In view of the environmental problems generated by the large-scale production of fly ash, increasing attention is now being paid to the recycling of fly ash as a good source of nutrients. To reduce the cost of fly ash disposal and best utilization, it aimed to convert the fly ash into valuable vermicompost. Stated throughout the experiment, we opted for a soil sample and fly ash and pressed with different concentrations (control, 20%, 50%, 80% and 100%). Subsequently, all the mixtures were vermicomposted for 60 days by adding 100 Earthworms (Eisenia foetida) in each pile. The X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy measured the composition of the metal in fly ash as well as the nutritional content in the soil. This is followed by examining the morphological characteristics and cytogenetic study of Ricinus communis L. The present study indicated that E. foetida mitigates the toxicity of fly ash and is hence used as valuable vermicompost.

This paper investigated the adsorption properties of boron nitride materials for La(III), and the possible action mechanism was put forward based on experiments. Then the boron nitride materials were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and FT-IR before and after adsorption. In addition, the effects of pH, the amount of adsorbent, the concentration of La(III) solution, and adsorption time on the adsorption efficiency were also investigated. It is found that under a certain amount of adsorbent when the pH is 7.0 and the concentration of La(III) is 40 mg.L-1, the adsorption ability of La(III) is the best. The maximum adsorption capacity is 201.45 mg.g-1. The adsorption kinetic data are in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models. These results show that boron nitride has a good application prospect for removing and recovering La(III) in water and has a certain practical application value.

In this fast-moving world, we use many electronic items daily to fulfill our daily work. Also, in the fast-growing economy, electronic items play key roles. India’s e-waste is projected to be around 18 lakh metric tons. According to industry sources, electronic trash will climb to almost 50 lakh metric tons in the next three years. According to government sources, only ten percent of electronic waste is gathered. These electronic items and batteries contain many heavy metals that are hazardous to humanity’s and the environment’s health. These heavy metals should be retrieved from the disposed of e-waste, so the resource can be reused or recycled, rather than continuously extracting heavy metals from the earth’s crust. In 2015, The “Initiative on Environmental Threats of Electronic Waste” was introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This project is part of the Indian government’s ‘Digital India’ strategy. There is an immediate need to implement green supply chain management and resource recovery from electronics waste so that circular material management (SDG 12) & sustainability can be achieved. This article demonstrates the problems and presents E-Waste recycling procedures, Life cycle assessment of E-waste, and EPR practices, along with potential areas for improvement. The bibliometric analysis was performed using R-studio biblioshiny tools for the last 53 years and 1243 published articles to understand the research trends.

This first-of-its-kind study systematically assesses the abundance and characteristics of Microplastics (MPs) in different categories of informal open drains (nallas) carrying different liquid waste streams from different functional areas of an Indian city. Such drains are part of the informal urban drainage system that carries wastewater, stormwater, industrial effluent, and rural runoff. Logistical and locational limitations of traditional wastewater (WW) sampling methods severely limit their application in open drains. To overcome sampling challenges owing to complex geography, vast drainage network spread across different functional areas of the entire city, and local challenges, appropriately modified sampling strategies were adopted to collect samples from 35 open WW drains (small/local, intermediatory, and large). MPs (50μm-5mm) were present in a bucket, and net samples obtained from all 35 WW drains. The average MP concentration in WW drains was 4.20 ± 1.40 particles/L (bucket samples) and 5.19 ± 1.32 particles/L (net samples). A declining trend of MPs abundance was observed from larger to smaller drains, confirming that smaller and intermediatory drains (carrying WW from different functional areas of the city) are discharging their MP loads into larger drains. Intermixing different WW streams (municipal WW, stormwater surface runoff, agricultural runoff, and industrial WW) increases MP levels in drains. The local riverine ecosystem is being put at risk by a daily MPs load of 12.6 x 108 particles discharged from 9 larger drains into the local river Kharun. To protect the riverine ecosystem, controlling the high daily MPs load from such drains is important. Diversion of WW drains through constructed wetlands built near river banks can be a cost-effective solution. Because the entire Indian subcontinent and parts of Africa rely mainly on such drains having similar characteristics and local conditions, the findings of this study reflect the status and pattern of MPs pollution in informal drains of the entire Indian subcontinent and can be used by stakeholders and governments to take mitigative and preventive measures to manage the MPs pollution and protect the local riverine ecosystem.

Countries all over the world are paying attention to the growth of the new energy vehicle industry and implementing various subsidy policies to stimulate industry development to enhance the new energy vehicle industry’s innovative capability. This study uses a network DEA model to analyze China’s new energy vehicle industry’s technological innovation capability, decomposing it into two stages: technology development and innovation transformation, and calculating the innovation capability level of China’s new energy vehicle industry from 2012 to 2017. The findings show that due to a disconnect between the efficiency of the technology development stage and the efficiency of the innovation transformation stage, innovation technology cannot serve business operations, resulting in China’s new energy vehicle industry’s overall low level of innovation capability. Based on this, an IT3SLS analysis of the factors influencing innovation capability and phase-by-phase efficiency reveals that while China’s new energy vehicle industry’s subsidy policy has historically failed to significantly improve innovation capability, there is a complementary/substitution effect between labor input, corporate capital, and government subsidies. Based on the findings of this study, important policy recommendations are made to further develop the technological capabilities of the new energy vehicle industry in the context of China’s present new energy policy.

Regional geochemical mapping was carried out in Bilaspur and Korba Districts of Chhattisgarh, and stream sediments/slope wash, soil, and water samples were analyzed for concentration of heavy metals. The study contributes to understanding heavy metals contamination of sediments, soils, and water due to anthropogenic activity, mainly in agriculture-based rural areas. The study reveals that high geochemical anomalies observed for heavy metals like Ni, Cr, As, and Zn in sediments and soil samples are due to the extensive uses of phosphatic fertilizer and soil amendments in the form of poultry and swine manure. Water quality assessment of major streams in the study areas shows that the water is suitable for domestic and agricultural uses. Correlation analysis reveals that the chemical weathering of rock-forming minerals doesn’t control the surface water chemistry of the study area and is also an anthropogenic source of sodium in water. This study also shows the importance of the country’s geochemical mapping database, which will have much broader applications than conventional mineral exploration and geological mapping.

The heavy metal speciation analysis in sediments helps us understand and evaluate essential and unavoidable issues in terms of both health and environmental hazards imposed by these metals in our lives. Analyzing the total content of heavy metals enables us to understand only the quantity of the contaminants. To understand the different species or the chemical forms of heavy metals available in the sediments, we must study their speciation. Speciation studies help us determine their possible sources as well as their environmental stability in terms of availability to plants and other organisms. The heavy metals in this study were specified using four-stage sequential extraction, also known as the BCR technique. This study mainly highlights the quantification of metal contamination of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd & Cr, and chemical forms as species in sediment samples collected from different Pune District, Maharashtra sites. Heavy metal contamination from the collected samples was analyzed with the use of flame atomic absorption spectrometry. This study indicated that Zn and Ni are among the most abundant metals in the sediment samples; however, Cu and Cd belong to the least abundant category. The oxidizable and residual forms (immobile and cannot be used by the organisms readily) appeared dominant for most heavy metals. Very significant differences were observed in the speciation of heavy metals from sample to sample, which was probably due to differences in water/soil composition and the agrochemicals like pesticides, weedicides, and fertilizers used in agricultural practices; the wastewater generated from different pharmaceuticals, chemical processing and manufacturing industries as well as the improper wastewater treatment methods.

Minute plastic subdivisions like microplastics and nanoplastics have recently gained considerable attention because of their toxic effects on the environment and human health. Many plastics have been consumed worldwide regularly, and most are thrown away after a single use. They all end up in the sea and ocean, leading to a large debris of plastic garbage in the marine environment. Different physical and chemical processes occur in the marine ecosystem to degrade the macroplastics into micro- and nano-level plastics. Owing to their small size and large surface area, nanoplastics can easily be ingested into the tissues and organs of various marine species (both vertebrates and invertebrates) and accumulate more toxic materials in them than micro and macroplastics. Several reports have been obtained on the toxicity of plastics and microplastics on marine organisms. Still, till now, a cursory report has been found on the potential risk of nanoplastics in connection with marine life. This review highlights the origins of nanoplastics (NPs), their properties, characterization, and impact on marine ecosystems, along with their remediation and future aspects. The review will also untangle and specify the area of nanoplastics on which further research is urgently needed to better understand its toxic effect and eco-friendly restoration on the environment, especially on marine life.

This study aims to determine how vulnerable groundwater in Khartoum is to contamination. For this purpose, the DRASTIC Index idea was used. A descriptive cross-sectional analytical analysis is designed in this study. A total of 279 boreholes were sampled from a total of 1015 boreholes (27.5 percent). The following criteria were utilized to define the DRASTIC Index: depth, net recharge, aquifer media, soil texture, terrain, video media, and soil conductivity. Standard bacteriological test methodologies were used for groundwater. The biological data from the 279 boreholes revealed that total coliform, thermo-tolerant coliform, and E. coli were found in 34.4 percent, 18.6 percent, and 0.36 percent of the boreholes, respectively. Bacteriological contamination is common in Sharge Elnile, although only a few cases have been reported in Khartoum. According to the study, the bulk of boreholes in Khartoum State were built without any criteria. Many sources of contamination were discovered within a radius of less than 120 meters, which was deemed to violate Khartoum State’s Environmental Health Law of 2002. For this reason, bacteriological contamination is common in Sharge Elnile, although only a few cases have been reported in Khartoum.

In this study, three promising yeast isolates were isolated from the sap of the Indian date palm tree (Phoenix sylvestris) and characterized by biochemical tests and 18S rRNA gene sequencing. They were confirmed as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and were designated as strains PYS-1, PYS-2, and PYS-3. These confirmed strains were used for the preparation of bioinoculants. Bioinoculant was prepared and applied to wheat crops, and the effect of Bioinoculant. Statistical analysis is carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and it is found that the absorbance of chlorophyll, protein, and Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) content is significantly increased. The treatment of bioinoculant showed that crops significantly increased chlorophyll, protein, and IAA content. Further, we applied bioinoculant on the soil and measured the soil’s humus content before and after the treatment of bioinoculant. Then, a paired t-test was applied to check the effectiveness of the treatment, and it was found to significantly increase humus content in the soil. The use of bioinoculants is an economically feasible and eco-friendly method.