor on a given response variable. According to the full factorial
analysis, at the 5% percentage level when Naphtalene sulfonate is added to concrete with chromite waste, the compressive strength will be good enough after 28 days. The results demonstrate that chromite waste after neutralization can be used in construction industry.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_481_71388ab4437f690ab83cf52238e193dc.pdf
2012-01-01
145
150
10.22059/ijer.2011.481
Chromite waste
Experimental design
ANOVA
B.
Mesci
basakm@omu.edu.tr
1
Department of Material Science and Engineering, Ondokuz Mayis University, 55139 – Kurupelit - Samsun, Turkey
LEAD_AUTHOR
S.
Elevli
2
Department of Industrial Engineering, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
The Influence of Land Based Activities on the Phytoplankton Communities
of Shimoni-Vanga system, Kenya
Phytoplankton communities play a significant role in the oceanic biological pump by forming
the base of the trophic structure. Increase in nutrients loading affects spatial and temporal distribution of phytoplankton. This study examined the phytoplankton community structure and ecological indices in relation to nutrients dynamics in both estuarine and oceanic areas of Ramisi-Vanga systems along the Kenyan coast. Surface water samples were collected and analysed for nutrients (PO4 3--P, NO3 --N and NH4 +-N) and phytoplankton abundance and community structure. This study reported very diverse phytoplankton community structure consisting of 88 taxa that were dominated by Chaetoceros sp., Coscinodiscus sp., Nitzschia sp., Pseudo-nitzschia sp., Alexandrium sp., Protoperidium sp. and Prorocentrum sp that are among
the potentially harmful algae. Diatoms were the most abundant taxa in Ramisi-Vanga system. Phytoplankton abundance was found to be higher in the estuarine systems (1182.06±149.14 cells/L) as compared to the oceanic systems (551.99±166.70 cells/L) with high abundance observed in May for oceanic and estuarine systems. Shannon Weiner’s species diversity index was greater than 2 in both oceanic and estuarine systems. Phytoplankton species’ abundance, composition and diversity were found to be influenced by the availability
of NH4 +-N, NO3 --N and PO4 3--P. Phytoplankton cell density was below 4000 cells/ L, thus, this study has classified Ramisi-Vanga system as an oligotrophic system implying that the current level of land based activities are not having significant impacts on the phytoplankton communities.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_482_cb1046295bb806801d2754089dc35f28.pdf
2012-01-01
151
162
10.22059/ijer.2011.482
phytoplankton
Ecological indices
Diatoms
Dinoflagellates
nutrients
Flagellates
L.I.
Kiteresi
1
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya
AUTHOR
E.O.
Okuku
ochiengokuku2003@yahoo.com
2
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya, 2 Soil and Water Management Division, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Katholike Universiteit
LEAD_AUTHOR
S.N.
Mwangi
3
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197, G.P.O, Nairobi, Kenya
AUTHOR
B.
Ohowa
4
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya
AUTHOR
V.O.
Wanjeri
5
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya
AUTHOR
S.
Okumu
6
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya
AUTHOR
M.
Mkono
7
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Modeling of Pishin Reservoir by Means
of an Advection-Diffusion Drought Model
Phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations in Pishin reservoir are predicted employing a
three-dimensional numerical model in this paper. Modeling is performed using a numerical model based on mass transport equation. Advection, diffusion and source/sink processes are considered as separate subroutines for predicting the concentrations of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the reservoir. Finite volume method is used for solving the governing equations of water quality and water flow. The model is adopted for drought periods and dry climates. Water flow in the reservoir is simulated by Fluent software that is a finite volume numerical model. The model also uses a sub-model for compatibility providing of geometry between software and water quality model. A one-year period of experimental works and sampling is done in the study area.
Phytoplankton and zooplankton cycles are used to determine the sources and sinks. Standard methods are chosen for experimentation. The concentrations of phytoplankton and zooplankton are calculated and measured in a one-year period. The concentrations of phytoplankton and zooplankton decrease in the depth of water and the decease rate is not linear. Also the concentrations are increase in the times after the maximum floods because of the inflows contain high amounts of nutrients. The calculated values by the model are in good agreement with measured values of laboratory works. It was concluded that the model can be used for water
quality prediction in such aquatic environments.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_483_8fb4d157501c91dee9ff599f9d862a01.pdf
2012-01-01
163
172
10.22059/ijer.2011.483
Aquaculture
Lake
Water Flow
Source/Sink
Water quality
S.A.
Mirbagheri
1
Department of Civil Engineering, K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
S.A.
Sadrnejad
2
Department of Civil Engineering, K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
S.A.
Hashemi Monfared
a_hashemi_m@dena.kntu.ac.ir
3
Department of Civil Engineering, K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
An Investigation on As, Cd, Mo and Cu Contents of Soils Surrounding
the Meyduk Tailings Dam
The contents of As, Cd, Cu and Mo were determined in soil surrounding Meyduk tailings dam
based on 21 surface soil samples. Assessment of toxic element pollution in studied soil samples needs knowledge of pre-anthropogenic metal concentration to act as a reference against which measured values could be compared. Estimating the background values was executed by sampling rocks adjacent to soil sampling stations. Various indices including enrichment factor (EF), pollution load index (PLI), modified contamination degree (mCd) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo) were used for determining the contamination level of soil in the vicinity of tailings impoundment under the effect of the tailings dust. Anthropogenic pollution was diagnosed from natural one by sequential extraction done by Tessier et al. method and calculating pollution intensity
index (IPOLL). The results indicate a significant upward enrichment in northeastern and southwestern surface soil around the tailings dam for Cd and Cu. The dominant wind direction demonstrated that only the contamination of southwestern soil around the tailings dam would be attributed to tailings dust while the dispersive dusts scattered after the mine explosions generally affected the northeastern part.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_484_5c734f7ab020a4e3666edee79f2e3dc7.pdf
2012-01-01
173
184
10.22059/ijer.2011.484
enrichment factor
geoaccumulation index
Pollution intensity
Tailings dust
M.
Kargar
kargar.maryam2@gmail.com
1
Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Environment, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
N.A.
Khorasani
2
Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Environment, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
AUTHOR
M.
Karami
3
Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Environment, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
AUTHOR
G.H.
Rafiee
4
Faculty of Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
AUTHOR
R.
Naseh
5
National Iranian Copper Industry Company (NICICO), Research and Development Center, Kerman, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Evaluation of Anthropogenic Impacts on Soiland Regolith Materials Based on
BCR Sequential Extraction Analysis
This study was conducted in Assaluyeh region, southwest of Iran to show utilization and
efficiency of sequential extraction analysis in environmental impact studies using soil and related regolith materials as sample media. In order to investigate distribution of heavy metals, optimized BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction analysis method was used. In this caseeight representative samples which state all types of different regolith materials in the area were investigated. Total concentration and chemical partitioning of a number of elements (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Mn and Fe) were studied to cover all spectral from typical anthropogenic elements, lead and copper, elements of assumed mixed origin, chromium and zinc, to mostly lithogenic elements, iron and manganese. Results stated that the concentrations of each chemical phase extracted from samples are below the total concentration of each element.The results could be used to
establish best media indicators for environmental studies with dependence on type of elements determined in regolith material. Using sequential extraction analysis, the association of particular elements with geochemical phases in soils and related materials was investigated as well asthe importance of particular phases in the scavenging of heavy metals. Results showed that the organic and sulphide phase was less important in scavenging mechanism –in spite of industrial and petrochemical activities in the study area– than exchangeable and carbonate fraction, which showed to be most important phase with respect to metal scavenging capacity.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_485_5540793024e10d11410a5732b2986328.pdf
2012-01-01
185
194
10.22059/ijer.2011.485
Soil Quality
Chemical partitioning
Heavy metals
Sequential extraction analysis
Environmental approach
A.
Alimohammad Kalhori
aramkalhori@ut.ac.ir
1
Department of Environmental Management & Planning, GraduateFaculty of Environment, University of Tehran,Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
H.R.
Jafari
2
Department of Environmental Management & Planning, GraduateFaculty of Environment, University of Tehran,Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
A.R.
Yavari
3
Department of Environmental Management & Planning, GraduateFaculty of Environment, University of Tehran,Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
E.
Prohić
4
Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
AUTHOR
T.
Ahmadzadeh Kokya
5
Department of Environmental Engineering, Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Distribution and Fractions of Phosphorus and Nitrogen in Surface Sediments
from Dianchi Lake, China
Dianchi Lake is one of the most three seriously eutrophic lakes in China. In the present study,
the phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) fractions in 37 surface sediments samples collected in the Dianchi Lake were investigated. The total phophorus (TP) in sediments was divided into two parts: inorganic P (IP) and residual P (Res-P). The results showed that the total phosphorus content in surface sediments ranged from 1465.27 to 3650.12 mg/kg, IP was the major component of TP and the Ca bound P was the main fraction of IP. The bio-available phosphorus (BAP) in Dianchi Lake was first estimated in this study. BAP ranged from 215.66 to 678.02 mg/kgand the mean concentration was 382.78±89.77 mg/kgfor all 37 samples. The nitrogen
fractions for the whole Dianchi Lake were firstly studied. It was shown that the sediment had been an important N nutrient source of the water, owing to the high content of transferable nitrogen forms in the sediment.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_486_13aa332ece3b1cc49df2437ae38ac1aa.pdf
2012-01-01
195
208
10.22059/ijer.2011.486
phosphorus
Nitrogen
distribution
Fraction
Bio-availability
Dianchi Lake
H.
Li
1
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
AUTHOR
Y.
Wang
2
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
AUTHOR
L.Q.
Shi
3
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
AUTHOR
J.
Mi
4
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
AUTHOR
D.
Song
5
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
AUTHOR
X.J.
Pan
xjpan@kmust.edu.cn
6
Faculty of Environment Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan 650093, P. R. China
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Fish Species Collected From Former
Tin Mining Catchment
This study has been carried out to determine the accumulation of heavy metals (arsenic, copper,
lead, tin and zinc) in fish samples collected from former tin mining catchment. Total eight types of fish family having fifteen different species are identified. Cyperinidae is the most abundant family with eight different species found in the catchment. Fish samples were analysed by using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer ICP-OES. The accuracy of method is validated by certified reference material. The highest level of arsenic was observed in Hampala macrolepidota while Osteochilus hasselti shows the least. For Copper concentrations, the maximum was obtained in Mastacembelus armatus and the minimum in Oxyeleotris marmorata. High levels of lead, tin and zinc were found in the Rasbora elegans, Trichogaster trichopterus, Oxyeleotris marmorata respectively while Macrobrachium resenbergii,Mastacembelus armatus,
Rasbora elegans had the least concentrations. The sequence of order of the heavy metals measured was Sn > Pb >Zn > Cu> As, respectively. The results showed elevated levels of tin, led and zinc in all the fish samples although copper and arsenic were available in relatively low concentration in the most samples. Sn, Pb, and Zn concentration in the samples were greater than Malaysia food act permissible levels. Hazard index < 1 suggests unlikely adverse health effects whereas HI > 1 suggests the probability of adverse health effects. Although the
heavy metals anal ysed in the catchment did not pose any immediate health risk to humans but due to thebioaccumulation and magnification of these heavy metals in humans, it is essential to safeguard levels of the metals in the environment.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_487_0b3ee718d57efb2ba193f6e39317525c.pdf
2012-01-01
209
218
10.22059/ijer.2011.487
Species
Classification
Heavy metals
Permissible level
Health effects
hazard index
M.A.
Ashraf
chemaqeel@gmail.com
1
Department of Chemistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 Malaysia
LEAD_AUTHOR
M.J.
Maah
2
Department of Chemistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 Malaysia
AUTHOR
I.
Yusoff
3
Department of Geology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603 Malaysia
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Lessons From Multi-decadal Oceanographic Monitoring at an Estuarine
Ecosystem in Argentina
Both climate change and anthropogenic impact are creating a dynamic of continuous changes in
ecosystems. While the expected consequences of these changes are global, the occurrence of extreme events and specific environmental problems are usually local or regional phenomenon. In particular, the coastal ecosystems are among the first vulnerable areas to show those changes; in spite of this, are the least studied. The Bahia Blanca estuary, Argentina, is located at 38º 40´ S and 62º 09´ W with an area of 2300 km2. Along the northern shore of the estuary it is found the most important deepwater harbor of the country, where most of the agricultural and industrial products are exported. For the first time, based on multi decadal oceanographic monitoring and meteorological data of this ecosystem, a co-relational analysis approach was outlined considering
several documented changes at various trophic levels; namely, phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages, commercial crustaceans and fisheries. As results, several novel emerging hypotheses regarding cause-andeffect relationships were formulated. These unprecedented findings represent substantial information for the focus of the future ecosystem management and research, revealing gaps in the present knowledge of the coastal ecosystem which can be extrapolated to other worldwide coastal systems.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_488_67d92b7822e7453d12c10c41c03ca748.pdf
2012-01-01
219
234
10.22059/ijer.2011.488
Long-term Oceanographic monitoring
temperature
salinity
pH
Dissolved Oxygen
Coastal ecosystem
phytoplankton
Fisheries
A.H.
Arias
aharias@criba.edu.ar
1
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), CCT-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
LEAD_AUTHOR
M.C.
Piccolo
2
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), CCT-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 12 de Octubre y San Juan, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
AUTHOR
C.V.
Spetter
3
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), CCT-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
AUTHOR
R.H.
Freije
4
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), CCT-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
AUTHOR
J.E.
Marcovecchio
5
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), CCT-CONICET, Bahía Blanca, Argentina, Universidad FASTA, Mar del Plata, Argentina, Universidad Tecnológica Nacional-Facultad Regional Bahía Blanca (UTN-FRBB), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Comparative Study on Startup Performance of UAHR and UASB Reactors in
Anaerobic Treatment of Distillery Spentwash
In this paper, startup performance of Upflow Anaerobic Hybrid Reactor and Upflow Anaerobic
Sludge Blanket reactors in anaerobic treatment of distillery spentwash has been studied under identical conditions of operation. Various effluent characteristics like pH, Electrical Conductivity, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Total Solids and other process parameters like biogas production and methane per cent in biogas were studied until the attainment of steady state. The startup of the reactors has been completed and steady state condition attained on 25th day of reactor operation in UAHR and 34th day in UASB reactor. The treated effluent characteristics of both reactors were fairly steady after attaining the steady
state condition. The pH of treated effluent during steady state condition was almost neutral for both reactors even though the influent had an acidic pH. The maximum COD, BOD and TS removal efficiencies were as high as 79.60%, 87.39% and 69.96% in UAHR as compared with UASB of 72.98%, 81.34% and 66.23%, respectively during the steady state period. The maximum volumetric gas production of 149 L m-3 produced more in UAHR than in UASB reactor during steady state condition. The population of total anaerobic bacteria and methanogenic bacteria also more as that of the other parameters in UAHR than in UASB reactor and it were 55.2 x 103 ml-1 and 40.0 x 102 ml-1 respectively in UAHR. It is found that from an overall assessment the
UAHR has proved superior in its performance compared to the UASB reactor during the startup process.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_489_ff37cb9d31092cb228064823914800ca.pdf
2012-01-01
235
244
10.22059/ijer.2011.489
Upflow Anaerobic Hybrid Reactor
Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactor
startup performance
Steady state condition
biogas production
M.
Selvamurugan
muruganens@gmail.com
1
Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India
LEAD_AUTHOR
P.
Doraisamy
2
Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India
AUTHOR
M.
Maheswari
3
Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India
AUTHOR
N.B.
Nandakumar
4
Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore - 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Perception of Visitors’ Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism: A case study in
the Valley of Butterflies protected area, Rhodes Island, Greece
Visitor management is considered important for the sustainable development of protected areas
as the presence of visitors may cause negative impacts on wildlife and vegetation. Within this framework, visitor impacts and perceptions are considered critical for decision-making and planning of future management regimes. This paper resumes opinions of visitors of the Valley of Butterflies in Rhodes Island, Greece, a very popular tourist destination in both national and international level, with more than 300,000 visitors per year. These opinions record perceptions on the environmental impacts of eco-tourism in the Valley and are necessary for the formulation and implementation of a visitor management strategy in the area. Descriptive statistics are estimated, as well as a probit model exploring factors affecting visitors’ satisfaction. Results call for more
information and education of the visitors about the Valley’s conservation and ecological value, better facilities and services provided, site hardening and a better policy of prices.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_490_9fc444e6eacd5d74618e20258219ecbc.pdf
2012-01-01
245
258
10.22059/ijer.2011.490
Ecotourism
visitor management
Valley of Butterflies
Rhodes Island
Greece
S.
Spanou
saspanou@upatras.gr
1
Department of Biology, Division of Plant Biology, University of Patras, GR-26504, Patras, Greece
LEAD_AUTHOR
K.
Tsegenidi
2
Ministry of Regional Development, 119 Mesogion Ave., GR-10192, Athens, Greece
AUTHOR
Th.
Georgiadis
3
Department of Biology, Division of Plant Biology, University of Patras, GR-26504, Patras, Greece
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Evaluating the Efficiency of Plantago Ovata and Starch in Water turbidity removal
In the current study, the efficiency of starch and Plantago ovata extract as coagulant
aids is compared in water turbidity removal. The coagulant is ferric chloride and the experiments are run in two ranges of pH 7 and 8. The achieved results of turbidity removal in different turbidity levels of 100, 50 and 20 NTU caused by different concentrations of starch and P.ovata as coagulant aids besides ferric chloride as the main coagulant are compared. According to the achieved results, the use of P.ovata or starch as the coagulant aid may play a key role in reducing the amount of FeCl3 as the main coagulant and consequently decreasing the generated sludge. Furthermore, the remarkable turbidity removal efficiency gained when these coagulant aids are used in comparison with the case when no coagulant aid is introduced is also of interest. Generally, the both coagulant aids seem to be more efficient in pH value of 7 rather than 8. Although both coagulant aids used in this study manifested acceptable turbidity removal efficiencies, P.ovata showed higher capabilities of removal in different turbidity levels and pH values in comparison with starch.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_491_bafe4c2664a85ccbdd345a36623dcc57.pdf
2012-01-01
259
264
10.22059/ijer.2011.491
Coagulant
Coagulant aid
Plantago ovata
starch
Turbidity
T.
Shahriari
shahriari13532@yahoo.com
1
Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
G.
Nabi Bidhendi
2
Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
Sh.
Shahriari
3
Department of Architecture,University of Payamenoor, Tehran, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Adsorption Isotherm Modeling of Phenol Onto Natural soils – Applicability
of Various Isotherm Models
Liquid-phases adsorption equilibrium of phenol onto two naturally available soils namely
Kalathur soil (Kr) and Adhanur soil (Ar) were studied. The experimental data were analyzed using fourteen isotherm models, ranging from single-parametric model to multi-parametric models (up to 5 parameters) of the system. Results show that in general the accuracy of models to fit experimental data improves with the degree of freedom. To understand the mechanism involved with different types of sorbate-sorbent system as well as to find out the best fitting isotherm model, the correlation coefficients, and average percentage error and student t-test were carried out. Temkin isotherm model, Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model and Fritz- Schlunder model as well as Baudu model were found to be the best fit models amongst the two-parametric
models, three parametric models and four parametric isotherms modeling, respectively. This study brings out the need of simultaneous solution of multi-parametric equations (using relevant softwares, MATLAB, in present case) than solution of their linearized forms, which is mostly followed by contemporary investigators.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_492_ccccd96e1d904c2562dd6011106fc475.pdf
2012-01-01
265
276
10.22059/ijer.2011.492
Sorption
wastewater
Multi- parametric
Correlation
t-test
MATLAB
B.
Subramanyam
subramanyam@civil.sastra.edu
1
School of Civil Engineering, SASTRA University, Thanjavur-613402, Tamil Nadu, India
LEAD_AUTHOR
D.
Ashutosh
2
Director, Centre for Environmental Engineering, PRIST University, Tamil Nadu, India
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Forecasting Extreme PM10 Concentrations Using Artificial Neural Networks
Life style and life expectancy of inhabitants have been affected by the increase of particulate
matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter (PM10) in cities and this is why maximum PM10 concentrations have received extensive attention. An early notice system for PM10 concentrations necessitates an accurate forecasting of the pollutant. In the current study an Artificial Neural Network was used to estimate maximum PM10 concentrations 24-h ahead in Tehran. Meteorological and gaseous pollutants from different air quality monitoring stations and meteorological sites were input into the model. Feed-forward back propagation neural network
was applied with the hyperbolic tangent sigmoid activation function and the Levenberg–Marquardt optimization method. Results revealed that forecasting PM10 in all sites appeared to be promising with an index of agreement of up to 0.83. It was also demonstrated that Artificial Neural Networks can prioritize and rank the performance of individual monitoring sites in the air quality monitoring network.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_493_d89a26c0951321a03e47cd96a8e595be.pdf
2012-01-01
277
284
10.22059/ijer.2011.493
air pollution
Polluant concentration
Urban pollution
Artificial Neural Network
F.
Nejadkoorki
f.nejadkoorki@yazduni.ac.ir
1
Department of Environmental Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR
S.
Baroutian
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya,50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Biochemical Kinetics of Cross flow Membrane Bioreactor Processes in the
Treatment of Refinery Wastewater
A lab-scale cross flow membrane bioreactor (CF-MBR) was operated to determine the biokinetic
coefficients under MLSS concentrations of 5000 and 3000 mg/L. The investigation showed that the yield (Y), the endogenous decay coefficient (kd), the maximum specific growth rate (μm) and the saturation constant (KS) were 0.276 mg/mg, 0.07 /day, 0.653 /day, and 396.62 mg COD/L respectively for MLSS 5000 mg/L, and 0.222 mg/mg, 0.09 /day, 1.2 /day, and 659.45 mg COD/L for MLSS 3000 mg/L. The values of kinetic coefficients were within the normal range of the activated sludge process found in the literature, except the values of Y. However, value of Y increased with the increase of MLSS. Kinetic parameters determined from CF-MBR process were used to simulate the effluent COD. The simulation study showed good agreement between model prediction and experimental data. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine influence of biokinetic
parameters on the effluent substrate concentration. From the analysis, it was evident that kd and KS were directly proportional to the effluent substrate concentration, while μm was inversely proportional.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_494_cce67d918ef5dd38fdab99d07e2c55ed.pdf
2012-01-01
285
296
10.22059/ijer.2011.494
Refinery wastewater
Cross flow
Membrane bioreactor
Biokinetic coefficient
Monod Equation
M.M.
Rahman
mmrahmanh@gmail.com
1
University of Western Sydney, School of Engineering, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, NSW 1797, Australia
AUTHOR
M.H.
Al-Malack
hmalack@kfupm.edu.sa
2
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Box 1150, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Removal of Glycolic Acid From Aqueous Solution using Bagasse Flyash
Present study deals with the adsorption of glycolic acid (GA) from aqueous solutions by using
bagasse fly ash (BFA). BFA is a solid waste generated from bagasse fired boilers and can be used as an adsorbent. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to evaluate the effect of various parameters like adsorbent dose, contact time, initial concentration and temperature on the removal of GA from aqueous solutions. For the selected dosage, it was found that the adsorption increases with increase in BFA doses and decreases with increase in acid concentration. The effect of contact time on removal shows that the adsorption of glycolic acid on BFA is very fast. The kinetics of the sorption of GA was well represented by Elovich model, first order, pseudo-second order and Weber and Morris intra-particle diffusion model. The adsorption isotherm analyses
were also carried out by using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. Freundlich equation was found satisfactory to represent the equilibrium data. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption of GA on BFA is exothermic in nature.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_495_da360cb07925409702619d654d250801.pdf
2012-01-01
297
308
10.22059/ijer.2011.495
Glycolic acid
Adsorption
Bagasse fly ash
Equilibrium
Kinetics
A.B.
Soni
1
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur, Chhattisgarh -492010, India
AUTHOR
A.
Keshav
dr.amitkeshav@gmail.com
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur, Chhattisgarh -492010, India
LEAD_AUTHOR
V.
Verma
3
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur, Chhattisgarh -492010, India
AUTHOR
S.
Suresh
sureshs@manit.ac.in
4
Department of Chemical Engineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa Bloom in Aras Dam Reservoir
Occurances of cyanobacterial bloom typically appear in eutrophic lakes which either have been
affected by anthropogenic nutrient loading or are naturally rich in nutrients. Microcystis blooms have been reported all over the world in freshwater ecosystems mainly due to increased population which results in increased the waste water production. The aim of this study was to recognize the basic reasons of Microcystis aeruginosa bloom in Aras reservoir. Water temperature, pH, DO, EC, TN, N-No2, N-No3, P-Po4, chl a and the number of Microcystis colonies were determined. The effects of these parameters on the microcystis increased growth was examined. Though we could not strictly relate a few other factors to this phenomenon, higher water temperature, pH and DO in the sampling site i.e. 27° C, 9.16 and 17.2 mg/L respectively, surely favored the M.aeruginosa bloom. In brief, preventing or reducing the nutrients flow into the reservoir should be considered as a priority in order to reduce Microcystis scum forming colonies.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_496_93946a40aef8b9bcfd437d1d3992bf78.pdf
2012-01-01
309
312
10.22059/ijer.2011.496
Eutrophic lakes
nutrients
Cyanobacteria
Dominance
Freshwater
F.
Mohebbi
mohebi44@yahoo.com
1
Iranian Artemia Research Center, P.O.Box 368. Urmia, Iran,
LEAD_AUTHOR
A.
Mohsenpour Azari
2
Iranian Artemia Research Center, P.O.Box 368. Urmia, Iran
AUTHOR
M.
Heidari
3
Agricultural and Natural resources Research Center of West Azarbaijan, Urmia, Iran
AUTHOR
A.
Asem
4
Afagh High Education Center, Urmia, Iran
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Choose of Heavy Metals Pollution Biomonitors: A Critic of the Method that
uses Sediments total Metals Concentration as the Benchmark
The study aimed to come up with a list of specific macroalgae species, which could be used to
biomonitor specific metal elements in the coastal waters of East Africa. Water extraction, EDTA, aqua regia extraction and optimized BCR 3-step sequential extracts were used to mimic bioavailable metals under various environmental conditions. The results indicated that Ulva lactuca could be used as a biomonitor to predict BCR 3-step sequential bioavailable Al, Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni whereas Sargassum species could be used as a biomonitor for BCR 3-step sequential bioavailable Co, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. In Sargassum spp. only Co showed significant correlation with concentration in sediment’s aqua regia extracted metals whereas in Ulva lactuca only Al, Co, Cu and Fe showed significant correlation with total metals extracted through aqua regia
procedure. This study therefore recommends the use of Ulva lactuca and Sargassum for biomonitoring of Al, Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni and Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn respectively. The study recommends the use of labile fraction of BCR sequential extraction for screening of macroalgae to be used for heavy metal pollution monitoring in East Africa region.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_497_1f8e6cb15d3350dfa302cfcd0fa4df93.pdf
2012-01-01
313
322
10.22059/ijer.2011.497
Biomonitor
Bioavailable
EDTA extraction
Sequential extraction
Aqua regia extraction
and Heavy metals
E.O.
Okuku
eokuku@kmfri.co.ke
1
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 81651, Mombasa, Kenya, Soil and Water Management Division, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
LEAD_AUTHOR
H.K.
Peter
2
Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute, P.O. Box 9750, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Structural Equation Model for Environmentally Conscious Purchasing Behavior
In this study, the effect of environmental concern, attitudes and behaviors of the university
students on the environmentally conscious purchasing behavior was investigated with the help of Structural Equation Model (SEM). SEM is an effective data analysis tool that expresses the complicated causative relations between the latent variables. In this study, we collected the data from 400 university students by means of a survey. The results of this research showed that environmental attitudes, environmental behavior and green product awareness have a positive effect on environmentally conscious purchasing behavior. The developed model showed that, environmental concern explains 48% of the variation in the environmental attitudes and 28% of the product recovery awareness; environmental attitudes and product recovery awareness
explain 55% of green product awareness; environmental attitudes explains 44% of the variation in the environmental behavior; environmental attitudes, green product awareness and environmental behavior explain 74% of the variation in the environmentally conscious purchasing behavior.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_498_456e2e6b5052ddbb282b0d584e460cb4.pdf
2012-01-01
323
334
10.22059/ijer.2011.498
Structural equation model
Latent variable
Environmental consciousness
Green product
Product recovery
Consumers’ behavior
T.
Arslan
1
Department of Statistics, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 26480 Turkey
AUTHOR
V.
Yilmaz
2
Department of Statistics, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 26480 Turkey
AUTHOR
H.K.
Aksoy
hkaksoy@ogu.edu.tr
3
Department of Statistics, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, 26480 Turkey
LEAD_AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Examining a Hybrid plug-flow Pilot reactor for Anaerobic Digestion of
Farm-Based Biodegradable Solids
Plug-flow digesters with periodic loading mechanism are more enthusiastic than fully mechanized
digestion plants for the majority of small or medium scale farms according to the costs and operational complexities. A dual-compartment plug-flow reactor equipped with a passive heating system was designed and experimentally operated by purpose of demonstrating a simple and low cost technology for handling the biodegradable agricultural wastes. The reactor was successfully started up with pig feces as feedstock under a quasi-continuous loading and semi-dry condition with an average total solids content of 12.8% inside the digester and an average organic loading
rate of 2.06kg-VS/(m3.d). The start-up phase was followed by co-digestion of pig feces and pre-treated cotton stalk. Even though the digester actually worked at a temperature range 12 to 30% below the optimal mesophilic level, acceptable rates of methane generation and VS destruction were observed. The biogas and methane yield were measured for single digestion stage as 0.332 and 0.202 m3/(kg-added VS) and for co-digestion stage as 0.482
and 0.325 m3/(kg-added VS) respectively. The cumulative biogas production data demonstrated a reasonable correlation (R2 over 0.99) with a simplified consecutive kinetic model.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_499_cf3e9e56fe91158df3b31aee719111b8.pdf
2012-01-01
335
344
10.22059/ijer.2011.499
biogas
Plug-flow
Start-up
Agricultural wastes
Pig feces
Cotton stalk
kinetic model
M.
Adl
1
Bioenergy & Biomaterials Research Group, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, No.388 Yuhangtang Lu, 310058 Hangzhou, P.R. China, Renewable Energy Dept., Niroo Research Institute, Tehran 14665, Iran
AUTHOR
K.C.
Sheng
kcsheng@zju.edu.cn
2
Bioenergy & Biomaterials Research Group, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, No.388 Yuhangtang Lu, 310058 Hangzhou, P.R. China
LEAD_AUTHOR
Y.H.
Xia
3
Bioenergy & Biomaterials Research Group, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, No.388 Yuhangtang Lu, 310058 Hangzhou, P.R. China
AUTHOR
A.
Gharibi
4
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Rd, 200093 Shanghai, China
AUTHOR
X.
Chen
5
Bioenergy & Biomaterials Research Group, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, No.388 Yuhangtang Lu, 310058 Hangzhou, P.R. China
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Hydrocarbon Degrading Microflora in a Tropical fuel-Contaminated Aquifer:
Assessing the Feasibility of PAH Bioremediation
An aquifer located within a petroleum processing plant in Moín, Costa Rica, suffers hydrocarbon
pollution. This study aimed to determine the ability of indigenous microorganisms from this site to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to evaluate the feasibility of an eventual bioremediation process. Aerobic conditions were found in the aquifer, while microbial analyses of the groundwater indicated the presence of important hydrocarbon-degrading populations. Sixteen PAH-degrading strains were isolated with the ability to grow on naphthalene (5 strains), phenanthrene (3), fluorene (6) and pyrene (2). Most of the identified isolates belonged to the genus Pseudomonas, although, Comamonas, Sphingomonas Stenotrophomonas and Delftia were also found. A mixture of selected strains was evaluated by its performance of PAH degradation in soil-slurry systems, where efficiency of removal was naphthalene > fluorene > phenanthrene > pyrene. This study is an initial approach to evaluate the feasibility of applying a bioremediation
process in the contaminated site.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_500_52f1676aa50058bfc2af8bc3cd567e25.pdf
2012-01-01
345
352
10.22059/ijer.2011.500
Groundwater
Hydrocarbon
Bioremediation
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Bioslurry
V.M.
Castro-Gutiérrez
1
Laboratory of Food and Water Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology and Research Center of Environmental Pollution (CICA), University of Costa Rica (UCR), 2060 San José, Costa Rica
AUTHOR
C.E.
Rodríguez-Rodríguez
carlosesteban.rodriguez@uab.cat
2
Laboratory of Food and Water Microbiology, Faculty of Microbiology and Research Center of Environmental Pollution (CICA), University of Costa Rica (UCR), 2060 San José, Costa Rica
LEAD_AUTHOR
I.
Vargas-Azofeifa
3
Centroamerican School of Geology, UCR, 2060 San José, Costa Rica
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Knowledge Analytical Approach on Promoting Environmental Management
Aim of the present research was to design a proper model for management of knowledge in
environmental organizations of country. In study of the model, suitability of the proposed model was researched by asking views of directors, deputies, managers of groups and scientific board members of environmental organizations of country. For this purpose, with review of research literature, insight process, independent technology process and alteration technology process, knowledge solution process, knowledge spiral process and knowledge management conceptual process, principal elements of model and components were determined by examination of models and theories of joint process in the learner organizations. Later, the model was proposed using questionnaire. Reliability of questionnaire was calculated 94.75 % and 93.73% by means of retesting method and Crown Bach’s method, respectively. Admissibility of questionnaire was also determined by admissibility of content thereof and primary implementation (asking views of 30 of directors, deputies, managers of groups in environmental organizations of country). Determination of admissibility, durability and amendments were followed by implementation of the proposed model in random selected statistical sample consisting of 360 individuals from 4 groups of directors, deputies, managers of groups and scientific board members in environmental organizations of country. The inputs were collected by means of descriptive statistics (frequency distribution tables and diagrams), conclusive statistics methods including Pearson
correlation co-efficient matrix for the relation between components. Then, Anova (analysis of variance) the four groups under study, extraction and operative analysis and principal component analysis were performed using the SPSS software and the proposed model, with scale of 6.15 out of 7, was confirmed. Principal finding of present research was introduction of a proper model for knowledge management to be used in environmental organizations of country that consists of philosophy and aims, theoretical fundaments, and model implementation steps.
https://ijer.ut.ac.ir/article_501_0bc9c1043b097f87a688e70a14bd8639.pdf
2012-01-01
353
360
10.22059/ijer.2011.501
environment
Knowledge Management
knowledge
Environmental Organisations
Principal
approach
A.
Lahijanian
lahijanian2@hotmail.com
1
Department of Environmental Management, Graduate School of the Environment and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAU) Tehran-Iran
LEAD_AUTHOR