[Environment] Chief Editor Iftikhar A. Raja comsats institute of Information Technology Abbottabad (Pakistan)

ABSTRACT

Environmentally sustainable waste management is a challenging task as it involves multiple and diverse economic, environmental, technical and regulatory issues. Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is more challenging in developing countries like Pakistan due to lack of awareness, technology and human resources, insufficient funding, inefficient collection and transport mechanism resulting in the lack of a comprehensive waste management system. This work presents an overview of current MSWM practices in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and proposes a better and sustainable integrated solid waste management system with incineration (Waste to Energy) option. The diverted waste would otherwise generate revenue; minimize land fill requirement and negative impact on the environment. The proposed optimized solution utilizing scientific techniques (like mathematical modeling, optimization algorithms and GIS) as decision support tools enhances the technical & institutional efficiency leading towards a more sustainable waste management system through incorporating:

• 
  Improved collection mechanisms through optimized transportation / routing and,
  
• 
  Resource recovery through incineration and selection of most feasible sites for transfer stations, landfills and incineration plant.
  

These proposed methods shift the linear waste management system towards a cyclic system and can also be used as a decision support tool by the WSSP (Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar), agency responsible for the MSWM in Peshawar.

AWT-04

BIOLEACHING OF METALS FROM LOW GRADE ORES

Sadia Ilyas*, Jae-chun Lee^**, Haq Nawaz Bhatti^*, Jeaong soo Sohn** and Ayesha Riaz*

*Environmental and Material Chemistry Laboratory,

Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

**Mineral resource research division,

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral resources (KIGAM),

Daejeon, Republic of Korea

[e-mail], [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Present study investigates the bioleaching feasibility of metals from low grade complex sulfide ore. Experiments were conducted with adapted consortium of Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Thermoplasm acidophilum in batch bioreactors (2.0 L), small columns (12 kg ore load, 5% Sº sludge) and large columns (80 kg ore load, 12% Sº sludge). Approximately 83% Ni, 88% Cu, 55 % Fe and 83 % Zn were leached out in bioreactor in batch mode while 93% Ni, 89% Zn, 81% Cu and 65% Fe were leached out in column reactors. Bioleaching efficiency of metals improved by acid pre-leaching, adaptation of microbial consortium on the ore and periodic bleeding of effluents.
AWT-09

ECOTOXICOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF ARSENIC USING BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF EUGLENA GRACILIS AS ENDPOINTS
¹Sidra Tahira, ¹Samrana Zahir, ²MK Daud, ¹Waheed Murad,

²Noor Muhammad, ¹Azizullah Azizullah

¹Department of Botany, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat

²Department of Biotechnology and GE, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat [e-mail]
Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous element and a serious environmental pollutant of water. In drinking water, As causes severe health problems even if it is present in very low concentration. As may also cause serious ecotoxicological effects by impairing different metabolic activities in aquatic organisms. Euglena gracilis is a unicellular freshwater flagellate and is considered very sensitive to environmental pollutants. However, no systematic study has ever been conducted on the toxicity of As toEuglena gracilis. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the effect of As on the biochemical parameters of Euglena gracilis. The culture of Euglena gracilis were grown at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 5 and 10mg/L) of As and the effect on various biochemical characteristics was assessed after seven days of growth. A significant inhibitory effects on photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and total carotenoid) and total soluble sugar was observed, but an increase in total protein contents was shown. The obtained results for ROS species (H2O2, MDA) and antioxidant enzymes (CAT and POD)indicate that As induced toxicity in Euglena gracilis might be due to oxidative stress.It can be concluded from present investigation that the presence of As in water can be a threat to aquatic producers like algae.

AWT-10

BIODEGRADATION OF CHLORPYRIFOS IN SEQUENCING BATCH REACTOR AT DIFFERENT HYDRAULIC RETENTION TIMES
Saira Khalid ^a,b , Imran Hashmi^a, Jong-In Han^b
a Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering,

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology,

(KAIST) 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, South Korea

[e-mail], [e-mail])

ABSTRACT

Wastewater from agrochemical industries contains pesticides and their residues. Among organophosphate pesticide Chlorpyrifos (CP) is known to be toxic for mammals. Therefore its removal from contaminated environment has achieved researcher’s attention. Objective of the current study was to isolate CP degrading bacterial strain and evaluate its degradation potential. For isolation MSM (pH 7) was inoculated with 10 ml of wastewater sample collected from wastewater drain of NUST, Pakistan. Bacterial strain was purified and analyzed for CP degradation ability. Efficient strain SRK2 was identified as Serratia marcescens using 16S rRNA nucleotide sequence analysis. MSM amended with CP 100 mg/L was fed to sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and inoculated with SRK2 (10% v/v) at inoculum density of 0.5 at 600nm. GC-ECD was used for analysis of remaining CP concentration in samples. Performance efficiency of SBR for CP removal was evaluated by varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) (24, 48, 72, and 96 h). At HRT 24 h longer lag phase was observed and couldn’t achieve significant CP removal. However complete removal was achieved at 96hours HRT. At short HRT accumulation of 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), a metabolite, affect efficiency of batch system. Study suggests bioaugmentation of pesticide industry wastewater with Serratia sp. for complete CP removal.

AWT-11

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PHYTOREMEDIATION PLANT INSTALLED AT NUST
Maham Ayesha, Abeerha shahid, Owais mohidin and Imran Hashmi¹

Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE)

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE)

¹National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

Sector H-12 Islamabad, Pakistan

[e-mail]; [e-mail]
ABSTRACT

Discharge of untreated wastewater is responsible for water quality deterioration. It is essential to treat wastewater in order to curtail the environmental risks. Phytoremediation has been recently emerged as competent technology for wastewater treatment because of its low cost, ease operation, maintenance and generally good performance. Given the practical application and simplicity of the technology, phytoremediation of wastewater is highly applicable based on the competency of plants to reduce hazardous impacts. This study evaluated the performance efficiency of a constructed wetland sited at National University of science and technology (NUST), Islamabad. Data collected was for duration of three moths from September 2014 to November 2014. Selected hydrophytes for wastewater treatment were fairly efficient in scavenging Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Phosphates (TP), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), PH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Temperature and Fecal and Total coliforms. Results should potential of aquatic macrophytes for wastewater treatment. This study is expected to add more understanding for phytoremediation in engineered wetland systems, and establish an effective framework for future applications.

AWT-15

WORKING EFFICIENCY OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY IN HAYATABAD INDUSTRIAL ESTATES, PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

Saeed Rehman¹, Mohammad Nafees² and Muhammad Adnan<sup>3

1</sup>Department of Environmental Sciences,

Comsats Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan

^{2, 3}Department of Environmental Sciences,

University of Peshawar, Pakistan

[e-mail], [e-mail]

­­­­­­­

ABSTRACT

The analysis and treatment of industrial wastewater is integral part of water recycling and reusing. The study shows an assessment of treatment facility of Hayatabad Industrial Estate, Peshawar, Pakistan. The facility is established on the main drain of the industrial estate to overcome the organic and inorganic load generated. The wastewater samples were collected from inlet and outlet of the facility from June 2012 to November 2012. The study showed that competency of the facility is extremely poor with respect to reduction in biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total dissolved solids (TDS). The elimination efficiency of TDS, TSS, BOD, COD, was 0.12%, 0.34%, 1.69%, and 0.44% respectively. The efficiency was in order of BOD>COD>TSS>TDS. The results of the study showed that the wastewater is polluted with solids and organic matter and the facility has least control on pollution reduction. The values were compared with NEQs, which concluded that the treatment facility is unable to reduce contaminant load. However, different modifications of advanced treatment could be proposed, which can improve its efficiency, and minimize the pollution load.

AWT-21

POTENTIAL OF INDIRECT DETERMINATION OF ANIONS IN POLLUTED WATER SAMPLES USING FLAME ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROPHOTOMETER
¹Asmaa Bibi, ²Fozia Batool, ²Abida Malik ²Sobia Noureen ²Tasleem Akhtar ³Muhammad Mustaqeem

²Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100 Pakistan

¹Govt. Degree College Bhalwal, Sargodha 40100 Pakistan

³Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Bhakar Campus, Bhakar, Pakistan

[e-mail]
ABSTRACT

In this work an attempt is made to check the concentration of inorganic anions in water by indirect determination using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. Anions were made to react with some metal cations solution in excess, with which they form precipitates. These precipitates are filtered and filtrate was run on FAAS for determination of excess of metals which remain unreacted in filtrate. From amount of these unreacted metals we can determined amount of metal used to react with anion. This amount which is used to react with anions is directly related with concentration of anions in water. So by determining amount of metal in filtrate using FAAS we can indirectly determine amount of anions in water. This method was applied on Tube well water, Canal water and Tap water also.

AWT-25

STUDIES ON PEANUT (ARACHIS HYPOGEAE) HUSK FOR REMOVAL OF BROMOPHENOL BLUE FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION EMPLOYING UV/VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETER
Taslim Akhtar^*, Fozia Batool, Shahid Iqbal, Ilyas Tariq

Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

[e-mail]
ABSTRACT

In current study we have endeavored to remove Bromophenol Blue from aqueous media by employing fruit shell sorbent Arachis hypogeae husk using UV-Visible Spectrophotometer. Effects of various physiochemical parameters such as pH, concentration of sorbate, sorbent dose and contact time were premeditated. The influence of chemical (nitric acid, distilled water and EDTA) and thermal treatment of Arachis hypogeae husk were also monitored. pH was assorted from 1-10 whilst amount of sorbent varied from 1-6 g. Contact time was diverse from 0-17940 minutes and temperature was speckled from 100-800 °C. Percentage sorption on Arachis hypogeae husk was anticipated. Estimation of lipid, protein and metals in Arachis hypogeae husk was conducted. Sorption potential of chemically treated Arachis hypogeae husk for removal of Bromophenol Blue from aqueous media was found to be best. Sorption was found 99.00 % at pH 5 having 4 g sorbent with contact time 300 minutes at 50 rpm at room temperature. The consequences indicated that Arachis hypogeae husk is a potentially cost effective and gorgeous candidate for removing dyes from wastewater.

AWT-27

USE OF COTTON STICKS AGRI-WASTE AS TRICKLING FILTER BIOFILM SUPPORT MEDIUM FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT
Mian M. Ahson Aslam*, Zahid Mahmood-Khan, Imran Ali, Hafiz Umar Farid, Muhammad Arsalan, Maqbool Ahmad

Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences & Technology,

BZU Multan, Pakistan

*[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Wastewater disposal into natural receiving streams without proper treatment is causing unfavourable conditions for human and aquatic life in Pakistan. Only about 6% of the generated wastewaters receive some level of treatment before disposal into our receiving environment. So, there is a dire need to develop relatively cost effective, environmental friendly and reliable wastewater treatment systems using indigenous materials if possible. Therefore, a relatively low cost and operationally effective trickling filter (TF) wastewater treatment system was developed using farm waste cotton sticks as biofilm support media. The developed TF system was tested at four different flow rates 1.7, 2.6, 3.8 and 4.6m³/hr. The performance evaluation of the system in this study indicated 75, 72, 70 and 71% removal of BOD (biological oxygen demand) and 80, 75, 73 and 70% removal of COD (Chemical oxygen demand) respectively at each of the four flow rates tested. About 47.45±5.30 % of TSS (total suspended solids) and 27.24±4.30% of TDS (total dissolved solids) removal was also observed in about 15 minutes of residence time. Four to five months trouble free operation of the developed TF system indicated systems` robustness and reliability. The TF system can be used for reducing contaminant strengths and assist in achieving the goals of safe disposal and reuse of our wastewaters in agriculture. Cotton sticks appeared to be a degradation resistant alternate TF material with high specific surface area and sufficient void ratio (required for maintaining healthy aerobic environment) ensuring longer media life for sustained operation of the system. Such simple treatment systems can be easily used by small farming communities in Pakistan.

AWT-28

MAIZE COB TRICKLING FILTER (MCTF) WATEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM PERFORMANCE VARIATION-II
Muhammad Arsalan*_, Zahid Mahmood Khan, Imran Ali, Hafiz Umar Farid, Mian M. AhsonAslam, Maqbool Ahmad

Department of Agricultural Engineering Faculty of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (FAST),

BZU Multan Pakistan

*[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]