Agro-waste can provide a non-metallic, environmentally friendly bio-precursor for the production of green silica nanoparticles. To manufacture silica nanoparticles from rice husk, biogenic silica nanoparticles were generated using an alkaline precipitation approach. Rice husk as a source of silica nanoparticles is environmentally and economically valuable because it is a plentiful lower price agricultural derivative that can be used to help with waste management. During the synthesis process, the dose of rice husk ash was used at 5 g at pH 7, alkali dose concentration of 0.5 M, reaction period of 3.5 h, and temperature of 90°C that produced maximum silica nanoparticles with a yield of 88.5%. To optimize the silica nanoparticle production from rice husk ash Box Behnken Design (BBD) a subcategory of the response surface methodology (RSM) was accomplished. BBD model was successfully matched, as evidenced by the high correlation values of adjusted R2 0.9989 and predicted R2 0.9977. Silica nanoparticles’ amorphous form generated from rice husk ash is indicated by XRD analysis 2Ө peak at 22.12° and UV-Vis Spectroscopy absorbance peak at 312 nm. The amorphous shape of silica is amorphous and crystalline defined through XRD. nanoparticles generated from rice husk ash is indicated by FESEM analysis and EDX analysis, confirming that the SiO2 elemental configuration comprises the highest concentration of Si and O. The existence of a siloxane group in the produced compound was revealed by FTIR spectra stretching vibrations at 803.69 and 1089.05 cm-1

The disposal of the huge volume of glass waste is one of the significant environmental issues that need to be addressed. One of the efficient ways to solve this problem is to incorporate ground glass waste in concrete mixtures. However, its inherent surface smoothness and microcracks within the glass particle harm the hardened properties of concrete. Minimizing the particle size and controlling the amount of cement in the mixture can reduce the adverse effect of using glass in concrete. This study utilized ground glass waste (850 μm) as aggregate filler in a concrete mix. More specifically, this study investigated the effect of paste volume (Vp) on the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with ground glass waste as aggregate filler. Based on the test results, ground glass waste as aggregate filler negatively affects the workability of fresh concrete, but increasing the amount of paste can mitigate it. Vp values in terms of void volume (Vv) in the aggregates of 1.6Vv and 1.8Vv achieved satisfactory consistency of fresh concrete. In addition, the concrete compressive strength increased when increasing Vp. The test results have shown that ground glass waste has the potential to be utilized as aggregate filler in concrete mixtures.

At present, the resource utilization of solid waste in China is facing prominent problems such as high production intensity, insufficient utilization, and low added value of products. The preparation of biomass composites from biomass solid waste and plastic solid waste reduces not only environmental pollution and energy consumption but also promotes the high-value utilization of solid waste. So, the characterization and preparation experiments of samples with two different biomass are carried out. The wheat straw fiber and corn straw fiber were added into the bio-asphalt mixture with the content of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, and 0.4%, respectively, with the content of 9% and 12% bio-heavy oil. The physical properties and rheological properties of asphalt were analyzed and evaluated by three indexes and a dynamic shear rheological test. Through the rutting test and immersion Marshall test, high-temperature performance and biological asphalt mixture’s water stability were evaluated. The results show that straw fiber can improve bio-asphalt mixture’s road performance, especially the performance of high-temperature rutting. When the fiber content of bio-asphalt with 9% bio-heavy oil content is 0.3%, the physical properties and rheological properties of bio-asphalt are the best. Corn straw fiber’s influence on bio-asphalt mixture was better than that of wheat straw fiber.

With India’s population growing at a rapid pace, traditional agriculture will have a tough time meeting future food demands. Water availability and conservation are major concerns for farmers. This paper aims to discuss the aspects related to designing and fabricating an automatic irrigation system using the Internet of Things (IoT) which will save the farmer’s time and money significantly. Human intervention in fields will be reduced. Changes in soil moisture are detected by soil moisture sensors and irrigation is automated using IoT. The proposed system is most economical for underdeveloped places because it is very cost-effective. Based on the soil moisture content, the sensor detects and sends signals to the node MCU, which activates the motor. When the plants receive enough water, the motor automatically shuts off. The user will be alerted about the soil’s moisture content through his mobile phone. The proposed smart irrigation system is implemented at our campus which conserves energy and water.

Due to immense population growth and economic development, the use of crude oil for various energy applications has escalated in the past few decades. This has led to the large-scale exploitation of oil reserves which has further resulted in the accidental release of large amounts of oil into our oceans. In recent years, significant emphasis has been placed on processes involving oil sorption by various natural and synthetic sorbents. Several sorbent materials based on synthetic polymers such as polypropylene, polyurethane, polystyrene, etc., possessing three-dimensional porous structure, large surface area, high mechanical strength, and exhibiting good oil recoverability and reusability, have been employed for oil-water separation processes. Conversely, many of these materials in their native or pristine form are amphipathic, which prevents their large-scale use in oil spill clean-up. This has led to researchers exploring surface modifications of commercially available sorbent polymeric materials to enhance their oleophilicity and hydrophobicity. This review article summarizes and discusses recent advances in the strategies for the fabrication of newer surface-modified synthetic polymeric materials and natural bio-based sorbents, and further highlights their effectiveness in dealing with the oil/water separation challenges.

There is a pressing need for new nanomaterials for multipurpose functions. The biological synthesis of nanoparticles is environment-friendly, least toxic, and cost-effective. An experiment was designed to use extracellular amylases in the cell-free filtrate (CFF) for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from the Trichoderma harzianum MTCC 801 strain. Potato dextrose broth (PDB) as general-purpose growth media and amylase production media (APM) as enzyme-specific production media have been used for sub-merged fungal cultivation and nanoparticle synthesis. AgNPs synthesized in the CFF of PDB were compared with AgNPs synthesized from the CFF using APM. The cell-free filtrate obtained upon enzyme stimulation has contributed to the reduction and capping process of nanosilver. The synthesized AgNPs showed a spectral peak at 420 nm, a characteristic feature of AgNPs. The particles were monodispersed, 50 nm in size, and spherical in shape as well as have shown an antifungal effect (100% inhibition) against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum MTCC8785. This is the first report to synthesize trichogenic AgNPs using extracellular amylases against the phytopathogen Sclerotinia strain.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) continues to be a major challenge in almost every country. In Indonesia alone, approximately 64 million tons of MSW are produced on an annual basis. While polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles account for 12% of all plastic products, the waste is not well managed. Many stakeholders are involved in PET bottle waste recycling but no forum for stakeholders has been established. In this study, the aim is to identify an acceptable system for PET bottle waste, to determine the role and function of each stakeholder, and to propose a framework under the perspective of public-private partnerships. The study’s novelty is the elaborate roles and schematic framework for various stakeholders in PET bottle waste. The aim is to identify an acceptable scheme for PET bottle waste and determine each stakeholder’s role and function. Data was generated from electronic databases (2017 to December 2021) a systematic literature review methodology followed by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review. The data were analyzed by the Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach. This study found that the laws and regulations for waste management in Indonesia are not suitable for dealing with PET bottle waste, and the government carries out limited tasks and dedicates few resources to managing the waste. A public-private partnership framework was proposed to divide the role, commitment, goal, and activities of each stakeholder to properly manage PET bottle waste.

Heavy metals are discharged into the soil around us from various anthropogenic sources and also by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc. In most cases, industrialization can be pointed to as the reason behind soil pollution. Contamination of soil leads to large-scale environmental degradation and health impacts. Many investigators have studied techniques for removing heavy metals from soil. Soil washing is an emerging area that can be implemented for this purpose. Studies were carried out in the controlled conditions of a laboratory environment to determine the suitability of soil-washing techniques for removing lead from polluted land. The results showing the influence of various parameters in soil washing, such as duration of washing, molar strength of the solution used, the weight ratio of soil to wash solution, etc., are presented in this paper. Batch studies were conducted to investigate the performance of chelating agents such as Na2EDTA, HCl, HNO3 and CaCl2 with regard to the removal of lead from artificially contaminated locally available soil. Based on the batch studies, it is observed that the strength of the washing solution, the proportion of soil and solution, the period of agitation, etc. influence the removal of contaminants. Based on the studies, it is concluded that, while recommending soil washing using chelating agents for remediating lead-contaminated soils, it is essential to identify the influencing parameters and determine the optimum conditions so that higher removal can be achieved without any adverse effect.

Based on the sand volume and sedimentation volume data for different particle size (PS) groups, the relationship between the annual scouring and silting amount of the Juliu River-Liujianfang section and the yearly sediment volume entering the downstream river channel was established. The critical values of sediment storage and release for the downstream river channel were obtained. It was found to decrease with an increase in the sediment particle size. The correlation coefficient between the annual scouring and silting amount of the Juliu River-Liujianfang section and the annual sediment volume entering the downstream river channel increased with the coarsening of sediment PS. It indicated that the sediment size was proportional to the sediment amount (SA) entering the river channel. As the sediment size increased, the deposition amount increased due to the variation of unit sediment amount. Based on the treatment and achievement of source areas with sediment sizes larger than 0.05 mm, it is significant to concentrate on treatment areas with sediment sizes larger than 0.10 mm.

This study seeks to understand the socio-economic and ecological impacts of the hydroelectric power projects along the upper basin of the river Teesta in Sikkim. This study estimates the non-market benefits of restoring the Teesta riverine ecosystem and evaluates the transferability of welfare estimates. This study is a first of its kind undertaken in the Teesta basin which uses a unique dataset of 830 households obtained from the affected regions of the river basin. During the study, nine villages adjacent to the river Teesta, dams, and powerhouses were identified and surveyed. Double bounded dichotomous choice questions were used to elicit willingness to pay (WTP). Both the logistic and normal distribution models were fitted and the results were mostly similar. The median WTP was INR 373.00 and the variables that described the rating on dams, ownership of property, monthly expenditure of the household, informal employment status, and satisfaction about the state of the river Teesta were among the significant variables in the model. The benefit function value transfer estimated was INR 232.00 with the percentage transfer error (PTE) of 61.9%.