Browsing by Author "R. S. Singh"

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Analysis of Solid Waste Management Scenarios in India: A Comparative Case Study of Indore and Varanasi with Special Emphasis on Policy Gaps and Interventions
(ACCB Publishing, 2025) Deepak Rathore; Ravikant Dubey; R. S. Singh; Amrita Dwivedi
Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India, is prominent in the country. It drastically improved its waste management capacity after 2014, when it became the constituency of the prime minister of India. At the same time, Indore established itself as a role model for sanitation in general and solid waste management in particular by securing the title of the cleanest city in India for the fifth consecutive year. Solid waste management is the biggest challenge in India, and it is growing continuously. A comparison between Indore and Varanasi will reveal the gaps in solid waste management in India's two-tier towns. Comparative data analysis of the solid waste composition, chemical composition, cleaning, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal facilities will provide insight into the shortcomings of waste management. Analysing waste generation in different states and cities with varying population densities will reveal the patterns responsible for better or worse waste management in specific areas. We have analysed data and recognised patterns of waste generation with regard to economic prosperity. This study analyses the policy framework for waste and sanitation in India in comparison to the global context. Many successful policy frameworks are designed by international organisations like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Bank. We have compared the Indian waste management policy and status with the World Bank's policy framework, as it is the most comprehensive policy framework currently available. We have primarily focused on Indore and compared it with Varanasi regarding policy frameworks and enforcement strategies. This study identifies potential gaps by analysing patterns in waste management and proposes improved ideas for waste-related policies and sustainable development. © 2025 Rathore et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Bioaerosol emissions from solid waste processing facilities at urban environment and their impact on human health
(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Yogesh Kumar Vishwakarma; Neelmani Bhardwaj; Kirpa Ram; Mukunda Madhab Gogoi; Tirthankar Banerjee; Manoranjan Mohanty; R. S. Singh
Waste management is one of the challenging issues in developing countries because of indiscriminate urbanization, huge population growth coupled with insufficient technology to manage it. The processing of waste and producing manure are good techniques for solid waste management. This study shows that during waste processing such as loading and unloading, sorting, mixing and leachate treatment, several types of bioaerosols, both bacterial and fungal, are emitted to the atmosphere. Here, both fungal and bacterial bioaerosol concentration near a waste processing facility is reported with metagenomic analysis and health assessment. Average bacterial bioaerosol concentration was noted to be 2979 ± 544 CFU/m3, whereas the fungal bioaerosol concentration was 2288 ± 1128 CFU/m3 at the waste processing site. Size distribution shows that the concentration of bacterial bioaerosol was mostly in the finer range (0.65–1.1 μm) while the fungal concentration was highest in the coarse size (between 3.3 and 7.0 μm). The metagenomic analysis of the bacterial bioaerosol sample revealed dominance of Alcaligenaceae (22 %), Stenotrophomonas (19 %), Bacillus (14 %) whereas, Fusarium (40 %), Epicoccum (23 %), Hypocreales (15 %), Coprinopsis (8 %), Cladosporium (4 %), Sarocladium (4 %), Tourlaspora (2 %), Alternaria (2 %) and Cryptococcus (2 %) were dominant fungal species. The top two dominant genera of bacterial strain expressed resistance towards azithromycin and cefixime. In the cross-sectional health survey near the waste processing site, participants including both workers on the site and people nearby, reported symptoms of respiratory, skin and eye irritation and bad smell. This study will help to improve the waste treatment process safety protocols and the health of the population around. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.
Development of cost-effective proton exchange membrane using agro waste-based biochar for application in microbial fuel cell (MFC)
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Amit Bar; Onkar Jaychand Kupkar; Chandan Upadhyay; R. S. Singh
Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising emerging technology in which waste can be converted into energy, hydrogen and many other valuable products. Proton exchange membrane (PEM) contributes a significant portion (around 50%) of the overall cost of MFC. The current study focuses on synthesizing low-cost PEM using biochar produced by biomass pyrolysis at 400 °C. The Pristine biochar (PB) obtained by pyrolysis was sulphonated to improve the desirable properties required for the preparation of PEM. Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) measurements show a considerable improvement in surface area per unit weight and decreased sulphonated biochar (SB) micropore size. FTIR analysis shows that the peak position is at 1169 cm−1, which indicates the presence of the sulphonyl group (-SO3H) in the SB. The presence of the group demonstrated that the sulphonation of biochar by sulphuric acid was done successfully. A comparison of proton conductivity between SB and PB was determined by Nyquist plot using Zsimp Win 3.21 software and the data taken from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. A large improvement in the proton conductivity of SB (0.135 S cm−1) was observed compared to that of PB (0.0204 S cm−1). The morphological structure of PB and SB was studied using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM results showed more even pore distribution and the presence of pores and crevices on the SB than PB, which promotes better proton transfer. EDX results show the presence of sulphur in SB, which confirms the results of FTIR. Polyvinyl alcohol was used as a binder for the membrane preparation. The maximum power density of the MFC with SB-based PEM was found to be 5.6 mWcm−1. The estimated cost of the material was found to be 17 times cheaper than Nafion. This study demonstrated that biochar-based PEM can drastically lower the MFC’s overall cost. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.
Effect of Nanocomposites on Sustainable Growth of Crop Plants and Productivity
(wiley, 2025) Katina Chachei; Sonali Ranjan; Kirpa Ram; R. S. Singh
The growing population has placed tremendous pressure on the agriculture sector for food production. To meet this demand, the current agricultural practices rely heavily on agrochemical inputs to sustain the growing requirement for agricultural products. The injudicious application of agrochemicals has led to a gradual deterioration of the soil causing acidification and fertility, contamination of groundwater, eutrophication, greenhouse gas emissions, and risks to human health. Many of these agrochemicals are not utilized by the plants partly because of their larger size and surface area, which leads to accumulation in the field. In this regard, nanotechnology-based agrochemicals, especially nanocomposite (NC) materials, have emerged as an attractive tool due to their enhanced physiochemical properties that are vital for sustainable agriculture. NCs are formed by combining a matrix with a nanofiller where at least one material dimension is in the nanoscopic range (1-100 nm). These materials exhibit reactivity, mechanical, thermal, and other properties over neat polymers or conventional composites. They are used in agriculture as NC-based fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and sensor materials. Their unique characteristic lies in their capacity to regulate the release of agrochemicals to coincide with the spatial and temporal demand of crops. This enhances nutrient use efficiency, seed germination, photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and grain yield, while having a low detrimental impact on the environment. They also improve soil water retention and oxygen content, enrich microbial diversity in the rhizosphere, and protect crops against diseases by disrupting fungal hyphal structures and suppressing sporangial germination. Some studies have reported potential negative effects of NCs and phytotoxicity risk beyond a certain level, necessitating further investigation. Other challenges include their widespread adoption at present due to high costs and unknown consequences. Nevertheless, there is an ever-growing interest among the scientific community to develop an ideal composite that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. This chapter explores recent advancements in NCs, their positive and adverse effects, challenges, and promising aspects for sustainable growth and production of crops. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Performance comparison of single and double slope solar still by experimental investigation
(Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2025) Vinay Mishra; Dhananjay Singh; R. S. Singh; Balendu Shekher Giri
Life can't sustain without water. Sustainable development goal (SDG-6) emphasizes on access of suitable quality water to all. The amount of available freshwater on earth is very low and declining further. Human health, life quality and environment can be severely affected by the rising water scarcity. Desalination is the most widely adopted method to meet the global water demand. However, the adverse environmental impacts of existing desalination techniques necessitate the quest of sustainable methods. Solar distillation can be used for production of drinking water in a sustainable and economic manner. The current work evaluates and compares the performance of a small size single and a double slope solar still under similar climatic conditions. Both the stills are made of galvanized iron sheet and basin area is 0.36 m2. The productivity of single slope solar still (SSSS) and double slope solar still (DSSS) are found to be 2.58 L/m2 and 3.19 L/m2 respectively. The water yield of double slope solar still is observed to be 23.7 % higher than that of single slope solar still. Hence, the double slope solar still is observed to exhibit better performance. © 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.
Size-segregated bioaerosols concentration and characterization under diverse microenvironments
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2025) Yogesh Kumar Vishwakarma; Kirpa Ram; Mukunda Madhab Gogoi; Tirthankar Banerjee; R. S. Singh
Scientific research on the concentration and size distribution of bioaerosols in diverse environmental conditions is recently being prioritized. Exposure to bioaerosols, especially through inhalation, is linked to many severe health complications. The inhalation of the bioaerosols is directly linked with the size as well as the nature of the bioaerosols. However, information related to the prevalence of bioaerosols is limited in India, constituting the basis for investigating variations in bacterial and fungal bioaerosol concentrations at various indoor sites. Several observational campaigns were initiated within diverse indoor sites, including cowshed, poultry, canteen, library, auditorium, laboratory, and hospital, using a six-stage viable impactor. Bacterial bioaerosols were more prevalent for size > 7.0 μm and between 1.1 and 2.1 μm. In contrast, fungal concentration peaked in the size range of 1.1 to 3.3 μm. At all the sites, the concentration of bacterial bioaerosols exceeded fungal bioaerosols (2 to 12 times), while such variation was exceptionally high in the poultry firm (70 times higher). No significant correlation was noted between bacterial and fungal bioaerosol concentration and environmental factors. The diversity of bacteria and fungi bioaerosols was found to be different as it varied from site to site. However, species like Acinetobacter and Bacillus sp. in bacteria and Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium in fungi were most prevalent. Some of the bioaerosols found in these sites are pathogenic in nature and may cause severe health issues (if found in significant amount). The predominance of bioaerosols is mostly within the breathable range (< 3.3 μm) in diverse microenvironments. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.