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Noise pollution is defined as any disturbing or unwanted sound that disrupts or harms human health or wildlife. Noise pollution can have profound effects on both human health and the environment. For humans, exposure to excessive noise levels has been linked to a range of health issues, including hearing damage, stress, and sleep disturbances. Noise monitoring and mapping play a crucial role in understanding, managing, and mitigating the impacts of noise pollution on communities and the environment. Urban areas near borders are generally less studied due to restrictions. Therefore, a study has been conducted aiming the monitoring of noise level and looking into its propagation through 2D noise maps in the urban areas of Jammu and Kashmir lying near the Indian border. The monitoring results revealed that even boarder areas are exposed to high noise levels. Bhatindi in Jammu city recorded highest equivalent noise level, Leq of 91.2 dB(A) during evening. Nowshera is calmest among other study area with noise level, Leq of 80.1 dB(A). Further, 2D noise mapping showed some critical locations in study areas of Jammu and Kashmir that the noise propagates to the nearby residential and commercial areas which require immediate remedial measures. The findings not only contribute to the scientific understanding of noise patterns in border regions but also hold practical implications for urban planning, public health, and environmental conservation.

Rapid sand filtration is typically used at water treatment plants to remove the fine suspended solid particles from the raw water. Backwashing of exhausted filter beds inevitably generates large volume of filtration sludge in water treatment plants. In this study, filtration sludge is collected, dried and crushed to powder, then passed through 90 µm sieve to get powdered filtration sludge (PFS) which is then characterized and utilized without energy intensive process of calcination. The PFS is blended with cement up to 20% and investigated for various properties to assess the possibility of its utilization in construction industry. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) mortar or control mortar when substituted with up to 15% PFS has compressive strength above 33 MPa at 28 days and above 41 MPa at 90 days and setting times within prescribed limits. OPC blended with PFS up to 15% conforms various specifications desired for use in different construction practices especially where early strength is not essential. Utilization of filtration sludge as partial cement replacement in mortar would provide a beneficial and sustainable disposal alternative. Simultaneously it will reduce the cement consumption depending on the extent of its utilization. Consequently, it would help in conserving the natural resources, reducing the carbon emission and its related impact on the environment.

The dairy industry is among the most polluting industries as it produces large volume of wastewater that may adversely affect the environment if discharged untreated. Dairy wastewater is characterized by high COD, BOD and nutrient levels. In this study, water treatment sludge was used as a coagulant for the treatment of synthetic dairy wastewater in the pH range of 4–10. Turbidity, COD, BOD, TSS and TDS removals from the synthetic dairy wastewater were found to be around 93, 65, 67, 84 and 85%, respectively, at the optimum conditions. Water treatment sludge was found to perform even better than other conventional coagulants used for the same. Results showed that it has the potential to substitute the conventional coagulants partially or fully in the primary treatment of dairy wastewater. The utilization of water treatment sludge at dairy wastewater treatment plants would provide sustainable sludge management and cost-effective dairy wastewater treatment.

Metal alloy matrix composites are generally lightweight structural materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio. They can be extensively used in various fields of modern engineering applications, such as aerospace and automotive components and biomedical engineering. This study focuses on the development and characterization of lightweight metal alloy matrix composites for industrial applications, with a particular emphasis on magnesium (Mg) alloys as a replacement for aluminum-based alloys. Mg alloys offer significant weight advantages, being 33% lighter than aluminum and 75% lighter than steel, making them highly desirable for use in various engineering fields. In the present study, Mg (AZ91) alloy reinforced with x-Si3N4 composites (x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 wt.%) were fabricated using a liquid state process. The AZ91/x-Si3N4 composites were evaluated through physical, mechanical, wear, and microstructural characterization. The experimental results, supported by statistical analysis, demonstrated that the incorporation of Si3N4 particles amplified the mechanical properties, wear resistance, and porosity of the composites. However, the presence of the reinforced particles resulted in reduced forgeability and elongation, limiting certain deformation characteristics. The existence of the reinforced particles within the composites was confirmed through SEM analysis, providing visual evidence of their distribution and interaction within the Mg alloy matrix. Finally, it was concluded that the implication of the study could be sought for the light structural parts of aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and prosthetic applications.

Burns in epileptic patients are not uncommon, but it is difficult to manage in remote areas of third-world countries. Despite the reduction in burn injuries secondary to a seizure, such injuries still lead to significant morbidity and mortality. In Darfur, Sudan, we managed such an epileptic patient having a full-thickness burn endangering the limb and life. Since these patients should adhere to a specific medication, controlling it remains to be difficult. The patient was managed with serial debridement, dressings, antibiotics, anti-epileptics and a protein diet. Therefore, preparation for preventive strategies consists of lifestyle modification and patient education that is further warranted.

Air pollution, driven by rapid urbanization and industrialization, poses serious health risks, particularly in densely populated cities where individuals spend most of their time indoors. This study assessed indoor and outdoor air quality in residential houses in Okhla, South Delhi—a recognized high-pollution hotspot—during spring 2023 (February–April) using calibrated low-cost sensors. A total of 24 houses were monitored and categorized as well-ventilated or poorly ventilated based on the presence of mechanical ventilation systems. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) were measured indoors and outdoors, and indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios were calculated to evaluate the role of ventilation. Results revealed that indoor PM 10 levels in poorly ventilated houses reached approximately 320 µg/m 3 , far exceeding the WHO guideline of 45 µg/m 3 , while indoor PM 2.5 levels were nearly five times above permissible limits. PM 2.5 and PM 10 exhibited similar temporal patterns, with I/O ratios consistently greater than one, indicating substantial indoor contributions to exposure. Poorly ventilated houses demonstrated higher ratios, underscoring the influence of inadequate ventilation in exacerbating indoor air quality. These findings highlight the urgent need for improved ventilation practices and sustainable urban planning to mitigate health risks. Beyond providing evidence of high indoor exposures in a critical urban hotspot, the study demonstrates the utility of low-cost sensors for monitoring. It contributes to policy discussions on scalable, affordable tools for managing indoor air quality in rapidly urbanizing regions.

The air quality index (AQI) prediction is important to evaluate the effects of air pollutants on human health. The airborne pollutants have been a major threat in Delhi both in the past and coming years. The air quality index is a figure, based on the cumulative effect of major air pollutant concentrations, used by Government agencies, for air quality assessment. Thus, the main aim of the present study is to predict the daily AQI one year in advance through three different neural network models (FF-NN, CF-NN and LR-NN) for the year 2020 and compare them. The models were trained using AQI values of previous year (2019). In addition to main air pollutants like PM 10 /PM 2.5 , O 3 , SO 2 , NOx, CO and NH 3 , the non-criteria pollutants and meteorological data were also included as input parameter in this study. The model performances were assessed using statistical analysis. The key air pollutants contributing to high level of daily AQI were found to be PM 2.5 /PM 10 , CO and NO 2 . The root mean square error (RMSE) values of 31.86 and 28.03 were obtained for the FF-NN and CF-NN models respectively whereas the LR-NN model has the minimum RMSE value of 26.79. LR-NN algorithm predicted the AQI values very closely to the actual values in almost all the seasons of the year. The LR-NN performance was also found to be the best in post-monsoon season i.e., October and November (maximum R 2  = 0.94) with respect to other seasons. The study would aid air pollution control authorities to predict AQI more precisely and adopt suitable pollution control measures. Further research studies are recommended to compare the performance of LR-NN model with statistical, numerical and computational models for accurate air quality assessment.

Large volume of sludge is generated at the water treatment plants during the purification of surface water for potable supplies. Handling and disposal of sludge require careful attention from civic bodies, plant operators, and environmentalists. Quantification of the sludge produced at the treatment plants is important to develop suitable management strategies for its economical and environment friendly disposal. Present study deals with the quantification of sludge using empirical relation between turbidity, suspended solids, and coagulant dosing. Seasonal variation has significant effect on the raw water quality received at the water treatment plants so forth sludge generation also varies. Yearly production of the sludge in a water treatment plant at Ghaziabad, India, is estimated to be 29,700 ton. Sustainable disposal of such a quantity of sludge is a challenging task under stringent environmental legislation. Several beneficial reuses of sludge in civil engineering and constructional work have been identified globally such as raw material in manufacturing cement, bricks, and artificial aggregates, as cementitious material, and sand substitute in preparing concrete and mortar. About 54 to 60% sand, 24 to 28% silt, and 16% clay constitute the sludge generated at the water treatment plant under investigation. Characteristics of the sludge are found suitable for its potential utilization as locally available construction material for safe disposal. An overview of the sustainable management scenario involving beneficial reuses of the sludge has also been presented.

Metal alloy matrix composites are generally lightweight structural materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio. They can be extensively used in various fields of modern engineering applications, such as aerospace and automotive components and biomedical engineering. This study focuses on the development and characterization of lightweight metal alloy matrix composites for industrial applications, with a particular emphasis on magnesium (Mg) alloys as a replacement for aluminum-based alloys. Mg alloys offer significant weight advantages, being 33% lighter than aluminum and 75% lighter than steel, making them highly desirable for use in various engineering fields. In the present study, Mg (AZ91) alloy reinforced with x-Si[sub.3]N[sub.4] composites (x = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 wt.%) were fabricated using a liquid state process. The AZ91/x-Si[sub.3]N[sub.4] composites were evaluated through physical, mechanical, wear, and microstructural characterization. The experimental results, supported by statistical analysis, demonstrated that the incorporation of Si[sub.3]N[sub.4] particles amplified the mechanical properties, wear resistance, and porosity of the composites. However, the presence of the reinforced particles resulted in reduced forgeability and elongation, limiting certain deformation characteristics. The existence of the reinforced particles within the composites was confirmed through SEM analysis, providing visual evidence of their distribution and interaction within the Mg alloy matrix. Finally, it was concluded that the implication of the study could be sought for the light structural parts of aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and prosthetic applications.

Amongst the technologies available, the up flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process has been one of the most widely applied methods for municipal waste water treatment especially in countries of warm climatic conditions like India. However, past about one decade has witnessed rapid decline in the UASB popularity and its implementation. There has been criticism from various sections on the performance of UASB reactors for not complying with the prescribed discharge standards. It is a general hypothesis that the UASB reactors are not meant for diluted waste water like municipal sewage when typically the BOD is less than 150 mg/l, COD 250 mg/l and sulphates are more than 150mg/l. An attempt has been made through this study to investigate the reasons on the basis of quality assessment and field observations on UASB reactors and it’s post-treatment of a newly commissioned (start-up) municipal (sewage) wastewater treatment plant commonly called ‘STP’ having capacity of 14 million litres per day (MLD). Study was aimed to know the gaps during the commissioning stage which could be related to poor removal efficiencies. This paper briefly discusses some issues related to operation and maintenance of the UASB plants with purpose for improvements.