Browsing by Author "Atul Prakash Sharma"

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Assessment of atmospheric PAHs profile through Calotropis gigantea R.Br. leaves in the vicinity of an Indian coal-fired power plant.
(2009) Atul Prakash Sharma; B.D. Tripathi
Biomonitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the leaves of Calotropis gigantea R.Br. were performed at seven sites in the surrounding areas of a Thermal Power Plant (TPP), using the gas chromatography and mass spectrometry technique. The primary objective of the study was to monitor the degree of PAHs load in the nearby sites around TPP compared to distant sites. Total PAH (SigmaPAH) concentrations in the leaves ranged from 372.18 (at control site 7) to 4362.35 ng g(-1) d.w. (at highest polluted site 4). The concentration factors ranged from 2.65 to 11.72 for the sites located at 1 km to the point source and 1.0 to 7.08 for distant sites. The share of carcinogenic PAHs to the total PAHs differed with the site, ranging from 10.76% to 26.92%. The sites located closer to TPP have shown higher concentrations of medium and high molecular weight PAHs, which decreased gradually with the distance from the source. The total PAH burden at control site was dominated by the low and medium molecular weight PAHs compounds viz., naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, coronene., whilst at other sites medium and high PAHs viz., fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo (b) fluoranthene, benzo (e) pyrene and coronene showed the highest values. These results support the biomonitoring ability of Calotropis gigantea R.Br. leaves to monitor PAHs contamination.
Biochemical responses in tree foliage exposed to coal-fired power plant emission in seasonally dry tropical environment
(2009) Atul Prakash Sharma; B.D. Tripathi
A biomonitoring study was conducted to investigate the responses of plants exposed to power plant emission in a dry tropical environment. For this purpose, five sampling sites were selected in the prevailing wind direction (NE) at different distance to thermal power plant (TPP) within 8.0 km range and a reference site was selected in eastern direction at a distance of 22.0 km. The two most common tree species, Ficus benghalensis L. (Evergreen tree) and Dalbergia sisso Roxb. (deciduous tree) were selected as test plants. Ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM), dust-fall rate (DFR) and plant responses such as leaf pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids), ascorbic acid, sugar and sulphate-sulphur (SO 4 2- -S) contents were measured. Ambient SO2, NO2, SPM, RSPM and DFR showed significant spatial and temporal variation at different sites. Considerable reduction in pigment (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoids) and sugar contents were observed at sites receiving higher pollution load. Ascorbic acid exhibited significant positive correlation with pollution load. Accumulation of SO 4 2- -S in leaf tissue showed significant positive correlation with ambient SO2 concentration at all the sites. At the same time, SO 4 2- -S showed significant negative correlation with pigment and sugar content. D. sisso Roxb. tree was found to be more sensitive as compared to F. benghalensis L. tree. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Magnetic mapping of fly-ash pollution and heavy metals from soil samples around a point source in a dry tropical environment
(2008) Atul Prakash Sharma; B.D. Tripathi
The Singrauli region in the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India is one of the most polluted industrial sites of Asia. It encompasses 11 open cast coalmines and six thermal power stations that generate about 7,500 MW (about 10% of India's installed generation capacity) electricity. Thermal power plants represent the main source of pollution in this region, emitting six million tonnes of fly-ash per annum. Fly-ash is deposited on soils over a large area surrounding thermal power plants. Fly-ashes have high surface concentrations of several toxic elements (heavy metals) and high atmospheric mobility. Fly ash is produced through high-temperature combustion of fossil fuel rich in ferromagnetic minerals. These contaminants can be identified using rock-magnetic methods. Magnetic susceptibility is directly linked to the concentration of ferromagnetic minerals, primarily high values of magnetite. In this study, magnetic susceptibility of top soil samples collected from surrounding areas of a bituminous-coal-fired power plant were measured to identify areas of high emission levels and to chart the spatial distribution of airborne solid particles. Sites close to the power plant have shown higher values of susceptibility that decreases with increasing distance from the source. A significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal content in soils is found. A comparison of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility with heavy-metal concentrations in soil samples suggests that magnetic measurements can be used as a rapid and inexpensive method for proxy mapping of air borne pollution due to industrial activity. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007.
Magnetic properties of vehicle-derived particulates and amelioration by Ficus infectoria: A keystone species
(Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, 2005) Sudhir Kumar Pandey; B.D. Tripathi; Santosh Kumar Prajapati; Virendra Kumar Mishra; Alka Rani Upadhyaya; Prabhat Kumar Rai; Atul Prakash Sharma
[No abstract available]