Data on physical impacts and hydrogeochemical assessment of inactive/abandoned mines in and around Southwestern parts of the Cuddapah basin using a conceptual site model (CSM).

The conceptual site model (CSM) has been designed for Inactive/abandoned mines in the SW part of Cuddapah basin, which gives an overview of Inactive/abandoned mine characterization in terms of physical impacts such as vertical openings, dangerous impoundments, location of steep slopes, waste processing facilities, steep portal abandoned barite mine and assessment of groundwater analytical data. To evaluate the groundwater quality and its suitability for domestic, drinking purposes, 44 groundwater samples were collected from the southwestern part of the Cuddapah basin, were examined for major cations and anions. The suitability of groundwater for drinking purposes is assessed by comparing with the World Health Organization (W.H.O) and Indian standards (IS).

Effective feather degradation and keratinase production by Bacillus pumilus GRK for its application as bio-detergent additive.

An effecient feather-degrading bacterium was isolated from poultry dumping yard and identified as Bacillus pumilus GRK based on 16S rRNA sequencing. Complete feather degradation (98.3±1.52%) with high keratinase production (373±4 U/ml) was observed in 24h under optimized conditions (substrate 1% (w/w); inoculum size 4% (v/v); pH 10; 200rpm at 37°C) with feathers as sole carbon and nitrogen source in tap water. The fermented broth was enriched with amino acids like tryptophan (221.44µg/ml), isoleucine (15.0µg/ml), lysine (10.81µg/ml) and methionine (7.24µg/ml) suggesting its potential use as feed supplement. The keratinase produced was a detergent stable serine protease and its activity was further enhanced by Ca+2 and Mg+2. Bacillus pumilus GRK keratinase was successfully utilised as bioadditive in detergent formulations for removing the blood stains from cloth without affecting its fiber and texture.

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soils at Jajmau (Kanpur) and Unnao industrial areas of the Ganga Plain, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Environmental geochemical studies were carried out in and around Jajmau (Kanpur) and Unnao industrial areas (80 degrees 15'-80 degrees 34'E longitude and 26 degrees 24'-26 degrees 35'N latitude), of Uttar Pradesh to find out the extent of chemical pollution in soil due to industrial waste. Jajmau and Unnao are prominent centers for leather processing clusters of tannery industries (about 450) along the banks of river Ganga, besides other industries. Geologically the study area is beset with alluvium of Quaternary age consisting of older alluvium of middle to upper Pleistocene and newer alluvium of Holocene. The climate of the study area is semi-arid type. Fifty-three soil samples were collected from Jajmau and Unnao industrial areas from top 15 cm layer of the soil and were analyzed for heavy metals by using Philips MagiX PRO-PW 2440 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The data reveals that the soil in the area is significantly contaminated with heavy metals such as chromium varies from 161.8 to 6227.8 mg/kg (average of 2652.3mg/kg), Ba varies from 44.1 to 780.9 mg/kg (average of 295.7 mg/kg), Cu varies from 1.7 to 126.1mg/kg (average of 42.9 mg/kg), Pb varies from 10.1 to 67.8 mg/kg (average of 38.3mg/kg), Sr varies from 46.6 to 150.6 mg/kg (average of 105.3mg/kg), V varies from 1.3 to 208.6 mg/kg (average of 54.4 mg/kg) and Zn varies from 43.5 to 687.6 mg/kg (average of 159.9 mg/kg). Soil contamination was assessed on the basis of geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor and degree of contamination. Indiscriminate dumping of hazardous waste in the study area could be the main cause of the soil contamination, spreading by rainwater and wind. Distribution and correlation of heavy metals in soil along with possible remedial measures are discussed.