Penyisihan Logam Pada Lindi Dengan Sistem Sub-surface Constructed Wetland

Salah satu hasil dari proses pengolahan sampah yang dilakukan di TPA adalah air lindi. Sebagian besar sampah yang diolah di TPA Batu Layang berasal dari limbah domestik, walaupun demikian, di dalam air lindi tersebut juga memiliki kandungan logam. Keberadaannya di lingkungan harus dihindari karena apabila logam berat masuk ke dalam rantai makanan dalam kadar tertentu dapat mengganggu kesehatan. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah mengetahui seberapa besar efisiensi penyisihan logam Cu, Zn, dan Fe pada lindi dengan menggunakan sistem Sub-surface Constructed Wetland menggunakan tanaman Cyperus papyrus dan Echinodorus palaefolius, membandingkan besar efisiensi antara tanaman Cyperus papyrus dan Echinodorus palaefolius dalam penyisihan logam pada lindi dan menentukan waktu detensi yang efektif untuk menurunkan kadar logam pada lindi. Setelah dilakukan penelitian, efisiensi penyisihan logam Cu, Fe dan Zn pada lindi dalam bak I dengan tanaman echinodorus paleofolius berdasarkan hasil analisis sampel awal lindi masing-masing sebesar 34.5%, 85.5% dan 94.2% dan pada bak II dengan tanaman cyperus papyrus masing-masing sebesar -3.4%, 76.4% dan 91.4%. Apabila berdasarkan hasil analisis effluent hari ke-0, maka efisiensi penyisihan logam pada bak I masing-masing sebesar 87.7%, 99.3% dan 95.5% sedangkan pada bak II masing-masing sebesar 75.9%, 98.8% dan 93.4%. Tanaman echinodorus paleofolius mampu menyerap logam Cu, Fe dan Zn dengan efisiensi penyerapan masing-masing sebesar 82.9%, 92.3% dan 90.5%, lebih banyak dibandingkan dengan tanaman cyperus papyrus yang memiliki efisiensi penyerapan masing-masing 71.5%, 90.8% dan 87.6%. Waktu detensi yang efektif dalam penurunan logam Cu, Fe dan Zn pada bak I dengan tanaman echinodorus paleofolius adalah 6 hari, sedangkan pada bak II dengan tanaman cyperus papyrus, waktu detensi untuk ketiga logam adalah 9 hari

Effect of paclobutrazol and benzyl adenine on oriental lily hybrids

Studies on the effect of growth regulators viz., Paclobutrazol and Benzyl Adenine (PBZ and BA, respectively) on Oriental Lily Hybrids, 'Star Gazer Pink' and 'Star Gazer White' in the second year were carried out at Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (H.P). The effect of growth regulators applied in the first year, was studied on growth and flowering of Oriental lily hybrids in the second year. Plant height and number of leaves plant-1 were recorded maximum when PBZ 25 ppm was applied in the first year. Maximum plant height and number of leaves plant-1 were found in 'Star Gazer White' (84.46 cm; 35.04 cm). Bulbs of 'Star Gazer White' when dipped in PBZ 25 ppm for 12 h in the first year resulted in maximum plant height (102.50 cm) in the second year. Leaf area in the second year was recorded maximum in 'Star Gazer White' (34.40 cm2) when PBZ 50 ppm was applied as bulb dip in the first year. Flower buds were initiated earlier in 'Star Gazer White' (84.48 days) as compared to 'Star Gazer Pink' (85.90 days). Days to bud initiation were also recorded minimum (75.81 days) when PBZ 25 ppm was applied as pre-plant bulb dip. More number of flowers plant-1 was recorded in 'Star Gazer White' (5.42) which lasted longer on stems (16.77 days). Bulbs dipped in growth regulators in the first season produced maximum number of flowers plant-1 (5.72) and duration of flowering was also maximum (18.28 days)

Off-label use of antibiotics in hospitalised children in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Children constitute one-third of the population and they suffer from a variety of infectious diseases and are commonly prescribed antibiotics. Most of the antibiotics lack sufficient information on safety and efficacy in children and are thus prescribed off-label. This study was envisaged to assess the off-label use of antibiotics in hospitalized children.Methods: Total 120 patients were included in the study. Off-label use was determined on the basis of product literature and National Formulary of India. Descriptive statistics was used to present the data i.e. percentage; proportions, frequency, mean and standard deviation using Microsoft excel worksheet.Results: A total of 791 drugs from different classes were prescribed to 120 patients with a mean of 6.6±2.68 drugs described per patient during their stay in the hospital. 100 out of 120 (83%) patients were prescribed at least one antibiotic during their stay in the hospital. Out of the 204 antibiotics prescribed, 43(21%) were prescribed off-label. Antibiotic dose was the most common reason followed by age (1month-1 year more than 2-6 years of age) and frequency in off-label use.Conclusions: Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to children with substantial off-label use. The same must be seriously addressed by the policy makers and stakeholders in order to promote their rational use

Organic Farming In Banana And Guava

India is the second largest producer of fruits in the world. With the increasing population, the cultivable land resource is shrinking day to day. Green Revolution in the post- independence era has shown path to developing countries for self- sufficiency in food but sustaining agricultural production against the finite natural resource base demands has shifted from the “resource degrading” chemical agriculture to a “resource protective” biological or organic farming. The major component of organic farming is: manures, green manures, intercropping, mulching, vermiculture biotechnology, bio fertilizers, biodynamic farming, bio control etc. Application of bio-fertilizer was more effective than organic manures in enhancing fruit growth parameters. When bio-fertilizer was grouped together in Red Fleshed guava and banana cv. grand nine, P-solubilizers were found to have more beneficial influence on fruit physico- chemical characteristics than that of N-fixers

Efek Kapilaritas Absorber pada Unjuk Kerja Destilasi Air Energi Surya Jenis Vertikal

Permasalahan umum pada alat destilasi air energi surya jenis vertikal saat ini adalah masih rendahnya efisiensi yang dihasilkan. Penelitian ini akan meneliti pengaruh sifat kapilaritas absorber terhadap efisiensi yang dihasilkan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah (1) membuat model alat destilasi air energi surya jenis vertikal, (2) menganalisis pengaruh sifat kapilaritas absorber terhadap efisiensi yang dihasilkan alat destilasi air energi surya jenis vertikal dan (3) menganalisis pengaruh temperatur kaca penutup dan jumlah energi surya yang diterima terhadap efisiensi yang dihasilkan alat destilasi air energi surya jenis vertikal. Alat destilasi air energi surya pada penelitian ini terdiri dari 4 (empat) konfigurasi sebagai berikut: (1) Alat destilasi berpendingin udara tanpa reflektor dengan aliran kapilaritas alami dan paksa, (2) alat destilasi berpendingin air tanpa reflektor dengan aliran kapilaritas alami dan paksa, (3) alat destilasi berpendingin air dengan reflektor dengan aliran kapilaritas alami dan paksa dan (4) alat destilasi jenis konvensional sebagai pembanding. Variabel yang divariasikan adalah (1) jenis aliran kapilaritas sebanyak 2 variasi (alami dan paksa), (2) temperatur kaca penutup, divariasikan dengan mevariasikan fluida pendingin kaca sebanyak 2 variasi (udara dan air) dan (3) jumlah energi surya yang diterima sebanyak 2 variasi (divariasikan dengan menggunakan dan tidak menggunakan reflektor). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan pada variasi pendingin air dan reflektor alat destilasi vertikal dengan aliran kapilaritas alam menghasilkan efisiensi teoritis 14,69 %, efisiensi aktual 5,76 % dan air destilasi 0,87 liter/m2 per hari pada kondisi yang sama efisiensi aktual alat destilasi konvensional mencapai 27,56 % dan air destilasi 1,85 liter/m2 per hari. Alat destilasi vertikal dengan aliran kapilaritas paksa menghasilkan efisiensi teoritis 47,26%, efisiensi aktual 26,26% dan air destilasi 1,12 liter/m2 per hari pada variasi pendingin udara. Pada kondisi yang sama alat destilasi konvensional dapat menghasilkan efisiensi teoritis sebesar 32,63% dan air destilasi 1,34 liter/m2 per hari

Development of Cost-Effective Low-Permeability Ceramic and Refractory Components for Aluminum Melting and Casting

A recent review by the U.S. Advanced Ceramics Association, the Aluminum Association, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (DOE/OIT) described the status of advanced ceramics for aluminum processing, including monolithics, composites, and coatings. The report observed that monolithic ceramics (particularly oxides) have attractive properties such as resistance to heat, corrosion, thermal shock, abrasion, and erosion [1]. However, even after the developments of the past 25 years, there are two key barriers to commercialization: reliability and cost-effectiveness. Industry research is therefore focused on eliminating these barriers. Ceramic coatings have likewise undergone significant development and a variety of processes have been demonstrated for applying coatings to substrates. Some processes, such as thermal barrier coatings for gas turbine engines, exhibit sufficient reliability and service life for routine commercial use. Worldwide, aluminum melting and molten metal handling consumes about 506,000 tons of refractory materials annually. Refractory compositions for handling molten aluminum are generally based on dense fused cast silica or mullite. The microstructural texture is extremely important because an interlocking mass of coarser grains must be bonded together by smaller grains in order to achieve adequate strength. At the same time, well-distributed microscopic pores and cracks are needed to deflect cracks and prevent spalling and thermal shock damage [2]. The focus of this project was to develop and validate new classes of cost-effective, low-permeability ceramic and refractory components for handling molten aluminum in both smelting and casting environments. The primary goal was to develop improved coatings and functionally graded materials that will possess superior combinations of properties, including resistance to thermal shock, erosion, corrosion, and wetting. When these materials are successfully deployed in aluminum smelting and casting operations, their superior performance and durability will give end users marked improvements in uptime, defect reduction, scrap/rework costs, and overall energy savings resulting from higher productivity and yield. The implementation of results of this program will result in energy savings of 30 trillion Btu/year by 2020. For this Industrial Materials for the Future (IMF) project, riser tube used in the low-pressure die (LPD) casting of aluminum was selected as the refractory component for improvement. In this LPD process, a pressurized system is used to transport aluminum metal through refractory tubes (riser tubes) into wheel molds. It is important for the tubes to remain airtight because otherwise, the pressurized system will fail. Generally, defects such as porosity in the tube or cracks generated by reaction of the tube material with molten aluminum lead to tube failure, making the tube incapable of maintaining the pressure difference required for normal casting operation. Therefore, the primary objective of the project was to develop a riser tube that is not only resistant to thermal shock, erosion, corrosion, and wetting, but is also less permeable, so as to achieve longer service life. Currently, the dense-fused silica (DFS) riser tube supplied by Pyrotek lasts for only 7 days before undergoing failure. The following approach was employed to achieve the goal: (1) Develop materials and methods for sealing surface porosity in thermal-shock-resistant ceramic refractories; (2) Develop new ceramic coatings for extreme service in molten aluminum operations, with particular emphasis on coatings based on highly stable oxide phases; (3) Develop new monolithic refractories designed for lower-permeability applications using controlled porosity gradients and particle size distributions; (4) Optimize refractory formulations to minimize wetting by molten aluminum, and characterize erosion, corrosion, and spallation rates under realistic service conditions; and (5) Scale up the processing methods to full-sized components and perform field testing in commercial aluminum casting shops