All

A methodology for landslide susceptibility assessment to delineate landslide prone areas is
presented using factor analysis and fuzzy membership functions and Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). A landslide inventory of 51 landslides was created in the mountainous part of Xanthi
prefecture (North Greece) and the associated conditioning factors were determined for each
landslide by field work. Six conditioning factors were evaluated: slope angle, slope aspect, land use,
geology, distance to faults and topographical elevation. Fuzzy membership functions were defined
for each factor using the landslide frequency data. Factor analysis provided weights (i.e., importance
for landslide occurrences) for each one of the above conditioning factors, indicating the most
important factors as geology and slope angle. An overlay and index method was adopted to produce
the landslide susceptibility map. In this map 96% of the observed landslides are located in very high
and high susceptibility zones, indicating a suitable approach for landslide susceptibility mapping.

Trihalomethanes are a major class of chlorination by-products in drinking water. They are formed
when chlorine reacts with bromide (Br-) and natural organic matter (NOM) in source waters.
Toxicology studies have shown all THMs to be carcinogenic or to cause adverse reproductive or
developmental effects in laboratory animals. THMs are small volatile molecules, which are
hydrophobic, non biodegradable and adsorbable on granular activated carbon (GAC).
The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate the adsorption capacity for individual THMs of a GAC
filter-adsorber (A) and a GAC postfilter-adsorber (B), both fed with chlorinated natural water.
For this purpose, a GAC pilot plant was operated as a filter-adsorber and a postfilter-adsorber in
Galatsi WTP, Athens (GTP) until the removal of individual THMs by GAC was eliminated
(breakthrough). Regular sampling was performed during operation and the parameters measured
were: THMs, DOC, free residual chlorine, bromide, turbidity, pH and temperature.
From the experimental data, GAC bed life, GAC usage rate, GAC loading and operation time to
breakthrough were calculated for most THMs. TBM was almost not detected. Some desorption of
THMs, especially TCM and BDCM, was noticed during the operation of both adsorbers.
Near breakthrough for THMs, equilibrium between adsorbed and dissolved THMs was considered to
have been established. The GAC equilibrium loading of individual THMs was assumed to depend on
the mean value of their influent concentration, which was not constant. By correlating the equilibrium
data by linear regression to conform to the Freundlich isotherm, the Freundlich constants 1/n and k
were determined for each of THMs. They are related to the physicochemical characteristics and
background organics of water and the specific GAC used. The strength of the adsorption bond and
the GAC capacity was higher for DBCM, lower for BDCM and even lower for TCM for both
adsorbers. In addition, the GAC(B) capacity for BDCM and DBCM was higher than that of GAC(A),
probably due to larger surface area and surface chemistry of GAC(B). Also, the lower particle size
and the higher uniformity coefficient of GAC(B), along with the lower flow rate may have attributed to
that by enhancing GAC equilibration. However, TCM was less adsorbed by GAC(B), probably due
to the stronger competition effect by BDCM and DBCM, being in much higher mean influent
concentration.
The DOC content of influent water seems also to reduce significantly the adsorption of THMs
(especially of TCM), as the comparison of our results with the isotherm results with distilleddeionized
water by other researchers showed.

Globalization and liberalization polices of the government of India have increased the number of
road vehicles nearly 92.6% from 1980-81 to 2003-2004. Therefore to know whether there is effect of
increase of industrialization in the urban areas like Pune (18° 32′N, 73° 51′E); Mumbai (18° 55' N,
72° 54' E) and at rural station like Ramanandnagar (17° 4′ N, 74° 25′ E); pollution index is measured.
Pollution index which is ratio of average positive to negative small air ion ratio is plotted for week
days and week end. At the rural station like Ramanandnagar Monday to Saturday are working days,
while Sunday is holiday. It is observed that ratio of average positive to negative small ion ratio is
maximum for all time periods during the week day as compared to week end. The data have been
collected during the period from first 1 June 2007 to 31 May 2008; the period under analysis involves
8,040 hours shows that the peak of the positive to negative small air ion ratio is observed in winter,
and dip is observed in post-monsoon season. As Ramanandnagar is surrounded by vegetation area,
therefore due to plant transpiration of Radon and Thoron small air ion maximum are observed at
noon time rather than night time. During the week end positive small air ion count is low as
compared to week days. While during week end negative small air ion count is very high as
compared to week days, which is observed in all the seasons. Post-monsoon is the transition period
during which few thunder storms are observed. Due to these thunder storms additional amount
negative ion are introduced and positively charged aerosols are cleared from the atmosphere.
Therefore in the post-monsoon negative small air ion count is high as compared to all other seasons.
Such type of diurnal variation of small air ion detected at rural station Ramanandnagar has never
been observed elsewhere.

The removal of dyes from colored effluents, particularly from textile industries, is one of the major
environmental concerns these days. Current methods for removing dyes from wastewaters are
costly and cannot effectively be used to treat wide range of such wastewaters. This work describes
the use of grounded rice hull as adsorbent material. Aqueous solutions of various methylene blue
dye concentrations (5-25 mg l-1) were shaken with certain amount of adsorbents to determine the
adsorption capacity. Both treated and untreated rice hulls were used for methylene blue adsorption.
The effects of adsorbents dose, initial pH, initial dye concentration and contact time on dye removal
have been studied. Maximum dye was sequestered from the solution within 60-90 min after the
beginning of every experiment. The adsorption capacity increased from 72 to 94 % with increasing
the pH from 3 to 10. Pretreatment of rice hulls with citric acid did not reveal any beneficial effect.
Rice hulls were more effective compared to commercial used adsorbents used. The results showed
that ground rice hulls can be considered as potential adsorbents for methylene blue removal from
dilute aqueous solutions.