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G. V. Krishna Mohan ¹, G. Jayaprakash ², K. Padavathi Devi ³

Affiliations
1 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur - 440020, IN
2 Essar Steel Limited, 27 km, Surat Hazira Road, Hazira – 394270, Gujarat, IN
3 P.B.Siddhartha Women’s College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, IN

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of soil applications MSW (municipal solid waste) compost on the fruit yield and heavy metal accumulation in the leaf and fruit of eggplant plant (Solanum melongena). Soil collected from the surface soil (0-30 cm) from the fields cropped in a wheat-corn rotation in Nagpur, India was used as an experimental soil. The heavy metal content of untreated greenhouse soil was well within the accepted normal range of values. Pots containing different amounts (corresponding to 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 T/ha, as dry weight basis) of MSW compost were used to grow eggplant plants under controlled greenhouse conditions. Fruit yield and Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Cd and Cr contents in the leaves and fruits of eggplant were determined. MSW compost applications led to greater fruit yield at low application rates, but higher application rates (100 and 200 T/ha) of MSW compost depressed plant growth and fruit yield. It was found that the MSW compost applications brought about a sharp increase for heavy metals in the plant material. At low MSW compost treatments, the concentrations of heavy metals in plants were below the phytotoxic levels. However, in high MSW compost treatments, according to background and toxicity limits, heavy metal status of leaves and fruits were ranged in high levels and Pb concentrations in eggplant fruits were exceeded foodstuff index and limit values for edible vegetables. The resulting data demonstrate that the MSW compost was a source of Heavy metals for the soil and MSW compost application caused an important accumulation of heavy metals in eggplant.

Keywords

MSW Compost, Heavy Metals, Eggplant.

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G. V. Krishna Mohan ¹, K. Kameswara Rao ², P. V. V. Prasada Rao ²

Affiliations
1 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur (440020), IN
2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam (530003), IN

Abstract

The present paper aimed to study the Two 20 cm sediment cores were collected with a D-section corer in the Bhavanapadu(BP) , Meghavaram (MV) mangrove forest and analyzed for ²¹⁰Pb_ex (excess ²¹⁰Pb) in order to understand the sedimentation pattern. The activities of ²¹⁰Pb along with the 208Po tracer were measured by Alpha Spectrometry on a silicon surface barrier detector connected to a multi channel analyzer. Sedimentation rates were determined applying ²¹⁰Pb dating method and found to vary between 0.94-1.11 cm year^-1. The highest accumulation rates were recorded near the river mouth and the lowest rates at the downstream. Assuming that the sedimentation rate values are accurate, this implies that the sediments in the upper 100 cm at Bhavanapadu (BP), Meghavaram (MV) mangrove forest were deposited during the past several years ago.

Keywords

East Coast, India, Mangrove Forest, Sedimentation Rate, Sediment Age, ²¹⁰Pb, Pollution, Halophytes, Environmental Conservation, Coastal Area.

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G. V. Krishna Mohan ¹, K. Kameswara Rao ², P. V. V. Prasada Rao ²

Affiliations
1 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) CSIR, Nehru, Marg, Nagpur - 440 020, IN
2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam – 530003, IN

Abstract

The present study was carried out the tidal effects in the sediment of Bhavanapadu mangrove forest, East Coast of India. On the whole, parameters showed high value at high tide compared to low tide. Factor-cluster analysis was adopted to allow the identification of controlling factors at high and low tides. Factor analysis extracted six controlling factors at high tide and seven controlling factors at low tide. Cluster analysis extracted two (Stations) district clusters at high and low tides. The study showed that factor-cluster analysis application is a useful tool to single out the controlling factors at high and low tides. This will provide a basis for describing the tidal effects in the mangrove sediment. The salinity and electrical conductivity clusters as well as component loadings at high and low tide explained the tidal process where there is high contribution of seawater to mangrove sediments that controls the sediment chemistry. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) values suggest the mangrove sediments are having background concentrations for Al, Cu, Fe, and Zn and unpolluted for Pb.

Keywords

Mangrove, Sediment, Tide, Heavy Metals, Geoaccumulation Index, Factor-Cluster Analysis, East Coast of India.

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G. V. Krishna Mohan ¹, S. R. Wate ¹

Affiliations
1 National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur-440020, IN

Abstract

Mangrove forests in Godavari Estuarine are increasingly threatened by heavy metal pollution. Due to their unique location, mangroves receive heavy metal pollution from upstream areas and the sea. However, little is known about the capacity of mangrove plants to take up and store heavy metals. In this study, the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in an important mangrove species, Sonneratia caseolaris, were measured. It was found that the total concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the sediments were below the general critical soil concentrations. However, the total concentrations of Cu and Pb in both the ischolar_mains and leaves of Sonneratia caseolaris exceeded the general normal upper range in plants. This study has therefore shown the potential of Sonneratia caseolaris as a phytoremediation species for selected heavy metals in Godavary Estuarine mangrove ecosystem.

Keywords

Heavy Metals (Water, Sediment), Pollution, Sonneratia caseolaris, Southeast Coast of India,; Mangrove Sediments, Coastal Area, Surface Sediment, Geochemistry, Speciation, Estuary.

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