Articles in Press

The increasing industrialization and urbanization in recent times has led to a significant increase in heavy metal pollution in soil and sediment. The present study aims to evaluate the heavy metal contamination (HmC) in surface sediments collected from the Kosasthalaiyar River located between latitudes 13°12′03″N and 13°16′34″N and longitudes 80°18′6″E and 80°19′56″E. Ten sampling locations were selected in the study area and samples of surface sediments were collected and analyzed for 16 geochemical and heavy metal parameters, including Silver (Ag), Aluminium (Al), Calcium (Ca), Cadmium (Cd), Chloride, Cobalt (Co), Total Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Mercury (Hg), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb), Silica (Si), Titanium (Ti), and Zinc (Zn). The study aims to determine the potential environmental hazards of heavy metals in the sediment through calculation of the potential environmental hazard index (RI). Assess the impact of human activities on HmC in the surface sediments using four pollution indices: the Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the Contaminant factor (CF), the degree of contamination (DC), the potential contamination index (PCI), and the pollution load index (PLI) and Conduct a human health risk assessment (HHRA) of heavy metals in the sediment. The study results will provide insight into the contamination levels and help inform measures for controlling pollution and promoting sustainability in the area.

Groundwater sources play an important role in meeting the day today needs of the present generation. Frequent monitoring of the ground water source plays an important part. The aim of this study is to analyze the quality of the ground water in and around the solid waste dumpsite near Sathyamangalam town in Erode district and to identify the variation in concentration with respect to time. Groundwater samples were collected from twenty-one locations and analyzed for pH, Electrical conductivity, Total Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Total Dissolved solids, Calcium, Magnesium, Chlorides, Sodium, Potassium, Nitrates and Sulphates. The collected groundwater samples were analysed using “Weighted Arithmetic Index” and the water quality was indicated using WQI - a number used to identify the water quality easily by the general public. From the results obtained, it is inferred that Water Quality Index changes with respect to pre-monsoon and post monsoon seasons and different time periods for the same location. The changes in water quality are not fully influenced by the open dump site and it may be due to weathering of rocks, use of fertilizers in agricultural lands. Majority of the samples are of poor quality with respect to drinking water quality index. Gibb’s plot, Wilcox diagram and United States Salinity Laboratory diagram are used to assess the suitability of groundwater samples for irrigation purpose. Most of the samples are good for agricultural use. Hence frequent and continuous monitoring of the groundwater quality is necessary to identify its suitability for drinking and agricultural purpose.

Toxicity poses a significant threat to the environment and human health. Heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc, have been shown to harm both agricultural ecosystems and human health. This paper aims to examine the effects of these heavy metals on the environment and human health, as well as discuss the problem of heavy metal deposition in soils. Additionally, the paper utilizes IoT and an SVM classifier to examine human disorders caused by heavy metal exposure. The reflectance spectra of soil samples were used to assess levels of heavy metals using an artificial intelligence algorithm. Arsenic, copper, lead, and cadmium concentrations were estimated using this method. Additionally, an artificial neural network and Naive Bayes model were developed to estimate heavy metal concentrations. The ANN model had R2 values of 0.82, 0.80, 0.76, and 0.70 for copper, cadmium, zinc, and lead, respectively, while the training data had R2 values of 0.70, 0.56, 0.62, and 0.59 for the same estimations.

Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSWW) is a crucial concern fundamentally due to extensive generation and related substantial amounts of recalcitrant organic content due to high COD and oil and grease (O&G) levels. Hybrid advanced oxidation processes are promising, green, and innovative options to treat various industrial wastewater; to date, this potential has not been implemented to high-strength wastewater from the poultry industry. This work aims to investigate the combination of ultrasound and photocatalysis processes in the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater for the removal of COD and O&G under different operating conditions such as catalyst type (TiO2 and ZnO), irradiation type (UVA365 and UVC254), catalyst dosage (0.5-2.5 g/L), pH (2–10), hydrogen peroxide concentration (0-10 mM) and operation time (30-180 min). Taguchi’s experimental design based on the L36 orthogonal array was adequately applied to optimize the process. The finding results presented that ZnO concentration of 2.5 g/L, pH 2, and operation time of 180 min under UVC254 were optimum parameters to achieve maximum COD removal while, ZnO concentration of 1.5 g/L, pH 6, H2O2 concentration of 5 mmol/L and operation time of 30 min under UVC254 were optimum parameters to achieve maximum oil and grease removal. With these optimum conditions, the best attained COD and O&G removal yields were 54% and 99%, respectively.