Browsing by Author "Sushil Kumar Shukla"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Agroecosystem contamination with heavy metals due to road transportation: A global threat to safe food security
(Institution of Chemical Engineers, 2025) Akshay Kumar Singh; Jatin Kumar Choudhary; Sushil Kumar Shukla; Kuldeep Bauddh; Gavendra C. Pandey; Sughosh Madhav; Ajai Singh; Manoj Kumar
Road transportation significantly contributes to heavy metals (HMs) in the atmosphere. The introduction of HMs into the environment is a major global ecotoxicological concern. The proliferation of road networks, coupled with the escalating vehicular volume, has exacerbated the presence of HMs, including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), in agricultural soil and crops proximate to transportation arteries, thereby imperilling global food security. The current review focused on the significant contamination of HMs in agroecosystems worldwide due to road transportation. It highlights the various pathways through which HMs are transported to agroecosystems and their impact on nearby ecosystems. The review also evaluates the degree of HMs contamination and its subsequent transfer into soil and crops such as geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), translocation factor (TF), and bioaccumulation factor (BAF). Recent studies have shown that harmful HMs can be absorbed by edible parts of crops, which are then consumed directly by humans. A study conducted near the National Highway in Jhansi, India found high levels of HMs in the edible parts of tomato plants (Cu – 4.77 mg/kg, Cd- 0.14 mg/kg, nickel (Ni) – 0.89 mg/kg, and Mn – 14.46). Similar studies conducted in various parts of the world have also observed increased HMs in agricultural soil and crops near roads. The current review aims to investigate HMs contamination in agroecosystems caused by road transportation and to suggest directions for future research to reduce HMs emissions from the sources. © 2024 The Institution of Chemical Engineers
Effects of acid mine drainage on hydrochemical properties of groundwater and possible remediation
(wiley, 2021) Anusha Vishwakarma; Sushil Kumar Shukla; Vinod Kumar Tripathi; Chandra Shekhar Dwivedi; Santosh Kumar Jha; Ashutosh Tripathi
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a severe environmental problem in the area of metal and mining industries throughout the world. AMD becomes a pollutant for the surface and groundwater due to its highly acidic nature and high toxicity. From mineral exploration to the closing stage, mining methods, both opencast as well as underground, have serious environmental impacts with large-scale consequences. Sulphide minerals, mainly pyrite, present in coals when exposed to air and water and get oxidized and hydrolyzed to form sulphuric acid, which further dissolves heavy metals. Formation of AMD is a natural process but it is accelerated by large-scale indiscriminate, unscientific mining and construction activities. AMD is characterized by low pH, high acidity, and elevated concentration of sulphate, TDS (total dissolved solids), and heavy metals. Globally, groundwater quality deterioration is influenced by mine drainage. Leachates of AMD originating from overburdened mine waste have the potential to penetrate through the ground surface to the subsurface and contaminate groundwater. During the rainy season, leaching of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Hg, etc.) from mine spoils happens more easily, thereby polluting groundwater. AMD treatment is mostly costlier than its control and it will take some years, even after mining activity has stopped. Initial identification of the problem has the potential to limit the factors accountable for AMD generation. This chapter conceives the fundamental science of AMD generation and its impact on groundwater quality, and also suggests the measures for its treatment and management. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recent trends and future perspectives in applications of biofiltration
(Elsevier, 2021) Ananya Naha; Swastika Saha; Hare Ram Singh; Sushil Kumar Shukla; Vinod Kumar Tripathi; Santosh Kumar Jha
The rapidly increasing industrialization has adversely affected the environment due to deterioration of water and air quality. The continuous addition of hazardous chemicals, gaseous contaminants, and particulate materials to our environment imposed the life-threatening challenges for flora and fauna. There is an urgent need to adopt the sustainable technologies to reduce the contamination occurring in air and water resources. To cope up with various types of contaminants abatement techniques have been employed. In the recent decade the biofiltration-based methods have been emerged as promising abatement techniques to remove the hazardous contaminants from wastewater or polluted air. The biofiltration exploits the potentials of microbial systems (bacteria and fungi) to degrade the wide range of chemicals and volatile organic components (VOCs). In this chapter emphasis has been given on the basic concepts and mechanism of biofiltration along with its application for treatment of wastewater and polluted air. The details about the removals of hazardous heavy metals, cationic-anionic dyes, xenobiotics, organic contaminants, and assimilable organic carbon from water has been discussed. The removal of VOC, malodorous compounds, and sulfurous compound from air have been discussed. The chapter also gives the light about pros and cons of biofiltration. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
The efficient applications of native flora for phytorestoration of mine tailings: a pan-global survey
(Springer, 2024) Ankit Abhilash Swain; Pallavi Sharma; Chetan Keswani; Tatiana Minkina; Purushotham Tukkaraja; Venkataramana Gadhamshetty; Sanjeev Kumar; Kuldeep Bauddh; Narendra Kumar; Sushil Kumar Shukla; Manoj Kumar; Rama Shanker Dubey; Ming Hung Wong
Mine tailings are the discarded materials resulting from mining processes after minerals have been extracted. They consist of leftover mineral fragments, excavated land masses, and disrupted ecosystems. The uncontrolled handling or discharge of tailings from abandoned mine lands (AMLs) poses a threat to the surrounding environment. Numerous untreated mine tailings have been abandoned globally, necessitating immediate reclamation and restoration efforts. The limited feasibility of conventional reclamation methods, such as cost and acceptability, presents challenges in reclaiming tailings around AMLs. This study focuses on phytorestoration as a sustainable method for treating mine tailings. Phytorestoration utilizes existing native plants on the mine sites while applying advanced principles of environmental biotechnology. These approaches can remediate toxic elements and simultaneously improve soil quality. The current study provides a global overview of phytorestoration methods, emphasizing the specifics of mine tailings and the research on native plant species to enhance restoration ecosystem services. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.