Recent Developments in Waste Management

The main objective of the experiment is to produce biogas from kitchen waste by co-digestion with cow dung by an anaerobic fermentation process. An anaerobic floating-type digester was used for this purpose in mesospheric condition by maintaining a temperature of 32–38 °C and pH of 6.9–7.2 inside the reactor for optimum biogas production. Three types of feedstock consisting of mixture of food waste, cow dung, left out slurry of the reactor along with water in different proportions are used for biogas generation. Slurry prepared by mixing kitchen waste with water in 1:1 ratio is used as feed. The gas production is recorded for a span of 22 days. A significant yield of biogas having high methane content of about 68% was obtained. This process which involves conversion of organic food waste to biogas not only is source of energy but also caters the management of environmental pollution.

In the present study, expansive soil from outskirts of Bhubaneswar city (20°11′06.7′′N 85°47′23.7′′E) was characterized for its index properties. Grain size distribution revealed a 40 and 52% fraction of silt and clay, respectively. Soil was highly plastic with plasticity index of 22% and activity of 0.42. Maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) of soil were appeared to be 16.4 kgN/m3 and 19.6%, respectively, with a very high degree of expansion. This soil can be considered problematic at present condition and therefore investigations are made to reduce its swelling potential and shrinkage ratio using dross (alumina refining waste) for the reduction of swelling potential of expansive soil. Highest reduction of swelling potential was appeared to be 92% with shrinkage ratio of 1.17, when equal amount of soil and dross were mixed. This study not only revealed the stabilization of expansive soil but also thrust on the management of industrial waste.

The present investigation aims for the betterment of an environmental friendly procedure to extract Mn from mining desecrates using native microorganism. A single bacterial strain viewing noticeable growth on Mn-supplemented agar plate was isolated from the collected ore samples from Mn mining deposits of Joda Barbil districts of Odisha state of India. Molecular characterization of selected isolates conducted by the 16S rRNA sequencing method and the selected strain was taxonomically characterized as Bacillus safensis with genebank accession number (MF409013). Bioleaching experiment was conducted in 250 ml flask with optimum process conditions and Bacillus safensis as inoculum. Manganese extraction of 80% was monitored in the period of 20 days. The acknowledged bacterial strain exposed an eminent tolerance and solubilizing capability. The existing study brings light on the greener substitute for the extraction and recycling of manganese from the waste materials.

Dry leaves, grass, agricultural waste such as straw, rice husk, plant stalks are the types of biomass that are widely available in the rural areas. They have low bulk density and cannot give controlled flame while burning, so they cannot be used as fuel. This loose biomass gives handling problems while transporting them elsewhere and this biomass, if not composted properly, is nothing but a waste. Therefore, they are mostly burnt in the open fields creating unnecessary pollution. Briquetting can be seen as a viable method to solve this issue as it is a simple and cost-effective technology. This paper presents a technique of preparing a raw biomass into a usable biomass briquette fuel. Briquettes were made from Eleusine indica grass and sawdust bonded with gelatinized taro tubers. Briquette samples were prepared using low-power screw press machine. The first sample consisted of 3:1 grass and sawdust ratio; the second sample consisted of 1:1 grass and sawdust ratio. In both the samples, 40% of taro (Colocasia esculenta) tuber in weight basis was gelatinized and added. Both the prepared samples were tested for their physical and thermal properties. The result showed that the test sample 1 showed a higher calorific value of 15.539 MJ/Kg compared to sample 2 having a calorific value of 14.683 MJ/Kg. The bulk density was found to be 0.234gm/cm3 and 0.233gm/cm3 for sample 1 and 2, respectively.

The rural population of Amingaon, North Guwahati (Assam) relies heavily on groundwater for their domestic needs. But groundwater is reported to be contaminated with excessive amounts of iron and fluoride. The population uses indigenous household groundwater filter units for iron removals. These units are fabricated using reinforced cement concrete (RCC) circular pipes, tin containers, and plastic buckets with river sand, wooden charcoal (in some cases), and gravel serving as filtering media either in layered or mixed form. The present work aims to review and document the different types of indigenous household groundwater filter units being used in this area. In addition, efforts are also made to evaluate the performance of a selected filter unit for iron and fluoride removal from the groundwater. The iron concentration in groundwater of Amingaon, North Guwahati varies from 0 to 11.03 mg/L exceeding the permissible limit for drinking water (0.3 mg/L), whereas fluoride concentration varies from 0.10 to 0.68 mg/L—always meeting the permissible limit 1.5 mg/L. A selected indigenous household groundwater filter unit is monitored to assess its performance over a period of 86 days. The filter unit is found to be highly effective in iron removal of 99% or more from an initial concentration of 1.33–2.08 mg/L down to 0–0.2 mg/L meeting the limit of drinking water quality. The iron removal is mainly due to increase in DO levels which precipitates out the iron and the precipitated iron is filtered out through the filter unit. The concentration of fluoride in the groundwater is not exceeding the permissible limit of 1.5 mg/L. Fortunately, the filter unit is not reducing the fluoride concentration present in the groundwater.

Food waste is a promising renewable feedstock, which contains a significant amount of fermentable carbohydrate for biohydrogen production. The present research was conducted to investigate the effects of pH (5–7), chemical oxygen demand (COD) in food waste (8–10.8 g/L), and different substrate pretreatment methods on biohydrogen production from food waste. Inoculum enrichment was done by treating anaerobic digester sludge with 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) to inhibit methanogenic microorganisms. Dark fermentation was carried out at an initial pH of 7 for 48 h at 37 °C. Total protein before and after fermentation is estimated to be 646.5 µg/mL and 0.1 µg/mL, respectively while total carbohydrate is found to be 5.38 mg/mL and 3.885 mg/mL, respectively. Volatile fatty acids and ethanol production accompanied biohydrogen production which was detected through HPLC. Under optimized conditions of pH 7, temperature 37 °C for 48 h and without any substrate pretreatment around maximum 52% H2 was obtained in the produced biogas.

Hazardous elements like lead, cadmium are growingly being used in solar photovoltaics (PV). The major distress is the risk related to the potential release of these constituents in the environment. This paper reviews the leaching behaviour of various metallic constituents in soil and water, and compiles the latest literature on PVs. The analysis shows that there is substantial release of various metallic components in the environment and exist data gaps in (1) lack of information for solar PV disposal, (2) standardized leaching tests representing actual landfill conditions (e.g. studies with actual landfill waste and leachate), (3) Life Cycle Inventories from cradle to grave, (4) kinetics data for metal leaching, and (5) PV wastewater characterization. These identified data gaps need to be filled by conducting more research in this direction, so that exposure to toxic metals can be estimated with more confidence and efforts for protecting them can be made.

Groundwater is the major source of water for domestic purposes in Amingaon, North Guwahati, Assam which is contaminated with high concentrations of iron and fluoride. The household-level treatment for iron removal includes the use of indigenously fabricated water filter units comprising sand, gravel, and wooden charcoal. The filter media are arranged in layered form in RCC rings, tin containers, and plastic buckets. The RCC filter unit is the most commonly used, especially for iron removal. However, the contamination level of groundwater of Amingaon and the effectiveness of indigenously fabricated household filter units in iron and fluoride removal is neither estimated/evaluated by government agencies nor reported in the literature. The present study aims to investigate the level of contamination of groundwater for iron and fluoride as well as efficiency and effectiveness of an RCC filter unit in the removal of iron and fluoride over a period of 6 months. The groundwater in and around the IIT Guwahati campus has a high concentration of iron (0–11.3 mg/L) whereas the concentration of fluoride is in the range 0.13–0.66 mg/L. A set of two samples, one from the tube well and the other from the filtered water, was collected at an interval of 3 days from a selected household RCC filter. Water quality parameters, viz., iron, fluoride, pH, temperature, conductivity, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen were estimated for the collected samples of each set. The selected RCC filter unit is able to produce filtered water containing residual iron concentration of 0–0.08 mg/L from an initial iron concentration of 8.13–11.63 mg/L. The selected filter unit is also able to reduce the fluoride concentration from a value of 0.51–1.17 mg/L to 0.39–0.77 mg/L. The DO level in the groundwater increases as the same is poured into the filter unit thereby converting ferrous iron to ferric form. The ferric form of iron is filtered out as precipitate in the filter unit.

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is a major environmental and social concern for the small towns and growing villages, considering the rapid urbanization and the subsequent changes in the waste generation patterns. Accommodating the small-town characteristics to design feasible and sustainable MSWM plans is one of the biggest challenges faced by the urban local bodies today. This study presents the status of MSWM from the perspective of small towns, in order to establish the causality for the failure in its implementation. Comparisons are drawn between the prescribed, planned and implemented MSWM practices with the help of a case study and a comprehensive methodology. Variations are mapped at each functional step of the MSWM protocol and corrective actions are suggested based on the field surveys. Acknowledging the need for collection system optimization, incorporation of land use in MSWM plans and the inadequacies of small towns in designing those, a simple and robust method is devised to allow efficient and scalable collection plans based on the urban demographic and spatial characteristics. Strategy for regular evaluation of collection system is also provided so that 100% collection can be ensured. It is concluded that the MSWM systems are under designed in small towns and require innovative interventions to sustain within limited resources.

Domestic hazardous waste (DHW) refers to CFL bulbs, broken mercury thermometers, expired medicines, old batteries, used needles, tube lights and syringes and contaminated gauge, etc. as defined by the SWM Rules, 2016, Government of India, generated at the household level. As of today, the above category of waste, along with wet biodegradable and dry recyclable waste is being dumped in unlined landfills in the outskirts of our cities. As per this study, an average home in Delhi generates 0.03 ± 0.01 kg of domestic hazardous waste per day. When improperly disposed of, this waste is a potential risk to people and the environment. In open dumpsites, heavy metals have the potential to leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water. This study attempts to study and understand the interaction between such wastes when mixed and the potential impacts of these on the residential colonies located in and around the landfill site. The leachate pollution index (LPI) value of Okhla landfill site indicated that the waste deposited is contaminated since all values calculated during all the three seasons pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon exceeded the standards [13]. The Water Quality Index (WQI) of the groundwater samples collected from the nearby residential areas proves the poor quality of water and indicates possible contamination of these waters by the landfill site and have been found unsuitable for human consumption. It is also observed that the pollution load is relatively high during the post-monsoon season and the monsoon season. Primary data collection was done through interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations and waste quantity and water quality analyses. This helped to delineate the potential impacts of open dumping on the groundwater of habitations close to the landfill and consequently, the possible health impacts on the individuals residing there.

Maintaining STP is a vital assignment in present circumstances to reduce pollution. This paper describes the importance of maintaining STP in small cities. A case of 20 MLD capacity STP units having activated sludge process with sludge thickener and sludge drying beds were monitored for STP performance. A 7-week monitoring was conducted to analyze pH, alkalinity, TDS, TS, TSS, BOD5, COD, MLVSS, MLSS, and SVI form inlet to outlet. The study indicates STP was inefficient in treating domestic wastewater received through pumping stations. The reasons for inefficient STP performances were identified as improper pumping, insufficient F/M ratio, higher return sludge, greater oxygen dissolved, lower volumetric loading rate, greater recirculation ratio, and long HRT, which is more than required. The solid loading rate and hydraulic loading rate were underloaded. The parameters were evaluated and rectified, which further improved performance, increasing BOD5 removal, and possibly reducing operational cost.

Many of the developing nations practice open dumping as a final disposal method for municipal solid waste (MSW) generated. These dumpsites of MSW create the surface water pollution through the leachate discharge from the dumpsite, pollute the groundwater by leaching of heavy metals from the dumped solid waste over the years and also create air pollution in terms of release of CO2, CH4, thus contributing to climate change and other toxic gases. Thus, dumpsite becomes an eyesore and it is the need of the hour to find an alternate way of environmentally friendly disposal method of MSW. A feasible solution for the reclamation of these large sites is by biomining in which different groups of materials are extracted from the dumpsite and recycled or reused in a proper way thus resulting in the monetary value and resource flow. Biomining concept is a simple, innovative, economically feasible, practical, quick, and environmentally acceptable measure to remediate the old open dumpsite to achieve zero emission of landfill gases and leachate, and also reclaim the land reusability and zero maintenance. An integrated approach has been incorporated in which the stabilization part in biomining is carried out through bioreactor landfill treatment and then followed by biomining concepts. A conceptual framework for Biomining of the MSW dumpsite at Chennai has been developed and the implementation of the same in a site has been discussed. Also, a detailed framework for future management of open dumpsites has been developed and discussed.

The rapid growth of industrial development sources the insufficiency of valuable land. Accordingly, it is the vibrant necessity to encourage the Research and Development works to attain ecological, financial, and societal benefits from colossal exploitation of their waste for worldwide benefits. The present work encourages the impact of pozzolanic waste material, i.e., ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) in geotechnical characteristics of jarosite waste (zinc industries residual). The strength tests (unconfined compressive (UCS) and indirect tensile strength) were conducted on GGBS stabilized jarosite mixtures (GGBS, 10–30%) with different curing periods such as 7 days, 28 days, and 90 days. The outcomes illustrate that strength properties, increase by increase in GGBS percentage as well as curing periods. This strength improvement behavior of stabilized jarosite is also detected from the microstructural study (SEM), in which, denser agglomeration of GGBS stabilized jarosite particles, proves strength advancement. The durability studies (freeze–thaw (F-T)) of jarosite–GGBS mixtures were performed and it was observed that the loss in the UCS after five sequential F-T phases improved from 61.8% (raw jarosite waste) to 36.89, 26.60 and 17.12% with 10, 20, and 30% GGBS content, curing at 28 days period, respectively. The leachate study of jarosite indicates that jarosite contains hazardous constitutes, which were immobilized after stabilization with GGBS. From this study, it may be summarized that mixing of pozzolanic admixtures (GGBS) along with raw jarosite waste lead to a substantial enhancement in geotechnical properties with economic, social as well as environmental concern.

Reinforced concrete and steel are the commonly used building materials in which reinforced concrete plays a vital role in the construction of buildings. In the structural components like slab and beam, the concrete below the neutral axis is assumed that it will not take any tensile stresses and will act only as a filler material. Hence, those ineffective concrete can be replaced with other material which in turn reduces the self-weight of the structure. Plastic waste which is nondegradable becomes a great concern to the environment. Such plastic waste must be recycled to create an eco-friendly atmosphere. Hence, plastic waste are recycled in the form of balls and can be used in the slab, such type of slab is called Bubble deck slab. Bubble deck slab replaces ineffective concrete by plastic balls, thereby dramatically reducing the structural self-weight which in turn reduces the magnitude of seismic forces which will be highly useful in seismically active areas. Hence in this paper, spherical balls made of recycled plastic were introduced to replace the ineffective concrete near the neutral axis of the concrete slab. Two slabs are casted with dimensions 0.75 m × 1 m, one with bubbles (Bubble deck slab) and one without bubbles (Conventional slab). It is found that, though ultimate load of Conventional slab is more than the Bubble deck slab, the cracking load of Bubble deck slab is comparatively higher than the Conventional slab due to its flexibility. And also the Bubble deck slab undergoes maximum deflection before failure while compared to the Conventional slab which will give sufficient warning to the users before failure of the structure.

PVA gel beads are proven out to be an effective structure for enrichment of large number of bacteria, providing high nitrification rates at lesser filling percentages. The treatment configuration (oxic–anoxic–oxic along with a settler) has shown a characteristic balance of nitrogen and alkalinity through the nitrification and denitrification phenomenon in the tanks. Ammonia removal rates were >90%, organic matter removal (COD) was 87–96%, and TSS removal was 96–99% at variable HRTs (6, 5, and 4.4 h) and temperatures. Total nitrogen balance was figured out as, average TN was 4.507 g/d in inlet, out of which 0.121–0.526 g/d (2.69–11.67%) get into the waste sludge, 0.191–0.947 g/d (4.25–21.01%) remained in the outlet, and the rest 3.077–4.151 g/d (68.27–92.11%) was removed. Accordingly, alkalinity balance showed that 25% of the inlet alkalinity was consumed in overall nitrification and denitrification process.

Fast depletion of fossil fuels in the world will cause the energy crisis in near future. Due to stringent environmental norms the whole world is focusing on energy from renewable energy sources. Energy from different types of waste in not only renewable but also bring down the cost of disposing the waste from different resources. In this study, five samples of each different types of waste like uneaten food, municipal waste, hospital waste, and cow dung have been focused to recover the energy from these resources. The various samples were tested in laboratory where calorific value and proximate analysis tests were conducted. The study highlighted that cow dung has the highest percentage in terms of mass with approximately 93 and 90% in terms of power that can be recovered. The total energy that can be produced from these wastes amounts to 18.45 MW/day.

Terrestrial weeds affect ecosystems like forest, agriculture, and urban areas seriously, which demand proper management of these invasive plants. Due to their fast adaption and morphological advancement, controlling it’s expand is challenging. Globally found are the species Parthenium hysterophorus, Lantena camara, Saccharam spontaneum, and Azeratum conyzoides. Though many attempts were made to control the terrestrial weeds either environmental and/or economical drawbacks occurred. This paper presents an alternative way for treatment of terrestrial weeds. Anaerobic digestion and composting are feasible and low-cost options. Anaerobic digestion is the process which breaks down organic compounds in presence of microorganism and in absence of oxygen and at the same time it obtains renewal energy. Methane and carbon dioxide are the products. Composting is also a biological process that breaks down organic compounds in presence of oxygen, fertilizer is the end product. Few studies were conducted on anaerobic digestion and composting of weed.

Nutrient compound such as ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4-N), often present in different types of waters and wastewaters, can find their way to lakes, rivers and drinking water reservoirs and are alleviation of environmental problems including eutrophication, corrosion and fouling. Also, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is estimated to grow at 22.4% compound annual growth rate over the next 5 years. Therefore, it is necessary to treat the waste that is being generated from the treatment process to meet the stringent discharge. For this, a comparative study was conducted by performing series of experiments at laboratory scale by chemical process in which one of the most innovative and advanced physicochemical process was used, namely, MAP Process (Struvite crystallization) and its comparative study was made with the biological treatment process which was conducted using microbial growth of bacterial sppi for treating pharmaceutical wastewater. MAP process is also known as struvite formation was used under chemical treatment process which includes precipitation of struvite formation by addition of magnesium source followed by addition of phosphate source and mixed bacterial culture sppi was used under biological treatment process for the treatment of pharma waste mainly for the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen. Different stoichiometric ratios were tested and an optimum ratio was found for the maximum NH4-N removal for the effluent. And their comparative studies with biological process, in which different mixed bacterial sppi were carried out for removal of NH4-N. Biological processes are time-consuming but non-polluting. Different concentrations of mixed bacterial culture give different percentage removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and their removal efficiencies were compared with MAP process results.

This study utilized waste dimension limestone (viz. Kota stone) dust as a surrogate filler to conventional stone dust in asphalt concrete mixes. Primary characterization of both fillers was done through specific gravities, particle size distribution, German filler values, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), plasticity index, hydrophilic coefficient and pH value tests. Asphalt mixes were designed and tested as per Marshall test procedure recommended in Indian paving specification. Retained stability values and Marshall Quotient of both mixes were determined at their optimum binder contents. Kota stone mixes displayed superior mechanical properties and rutting resistance, which was attributed to the lower their relatively lower apparent film thickness. Kota stone mixes displayed and improved the resistance against moisture permeation due to the presence of Calcite, which improved aggregate–bitumen adhesion.

Glass industry generates a large amount of powdered glass waste during the cutting and polishing processes. Laboratory investigations were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of recycling this waste into asphalt concrete as mineral filler. The primary characterization of both fillers was done through specific gravities, plasticity index, particle size distribution, German filler values, textural analysis, mineralogical analysis, hydrophilic coefficient, and pH value tests. Asphalt mixes were designed as per Marshall test procedure and retained stability values as well as Marshall quotient were determined at their optimum binder contents (OBC). Mixes having waste glass powder have higher Marshall stability and lower bulk density at lower OBC. Glass powder mixes were found to have superior rutting resistance which may be attributed to their lower apparent film thickness. However, inclusion of glass powder impaired the resistance of mixes against moisture permeation due to high amount of silica in glass powder.

Continuous release of heavy metals such as Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Manganese, Nickel, Zinc, etc., from different industrial wastewaters has become one of the most alarming threats all over the world due to their adverse effects on the proper ecosystems functioning. Most of the heavy metals do not degrade or degrade very slowly in the environment. A study was conducted for quantifying the metal removal capacity of a functionalized resinous polymer, i.e., aniline–formaldehyde condensate (AFC), which was coated on eggshell, sand, tea leaves, and fly ash separately as support material and divalent lead (Pb+2) was taken as the model metal ion. The various parameters affecting adsorption, i.e., reaction pH, adsorption time, and initial concentrations of lead were taken into consideration. A pH range of 3.0–6.0 shows a continuous increase in metal adsorption but at pH > 6.0, the lead precipitates as lead hydroxide, i.e., Pb (OH)2. The maximum removal of Pb+2 by AFC coated tea leaves (91.9%), fly ash (91.4%), eggshell (74.5%), and sand (65.8%) was obtained at optimum solution pH of 6.0. For the AFC coated adsorbents, reaction kinetics followed the Lagergren second-order model. Adsorption of lead by the AFC polymer coated on the above support materials could be better described by Langmuir isotherm model with maximum Langmuir monolayer uptake of 96.15, 46.73, 13.62, and 7.07 mg/g for AFC polymer coated on eggshell, tea leaves, fly ash, and sand, respectively. It can be concluded that AFC polymer coated on the above support materials have the efficiency for the removal of lead from waste discharge.

Two vermifilters were designed using persplex in which Canna indica was planted in one reactor (MAVF) and the other was without any plant (VmF), but earthworm Eisenia fetida was inoculated in both the filters. The filter consisted of two units: first vertical flow (VF) unit and second horizontal flow (HF) unit. Hydraulic load of synthetic dairy wastewater was maintained 0.6 md−1 in VF unit of the reactor. The average removal efficiencies of BOD5 and COD in MAVF were found to be 88.4% and 80.7%, respectively, while for VmF, it was 78.3% and 69.1%. Nitrogen is usually removed in nitrification and denitrification process. The combined unit removed 61.7% TN in MAVF and 51.3% in VmF reactor. Average TP removal was observed 77.8% and 73.4% in MAVF and VmF, respectively. The efficiency of MAVF was more than VmF.

Aluminium-based water treatment sludge (WTS) was investigated for its potential to remove chromium(VI) from simulated wastewater. Batch sorption tests and column tests were carried out using poly aluminium chloride sludge. Results of the batch study showed that chromium sorption decreased with increase in pH for the pH range studied (2.0–12.0). Long-duration column test with an empty bed contact time of 3 h indicated good Cr(VI) removal capacity of WTS as no chromium was present in the effluent for 115 bed volumes, and a sorption capacity of 1.62 mg/g of dry sludge was obtained which was lower than the sorption capacity reported in the literature. In the presence of other metals such as Co, Cu, Hg and Pb, both percentage Cr(VI) removal and sorption capacity was negatively affected in column tests, and Cr(VI) sorption capacity was only 0.96 mg/g of dry sludge.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are gaining much attention in recent years because they produce energy in the form of electricity, while simultaneously treating wastewater. In this study, the organic compounds obtained from the pretreatment of kitchen waste were used as a substrate in MFC. In order to enhance the rate of hydrolysis, parameters such as pH, solid-to-liquid ratio, and solid retention time under anaerobic conditions were studied and optimized. Two MFCs (1 and 2) having earthen separators and an anode volume of 450 mL and 630 mL, were employed, respectively. The maximum power density for MFC-1 and MFC-2 was 0.040 W/m2 and 0.044 W/m2 and maximum volumetric power density of 3.80 W/m3 and 3.40 W/m3 were, respectively obtained for a hydraulic retention time of 10 days. The study concludes that earthenware as a cation exchange membrane and kitchen waste as an anolyte were found effective for power generation.

Biochar (BC) is characterized by lower moisture content and enriched carbon whose utilization in composting successfully improves the efficacy of composting process by increasing the thermophilic temperature and period. However, relevance or interplay of physicochemical and nutritional variables for in-vessel composting of water hyacinth with BC amendment has rarely been investigated. Therefore, the essence of the present work is to assess the effect of BC amendment (0 and 2.5 kg in 100 kg mix) to a mix of water hyacinth, cow dung, and sawdust. Hence, the findings reveal that with BC amendment, thermophilic temperature of 56.9 °C was reached and lasted for more than 3 days, necessary for pathogen remediation. Furthermore, strong relationship among physiochemical and nutritional variables with significant correlation among the same was observed as inferred from scatterplot matrix; hence, provides valuable information for improving various physicochemical and nutritional variables in contrast to compost application in agro-sectors.

The present study explored the treatment of soft drink (beverage) industry wastewater (SDIW) in microwave alone system and in microwave photolytic system. A rapid degradation and mineralization of the wastewater were observed within one hour of treatment time. The mineralization efficiency in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 78.7%, 81.0%, and 88.6%, respectively, in the system with MW and MW photolysis with one EDL and two EDL at a MW output power of 400 W. Increase in MW power from 400 W to 600 W indicated 4%, 15.5%, and 8.9% increase in the mineralization efficiency of SDIW with the corresponding value of 82%, 95.9%, and 97.3%, respectively, in the three systems. The DO in various systems showed 1.2 to 1.4 mg/L variation during the treatment process. The MW with EDL systems showed higher reduction in DO than that of MW systems, owing to the higher rate of generation of powerful hydroxyl radical, which could result in the rapid oxidation of the organics SDIW in MW photolytic systems compared to MW alone system. On the other hand, the pH showed only a minute variation (<0.5) in all the systems investigated.

Municipal solid waste disposal in a non-engineered landfill is one of the serious threats to groundwater quality deterioration. In fact, the leachate generated from landfill percolates the strata and reaches to aquifer causing groundwater contamination. The paper aims to analyze the characteristics of landfill leachate along with groundwater quality at various locations in the vicinity for some selected parameters. The grab samples of leachate and groundwater sample have been collected and analyzed as per standard procedure. All the parameters except the pH and electrical conductivity have been observed to be more than the typical values of municipal wastewater. In groundwater, the pH, coliform bacteria and nitrate content have been found to be within the permissible limit at all locations, however, rest of the parameters exceeded the permissible limit. This may happen because of the percolation of leachate through strata. The influence of leachate on groundwater decreases drastically with an increase in distance from landfill site. Maximum contamination has been observed in north and northwestern areas of landfill, especially, at locations GW4 and GW5. The groundwater quality in vicinity of landfill site revealed the unsuitability for both household and commercial uses.

To understand the effect of attrition, a series of experiments were conducted in CFB test setup installed at CSIR-CMERI Durgapur using common silica sand. Using standard sieves, three different samples were prepared, containing sample size between 0.106–0.425, 0.212–0.600, and 0.300–0.800 mm of mean Sauter diameter 0.314, 0.414, and 0.520 mm, respectively. Five sets of experiments were conducted for each sample and its mean value is presented in this paper. The attrition of bed particles was found to be higher for larger particles. Sample-III showed the greatest reduction in size as it contained most of the larger particles initially, which got reduced considerably after stipulated run time. It was found from the set of experiments that the mean Sauter diameter for sample-I, II, and III (0.314, 0.414, and 0.520 mm) reduced to 0.312, 0.410, and 0.513 mm, respectively.

The Lead–acid batteries (LAB) sector has been one of the most discussed and dissected sectors due to its environmental implications. In India, there has always been a demand-supply gap for lead due to the unorganized or informal nature of lead–acid batteries handling and management, which is one of the major sources of lead. The purpose of the present study was to develop baseline information regarding the handling and management of new and used lead–acid batteries in five districts of Punjab state, i.e., Ludhiana, Sangrur, Jalandhar, Mohali, and Faridkot during a year’s period. Scope of the study also covered the status of recycling of lead–acid batteries and lead recovery from used batteries. It was found that the LAB sector and its stakeholders were, in many ways, not regularized and there was lack of information and awareness on procedures, norms, and more importantly the health hazards of dealing with lead. Registered recyclers were found to be recycling only 23% of the total used batteries collected by dealers, highlighting the role of unregistered recyclers in recycling process of used batteries. It was recommended to integrate the unorganized sector workforce into the collection process of used batteries as this sector has batter capability to penetrate into local levels.

Blast furnace slag is generated as a by-product in the production of iron. Large quantities of slag are visible in the industrial premises that can have adverse effects on the environment. To mitigate such problems, proper environmental management of slag is of great concern. In this regard, a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of ferrous slags such as crystallinity, surface morphology, and elemental composition were done using X-Ray Diffraction and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer), respectively. It is also characterized to determine heavy metals and functional groups using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy techniques for various geo-environmental applications. The nonplastic slag material showed 85–92% sand-size particles and 8–15% silt-size particles. The SiO2 and CaO values were found to be high followed by Al2O3, MgO, and other compounds. Since slag performed similarly to sand, it could be used as an alternative source of sand.

The present research deals with feasibility analysis of complete replacement of fine aggregates by E-waste ceramics in the rigid pavement as per IRC 58:2002. The specimens were cast and cured for 7th and 28th days and subjected to standard tests for comparison of effectiveness of E-waste Ceramics as fine aggregate instead of River Sand and M-Sand. From the laboratory studies, it was concluded that the maximum replacement by E-waste Ceramics in rigid pavement without compromising on safety and stability requirements was achieved as 100%. The cost analysis projected a saving of INR 5,50,000 per km for rigid pavements constructions with the application of 100% ceramics. This accounts fro savings of about 20–23% of total investment for utilizing Sand as fine aggregate in road construction projects. The study has successfully introduced depreciation in construction costs and also invariably leads to protection and restoration of the riverine ecosystems.

The feasibility of simultaneous nitrification denitrification and phosphate removal in a single-stage fixed-bed bioreactor was evaluated in this study. The bioreactor was packed with industrial wastes and agricultural wastes mixed in a definite proportion. A newly isolated simultaneous nitrifying and denitrifying bacterial strain was immobilized on the packed bed materials to facilitate nutrient removal. The bioreactor was fed with both real and synthetic wastewater under variable start-up and steady-state experimental conditions including hydraulic retention time (HRT), mode of aeration and nutrient loading rate and operated for 70 days continuously. In the steady-state condition ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate removal efficiencies of synthetic wastewater were 87.1–92.8%, 69.4–88.4%, and 88.4–100%, respectively, while the corresponding values of real domestic wastewater were 88.7–93.1%, 70.5–87.2%, and 84–89.4%, respectively. This work publicized the promising application prospect of the developed bioreactor in domestic wastewater treatment primarily focusing on nutrient removal.

In the pursuit of finding an ecologically safe and sustainable technique for the remediation and reuse of effluents generated from the industries and housing colonies, biofilters have been considered. However, biofilters too have limitations such as low removal rate of nutrients. The present work is an attempt to enhance the nutrient removal potential of vermifilter, to make it more versatile. A layer of dolochar, a waste product from sponge iron industry, was added at the end of the horizontal vermifilters to assist in removal of nutrients. The resultant effluent from this setup was analyzed and monitored over a period of 60 days. The total phosphorus removal from the integrated setup was obtained between a range of 34.0–43.3%, while phosphate phosphorus removal was 46.6–61.3%. Total nitrogen removal also reached to a range of 8.3–23.7%. The study concludes that the incorporation of dolochar unit in vermifilter facilitates nutrient removal from wastewater and thus contributes toward reducing the increasing pollution load and minimizing scarcity of water by reusing the treated effluent from the vermifilter.

The fluoride contamination problem of groundwater of the rural areas in India is a serious threat due to unavailability of alternate safe water sources. In the present study, the coal-coated with FeCl3 was used for fluoride mitigation due to abundant availability of the raw coals in the surroundings of the affected areas of Bankura district, West Bengal, India. The raw coal was crushed into particle sizes less than 0.3 mm and further processed for the coating of FeCl3. The characterization of the adsorbent done by XRD, FESEM and EDAX reveals that the adsorption process was physicochemical in nature. The batch, kinetic and column studies results showed that the maximum fluoride removal efficiency, adsorption capacity and performance of the column were found as 96%, 88.6 mg/g and 98%, respectively, and the adsorption mechanism best fit to Freundlich isotherm, pseudo-second order kinetics, and Yoon–Nelson and Thomas breakthrough models. The column had achieved the breakthrough point (i.e. 1.5 mg/L F− conc.) in approximately 20 h at the flow rate of 2 ml/min, initial fluoride conc. of 20 mg/L and bed depth of 5 cm.

Availability and reliability of waste generation data is a disregarded problem in a developing country like India. Inconsistency in waste generation data is confirmed by comparing cities and states with the national-level data. It is found that data for cities and urban India are in close match with each other, which is not the case between urban India and states. Almost 22% of literature documents studied is dependent on limited data generated by CPCB and NEERI. Waste quantity is erroneously estimated when inappropriate population data is considered. This causes a wider range of percentage variability and larger values of standard deviation indicating inefficiency in data collection. The literature review explores current challenges faced in maintaining reliable waste generation data. The study recommends involvement of academic and research institutes in handling waste management database in collaboration with government. Further, the study suggests various technical and policy changes for better waste management.

Material and energy recovery are vital elements of an integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management scheme. Although recycling is an environment-friendly alternative for waste management, higher waste generation rates necessitate faster treatment techniques like incineration. The viability of waste incineration nevertheless, depends on the incinerability of the feed to furnace. To prevent operational failures, it becomes quintessential to ensure the incinerability of the MSW feed. To facilitate this decision-making, the incinerability index or i-Index, a tool to quantify incinerability on a scale of 0–100 and determine the feasibility of incineration has been devised by the authors. This paper focusses on the estimation of incinerability of MSW when different components are recovered for recycling. MSW generated in a developed country like USA and metro like Delhi in India, a developing country, with relatively high waste generation and recycling rates were considered for the study. i-Index value for raw MSW generated in USA was computed as 72.54 using USEPA data while MSW generated in South Delhi had lower i-Index of 66.7. After maximum material recovery, i-Index of residual MSW in USA amounted to 68.8, in contrast to MSW in Delhi, which amounted to 49.7. Although recycling of combustible fractions adversely affects the incinerability, it was counter balanced by the recovery of food fraction for composting resulting in a mild increase in incinerability. Variation in i-Index and thus the incinerability with the recycling of different components are investigated for assessing the feasibility of incineration of the residual MSW.

In this study, an attempt has been made to monitor the water quality of the Brahmaputra river by analysing two major parameters, viz., DO and BOD by plotting various curves to determine the seasonal as well as the spatially variation of the parameters along the river stretch. The seasonal variation of DO in the Upper Assam region showed similar trends for the pre- and the post-monsoon period with a decreasing trend as the river flows from Kherghat to Dibrugarh and thereafter shows an increase of DO levels near Dhenuka paharh. A decreasing trend was again observed as the river passes through the Nimatighat region. Similarly, for the monsoon season the variation of DO showed an increasing trend as it passes through Dibrugarh and as the river progresses towards the downstream, discharges from various cities along the river stretch blend with the river water, thereby increasing its pollution levels and hence a decreasing trend was observed for the DO in the downstream portion of the Upper Assam region. As far as the variation of BOD along the river stretch is concerned, it was observed that it varies inversely as the DO, which can be seen as an appropriate co-relationship between the two parameters. Similarly, variations of the BOD and DO were obtained for the Lower Assam region. The spatial variation of the BOD and DO showed the map of the depicting the variation of the parameters along the entire river stretch. Proper visualisation of the maps obtained would thereby help in predicting the stretch most polluted so that proper river training works can be done to restore the water quality in the river.

In the present study, end-of-life compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) have been characterized for the content of rare earth elements (REEs) to estimate the recovery potential of REEs in India based on their average obsolescence rate and waste generation. Yttrium (Y as Y2O3) in CFLs and europium (Eu as Eu2O3) in LFLs were observed to be the prevalent REE present with an average content of 251.8 mg/g and 9.7 mg/g, respectively. The content of REEs does not show statically significant (P < 0.05) difference in various brands of CFLs and LFLs. Further, the results advocated that around 2237 tons of REEs comprising of about 2154 tons from waste CFLs and 83 tons from waste LFLs could be recovered in India in the year 2017. It can be inferred from the present study that the end-of-life CFL and LFL waste streams could be viable secondary resource for recycling of REEs.

In developing countries, rapid increase in urbanization has increased generation of municipal solid waste, exerting pressure on present solid waste management infrastructure. Old landfill sites are inadequate to cope with a massive quantity of generated waste. In Nagpur city, Maharashtra, India, existing landfill site has reported to cause environmental nuisance, and there is need to identify new landfill site. This paper attempts to integrate geographical information systems (GIS) and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in landfill site selection process. Based on regional conditions and regulatory rules, fourteen parameters were selected and classified under environmental, sociocultural, and economic criteria. Five regions were identified as suitable alternatives for landfill site, among which ‘Site 1’ in Kuhi region of Nagpur district was selected as the most suitable landfill site. Despite 10% variation in importance weights of parameters, the sensitivity analysis results remained unchanged. Field investigations were conducted to check accuracy of the results.

Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is still at a preliminary phase in the developing countries have a large population like India. Despite the fact that WtE is as expected to develop at an acceptable rate due to an essential part of the waste management program (WMP). Under WMP, Govt. investing a substantial amount of money for the growth of the WtE industrial technology but past WtE projects have got a low success rate. Several earlier projects got failed due to LACK OF EXPERTISE of the plant operation, selection of the wrong set of technology, the mismatch between plant design and waste characteristics, lack of Govt. support, poor project development, financial viability, and pollution concerns. The collapse of WtE industrial technology plants in India due to the earlier mentioned cause. This has made Govt. and supporters attentive of taking up WtE projects. Based on that, the paper presents several steps for the development of WtE and suitable cause for which the WtE industrial projects in India step on to a declined path. Also, the necessary recommendation for the future path.

A supercity Navi Mumbai has a Solid Waste Disposal Facility (SWDF) that processes and disposes 740 tons/day of waste. The emissions from the SWDF cause direct health impacts to the population residing in the vicinity of the facility. Since the severity and extent of health impacts may vary seasonally, the analysis is performed separately for monsoon and non-monsoon seasons for 3 consecutive years: 2011, 2012, and 2013. The hourly concentrations for the pollutants PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 have been procured from Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, having an ambient air quality monitoring station installed within the SWDF. The population residing within 1 km radius of the monitoring station is considered for the analysis. The human health impact assessment has been performed using AirQ+ model to quantify health risks in terms of mortality and morbidity caused by various short-term health effects, which include total mortality, cardiovascular mortality, respiratory mortality, hospital admissions—cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results demonstrate the seasonal variations in terms of total Excess Number of Cases (ENCs) of all the health effects under consideration for 3 consecutive years during monsoon and non-monsoon seasons, which ranges from 21 to 23 and 152 to 156, respectively. The analysis indicates that PM10 contributed most toward ENCs, while NO2 had no health impacts. This study can be used by policy-makers to evaluate the present scenario for health impacts, which may serve as a tool to assess the existing solid waste management infrastructure and to adopt necessary augmentations for future.