Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers worldwide have suggested chronic exp... more Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers worldwide have suggested chronic exposure to air pollutants viz. PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 as one of the influencing factors for the increased rate of fatality. However, most of these studies lacked a comprehensive international outlook. A strong correlation on a regional scale might require further investigations to evaluate the transboundary validity. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the statistical soundness of association of COVID-19 fatality with PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 concentration levels across 463 air quality monitoring stations located in 35 selected cities from USA, India and European Regions (France, Germany and Italy). An aggregated open-source air quality data source was used to download the PM 2.5, NO 2 , and O 3 concentration for > 900 days in the selected cities. The median of this long-term exposure was tested against the COVID-19 fatality rates. A strength of association parameter, ω 2 , and the coefficient of determination, R 2 , were used to evaluate the transboundary association. ω 2 results indicated that only 24.6%, 0.03% and 15.4% of the variation in COVID-19 fatality rates could be explained using PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 concentrations respectively for all the analyzed cities. Further, low values of R 2 between pollutant concentrations and COVID-19 fatality rates corroborated the results (0.27 for PM 2.5 , 0.00038 for NO 2 and 0.18 for O 3). These observations strongly suggest a focal shift towards the inclusion of more explanatory variables and an extensive multidisciplinary work is required in order to understand the cause of COVID-19 fatality.
To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 2... more To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 25 March until 31 May 2020. This unique scenario brought a decline in various anthropogenic activities leading to a considerable decrease in the concentration of several atmospheric pollutants. In this scenario , CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar carried out black carbon (BC), PM10 and PM2.5 analysis through optical and gravimetric measurements, respectively, during March-May 2020 followed by a comparison with previous years (2017-2018) of observation. There was a reduction of ~33% in average overall BC concentration along with a significant drop in PM10 (33%) (P < 0.05) and PM2.5 (~38%) (P < 0.05) during the entire LD period as compared to 2017-2018. During LD, contribution from biomass burning was enhanced by almost 3 times as compared to 2017-2018. However , the simultaneous meteorological variation during the LD period prevents clear distinction of the impact of lockdown on BC and PM.
Copper oxide (Cu2O) is a potential material as a catalyst for CO2 reduction. Cu2O nanostructures ... more Copper oxide (Cu2O) is a potential material as a catalyst for CO2 reduction. Cu2O nanostructures have many advantages, including interfacial charge separation and transportation, enhanced surface area, quantum efficiency, and feasibility of modification via composite development or integration of the favorable surface functional groups. We cover the current advancements in the synthesis of Cu2O nanomaterials in various morphological dimensions and their photochemical and electrochemical applications, which complies with the physical enrichment of their enhanced activity in every application they are employed in. The scope of fresh designs, namely composites or the hierarchy of copper oxide nanostructures, and various ways to improve CO2 reduction performance are also discussed in this review. Photochemical and electrochemical CO2 transformations have received tremendous attention in the last few years, thanks to the growing interest in renewable sources of energy and green facile ch...
Abatement of pharmaceutical pollutants from aquatic systems is crucial but remains a challenge. S... more Abatement of pharmaceutical pollutants from aquatic systems is crucial but remains a challenge. Semiconductor photocatalysis has emerged as an eco-friendly technique that utilizes renewable solar energy to address environmental issues. Naturally occurring and earth abundant hematite (Fe2O3) ores can be incorporated as a suitable component of a photocatalyst. Herein, Brazilian hematite was partially phase transformed into heterophase (consisting of α/γ-Fe2O3) by a simple single-stage heat treatment procedure. The method of synthesis was simple and economical, requiring neither solvents nor concentrated acids. The existence of α/γ-phases in the produced Fe2O3 (FO) was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. After the phase transformation process, the local structure surrounding the Fe atoms was varied as evidenced from X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Given its low toxicity, narrow bandgap, and chemical stability, FO was further combined with g-C3N4 (CN) to form composites. The optical...
ABSTRACT In the present investigation an attempt was made to degrade aniline in the synthetic eff... more ABSTRACT In the present investigation an attempt was made to degrade aniline in the synthetic effluent by homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton oxidation process. Experiments were carried out under the batch and continuous operating conditions. The effect of time, pH and the mass of mesoporous activated carbon on the degradation of aniline in the synthetic wastewater was critically examined through eexperimental design and optimization by central composite design (CCD) under the response surface methodology (RSM). The kinetic constants and the thermodynamic parameters for the oxidation of aniline in synthetic wastewater were determined. The degradation of aniline in synthetic wastewater was confirmed using FT-IR, NMR and UV–visible spectroscopy.
ABSTRACT Fe–Co–Al trimetal oxide (TMO) was prepared by the sol–gel route for the oxidation of phe... more ABSTRACT Fe–Co–Al trimetal oxide (TMO) was prepared by the sol–gel route for the oxidation of phenol solution by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) method. The characteristic of Fe–Co–Al was carried out. The size of the catalyst was found to be between 1 and 5 μm with good porosity which was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The catalytic activity results showed almost complete oxidation of phenol up to 1000 mg/L. The oxidation process and the products formed were confirmed using various instrumental analyses. The TMO catalyst could be reused even after three cycles very effectively.
Mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) derived from rice husk is used for the immobilization of acidic... more Mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) derived from rice husk is used for the immobilization of acidic lipase (ALIP) produced from Pseudomonas gessardii. The purified acidic lipase had the specific activity and molecular weight of 1473 U/mg and 94 kDa respectively. To ...
This study deals with the preparation of surface-modified mesoporous activated carbon (SMMAC) usi... more This study deals with the preparation of surface-modified mesoporous activated carbon (SMMAC) using ethylenediamine and glutaraldehyde. Surface modification renders the covalent immobilization of acidic lipase (AL) onto MAC. The AL was produced from Pseudomonas gessardii using goat tallow as the substrate and purified. The maximum immobilization capacity of SMMAC for AL was 5440U/g. The SMMAC and ALSMMAC were characterized for physico-chemical, morphological and material structure. The ALSMMAC showed credible hydrolytic efficiency toward slaughterhouse lipid wastes and vegetable oils. The hydrolysis of slaughterhouse lipid wastes and vegetable oils obeyed pseudo first order kinetic model. The excellent operational stability of ALSMMAC was verified using olive oil.
Over last two decades, South Asia has witnessed a rapid increase in population, industrialization... more Over last two decades, South Asia has witnessed a rapid increase in population, industrialization, and energy demands. Consequently, 2-6 fold increase in the emission of particulate matter (PM) and trace gases were reported. Air pollution in South Asia has more adverse impact and is linked to nearly 1 million premature deaths and around 10 million tonnes of crop loss in a year. So, monitoring of trace gases and PM concentrations over urban centers has received significant attention among scientists, policymakers, health regulatory agencies, and the media. Particularly over the Indian region, this becomes significant, as the observation of trace gases and PM concentrations with fairly good temporal and spatial resolutions is limited. Concerns about air quality and transport pathways on a regional scale also place more stringent demand on observations and modeling effort. Quantifying the source contribution (regional emission due to various anthropogenic activities such as city traffi...
The giant increase in COVID-19 infection across India forced the government to impose strict lock... more The giant increase in COVID-19 infection across India forced the government to impose strict lockdown in order to curb the pandemic. Although the stringent restrictions crippled India’s economy and poor people’s livelihood, it significantly improved the air quality of most of the polluted cities of India and rejuvenated the atmosphere. Thus, the major objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of lockdown on pollutants prevailing in the atmosphere. A prominent decline in primary pollutants such as Particulate matter (PM), Black carbon (BC), Oxides of nitrogen (NOx), Carbon monoxide (CO) is observed across the country. However, lockdown had a trifling impact on Sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentration over some parts of India due to the constant operation of coal-fired thermal plants as a part of essential service. Furthermore, the sudden decline in NOx concentration disturbed the complex atmospheric chemistry and lead to an enhancement of surface ozone (O3) (secondary...
The adverse health effects of long and short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants are well est... more The adverse health effects of long and short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants are well established in the epidemiological literature. Amongst all pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), poses a significant mortality risk because of its toxicity and extensive human exposure. During COVID-19 lockdowns, numerous studies have reported a reduction in ambient PM 2.5 concentrations due to decreased anthropogenic activities. Therefore, potential health benefits are plausible during this period. In this pursuit, the current study aims to estimate the potential deaths that might have been avoided due to the reductions in PM 2.5 levels during COVID-19 lockdowns in India's 12 states. For the same, concentration-response functions are developed, and the changes in PM 2.5 levels were calculated. Overall, PM 2.5 levels in the analysed states decreased by an average of 19.61 µg/m 3 (SD = 10.34 µg/m 3) during the months of April-June 2020 compared to the previous year. The concentra...
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers worldwide have suggested chronic exp... more Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, several researchers worldwide have suggested chronic exposure to air pollutants viz. PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 as one of the influencing factors for the increased rate of fatality. However, most of these studies lacked a comprehensive international outlook. A strong correlation on a regional scale might require further investigations to evaluate the transboundary validity. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the statistical soundness of association of COVID-19 fatality with PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 concentration levels across 463 air quality monitoring stations located in 35 selected cities from USA, India and European Regions (France, Germany and Italy). An aggregated open-source air quality data source was used to download the PM 2.5, NO 2 , and O 3 concentration for > 900 days in the selected cities. The median of this long-term exposure was tested against the COVID-19 fatality rates. A strength of association parameter, ω 2 , and the coefficient of determination, R 2 , were used to evaluate the transboundary association. ω 2 results indicated that only 24.6%, 0.03% and 15.4% of the variation in COVID-19 fatality rates could be explained using PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 concentrations respectively for all the analyzed cities. Further, low values of R 2 between pollutant concentrations and COVID-19 fatality rates corroborated the results (0.27 for PM 2.5 , 0.00038 for NO 2 and 0.18 for O 3). These observations strongly suggest a focal shift towards the inclusion of more explanatory variables and an extensive multidisciplinary work is required in order to understand the cause of COVID-19 fatality.
To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 2... more To combat the present COVID-19 pandemic, a coun-trywide lockdown (LD) was imposed in India from 25 March until 31 May 2020. This unique scenario brought a decline in various anthropogenic activities leading to a considerable decrease in the concentration of several atmospheric pollutants. In this scenario , CSIR-IMMT Bhubaneswar carried out black carbon (BC), PM10 and PM2.5 analysis through optical and gravimetric measurements, respectively, during March-May 2020 followed by a comparison with previous years (2017-2018) of observation. There was a reduction of ~33% in average overall BC concentration along with a significant drop in PM10 (33%) (P < 0.05) and PM2.5 (~38%) (P < 0.05) during the entire LD period as compared to 2017-2018. During LD, contribution from biomass burning was enhanced by almost 3 times as compared to 2017-2018. However , the simultaneous meteorological variation during the LD period prevents clear distinction of the impact of lockdown on BC and PM.
Copper oxide (Cu2O) is a potential material as a catalyst for CO2 reduction. Cu2O nanostructures ... more Copper oxide (Cu2O) is a potential material as a catalyst for CO2 reduction. Cu2O nanostructures have many advantages, including interfacial charge separation and transportation, enhanced surface area, quantum efficiency, and feasibility of modification via composite development or integration of the favorable surface functional groups. We cover the current advancements in the synthesis of Cu2O nanomaterials in various morphological dimensions and their photochemical and electrochemical applications, which complies with the physical enrichment of their enhanced activity in every application they are employed in. The scope of fresh designs, namely composites or the hierarchy of copper oxide nanostructures, and various ways to improve CO2 reduction performance are also discussed in this review. Photochemical and electrochemical CO2 transformations have received tremendous attention in the last few years, thanks to the growing interest in renewable sources of energy and green facile ch...
Abatement of pharmaceutical pollutants from aquatic systems is crucial but remains a challenge. S... more Abatement of pharmaceutical pollutants from aquatic systems is crucial but remains a challenge. Semiconductor photocatalysis has emerged as an eco-friendly technique that utilizes renewable solar energy to address environmental issues. Naturally occurring and earth abundant hematite (Fe2O3) ores can be incorporated as a suitable component of a photocatalyst. Herein, Brazilian hematite was partially phase transformed into heterophase (consisting of α/γ-Fe2O3) by a simple single-stage heat treatment procedure. The method of synthesis was simple and economical, requiring neither solvents nor concentrated acids. The existence of α/γ-phases in the produced Fe2O3 (FO) was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. After the phase transformation process, the local structure surrounding the Fe atoms was varied as evidenced from X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Given its low toxicity, narrow bandgap, and chemical stability, FO was further combined with g-C3N4 (CN) to form composites. The optical...
ABSTRACT In the present investigation an attempt was made to degrade aniline in the synthetic eff... more ABSTRACT In the present investigation an attempt was made to degrade aniline in the synthetic effluent by homogeneous and heterogeneous Fenton oxidation process. Experiments were carried out under the batch and continuous operating conditions. The effect of time, pH and the mass of mesoporous activated carbon on the degradation of aniline in the synthetic wastewater was critically examined through eexperimental design and optimization by central composite design (CCD) under the response surface methodology (RSM). The kinetic constants and the thermodynamic parameters for the oxidation of aniline in synthetic wastewater were determined. The degradation of aniline in synthetic wastewater was confirmed using FT-IR, NMR and UV–visible spectroscopy.
ABSTRACT Fe–Co–Al trimetal oxide (TMO) was prepared by the sol–gel route for the oxidation of phe... more ABSTRACT Fe–Co–Al trimetal oxide (TMO) was prepared by the sol–gel route for the oxidation of phenol solution by catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) method. The characteristic of Fe–Co–Al was carried out. The size of the catalyst was found to be between 1 and 5 μm with good porosity which was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The catalytic activity results showed almost complete oxidation of phenol up to 1000 mg/L. The oxidation process and the products formed were confirmed using various instrumental analyses. The TMO catalyst could be reused even after three cycles very effectively.
Mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) derived from rice husk is used for the immobilization of acidic... more Mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) derived from rice husk is used for the immobilization of acidic lipase (ALIP) produced from Pseudomonas gessardii. The purified acidic lipase had the specific activity and molecular weight of 1473 U/mg and 94 kDa respectively. To ...
This study deals with the preparation of surface-modified mesoporous activated carbon (SMMAC) usi... more This study deals with the preparation of surface-modified mesoporous activated carbon (SMMAC) using ethylenediamine and glutaraldehyde. Surface modification renders the covalent immobilization of acidic lipase (AL) onto MAC. The AL was produced from Pseudomonas gessardii using goat tallow as the substrate and purified. The maximum immobilization capacity of SMMAC for AL was 5440U/g. The SMMAC and ALSMMAC were characterized for physico-chemical, morphological and material structure. The ALSMMAC showed credible hydrolytic efficiency toward slaughterhouse lipid wastes and vegetable oils. The hydrolysis of slaughterhouse lipid wastes and vegetable oils obeyed pseudo first order kinetic model. The excellent operational stability of ALSMMAC was verified using olive oil.
Over last two decades, South Asia has witnessed a rapid increase in population, industrialization... more Over last two decades, South Asia has witnessed a rapid increase in population, industrialization, and energy demands. Consequently, 2-6 fold increase in the emission of particulate matter (PM) and trace gases were reported. Air pollution in South Asia has more adverse impact and is linked to nearly 1 million premature deaths and around 10 million tonnes of crop loss in a year. So, monitoring of trace gases and PM concentrations over urban centers has received significant attention among scientists, policymakers, health regulatory agencies, and the media. Particularly over the Indian region, this becomes significant, as the observation of trace gases and PM concentrations with fairly good temporal and spatial resolutions is limited. Concerns about air quality and transport pathways on a regional scale also place more stringent demand on observations and modeling effort. Quantifying the source contribution (regional emission due to various anthropogenic activities such as city traffi...
The giant increase in COVID-19 infection across India forced the government to impose strict lock... more The giant increase in COVID-19 infection across India forced the government to impose strict lockdown in order to curb the pandemic. Although the stringent restrictions crippled India’s economy and poor people’s livelihood, it significantly improved the air quality of most of the polluted cities of India and rejuvenated the atmosphere. Thus, the major objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive overview of lockdown on pollutants prevailing in the atmosphere. A prominent decline in primary pollutants such as Particulate matter (PM), Black carbon (BC), Oxides of nitrogen (NOx), Carbon monoxide (CO) is observed across the country. However, lockdown had a trifling impact on Sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentration over some parts of India due to the constant operation of coal-fired thermal plants as a part of essential service. Furthermore, the sudden decline in NOx concentration disturbed the complex atmospheric chemistry and lead to an enhancement of surface ozone (O3) (secondary...
The adverse health effects of long and short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants are well est... more The adverse health effects of long and short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants are well established in the epidemiological literature. Amongst all pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), poses a significant mortality risk because of its toxicity and extensive human exposure. During COVID-19 lockdowns, numerous studies have reported a reduction in ambient PM 2.5 concentrations due to decreased anthropogenic activities. Therefore, potential health benefits are plausible during this period. In this pursuit, the current study aims to estimate the potential deaths that might have been avoided due to the reductions in PM 2.5 levels during COVID-19 lockdowns in India's 12 states. For the same, concentration-response functions are developed, and the changes in PM 2.5 levels were calculated. Overall, PM 2.5 levels in the analysed states decreased by an average of 19.61 µg/m 3 (SD = 10.34 µg/m 3) during the months of April-June 2020 compared to the previous year. The concentra...
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