ORCID Profile
0000-0001-9237-1519
Current Organisation
University of Agriculture Faisalabad
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Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-01-2023
DOI: 10.3390/W15030391
Abstract: Chromium (Cr)-contaminated tannery wastewater is a major environmental concern, especially in developing countries, such as Pakistan, due to its use for crop irrigation, resulting in food-chain contamination and health issues. In this study, we explored the distribution, speciation, hydrogeochemical behavior and environmental risks of Cr in tannery wastewater collected from various tanneries of Kasur district in Punjab, Pakistan. Tannery wastewater s les were taken during the summer (TWW-summer n = 82) and winter (TWW-winter n = 82) seasons. The results showed that high Cr concentration was observed in TWW-winter (mean: 49 ± 32 mg L−1) compared to TWW-summer (mean: 15 ± 21 mg L−1). In TWW-summer and TWW-winter s les, the Cr concentration exceeded the National Environmental Quality Standard (1 mg L−1), with the total Cr ranging from 2.8 to 125 mg L−1. Hexavalent Cr (Cr(VI)) and trivalent Cr (Cr(III)) concentrations spanned 2.7 to 2.9 and 12.4 to 46 mg L−1, respectively. The Piper plot showed that hydrogeochemistry of wastewater was dominated by Ca-Mg-SO4 and Ca-Mg-Cl type water, and geochemical modeling indicated that the presence of Cr-iron (Fe)-bearing mineral phases—notably, FeCr2O4, MgCr2O4 and Cr(OH)3) may control the fate of Cr in the tannery wastewater. Environmental risk assessment modeling categorized the tannery wastewater as the ‘worst quality’, which is not fit for use in crop irrigation without treatment. This study highlights that immediate monitoring, remediation and mitigation strategies are required to reduce the risk of Cr exposure from tannery wastewater in many areas of Pakistan.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JHAZMAT.2021.126926
Abstract: Water scarcity is a major threat to agriculture and humans due to over abstraction of groundwater, rapid urbanization and improper use in industrial processes. Industrial consumption of water is lower than the abstraction rate, which ultimately produces large amounts of wastewater such as from tannery industry containing high concentration of chromium (Cr). Chromium-contaminated tannery industry wastewater is used for irrigation of food crops, resulting in food safety and public health issues globally. In contrast to conventional treatment technologies, constructed wetlands (CWs) are considered as an eco-friendly technique to treat various types of wastewaters, although their application and potential have not been discussed and elaborated for Cr treatment of tannery wastewater. This review briefly describes Cr occurrence, distribution and speciation in aquatic ecosystems. The significance of wetland plant species, microorganisms, various bedding media and adsorbents have been discussed with a particular emphasis on the removal and detoxification of Cr in CWs. Also, the efficiency of various types of CWs is elaborated for advancing our understanding on Cr removal efficiency and Cr partitioning in various compartments of the CWs. The review covers important aspects to use CWs for treatment of Cr-rich tannery wastewater that are key to meet UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-12-2022
DOI: 10.3390/AGRICULTURE13010012
Abstract: Cotton is a global cash crop with a significant contribution in the world economy. Optimum nutrient and water supply are most important for sustainable cotton production under warmer and dry environments. Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the cumulative impacts of various nitrogen doses and mulches on sustainable cotton production under semi-arid conditions during 2018 and 2019. Four nitrogen doses 0, 70, 140, and 210 kg ha−1 and three types of mulch: control (without mulch), natural mulch (5 tons/ha wheat straw), and chemical mulch (methanol (30%). Nitrogen 210 kg ha−1 with natural mulching increased 40.5% gunning out turn, 30.0% fiber length, 31.7% fiber strength, 32.6% fiber fineness, 20.8% fiber uniformity, and 34.0% fiber elongation. Shoot nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, and magnesium contents were maximum where 210 kg ha−1 nitrogen and mulch was applied. Natural mulch reduced the soil temperature as compared to chemical and no mulch conditions. The soil temperature was 0.5 to 1.8 ℃ lower in mulching treatments as compared to the control. Maximum economic yield was around 90% higher in natural mulch with the 210 kg ha−1 nitrogen application. It is concluded that optimum nitrogen application with natural mulch not only enhanced plant growth and development but also induced sustainability in quality cotton production under semi-arid conditions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-04-2021
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-10-2021
DOI: 10.3390/AGRICULTURE11101026
Abstract: Rice is a primary food for more than three billion people worldwide and cultivated on about 12% of the world’s arable land. However, more than 88% production is observed in Asian countries, including Pakistan. Due to higher population growth and recent climate change scenarios, it is crucial to get timely and accurate rice yield estimates and production forecast of the growing season for governments, planners, and decision makers in formulating policies regarding import/export in the event of shortfall and/or surplus. This study aims to quantify the rice yield at various phenological stages from hyper-temporal satellite-derived-vegetation indices computed from time series Sentinel-II images. Different vegetation indices (viz. NDVI, EVI, SAVI, and REP) were used to predict paddy yield. The predicted yield was validated through RMSE and ME statistical techniques. The integration of PLSR and sequential time-st ed vegetation indices accurately predicted rice yield (i.e., maximum R2 = 0.84 and minimum RMSE = 0.12 ton ha−1 equal to 3% of the mean rice yield). Moreover, our results also established that optimal time spans for predicting rice yield are late vegetative and reproductive (flowering) stages. The output would be useful for the farmer and decision makers in addressing food security.
No related grants have been discovered for Dr. Khalid Hussain.