Dynamics And Speciation Of The Heavy Metals In The Lower Reaches Of Chithrapuzha- A Tropical Tidal River

The proposed study is an attempt to quantify and study the seasonal and spatial variations in the distribution of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb among the various geochemical phases in the surficial sediments of Chitrapuzha river. The study also estimates the concentration of heavy metals in dissolved, particulate and sediments and their variation in seasonal and spatial distribution. Chitrapuzha River originates as a small stream from the upper reaches of high ranges in the eastern boundary of Kerala, passes through the valley and finally joints in the Cochin backwaters. Numerous industrial units located along the banks of the river discharge treated and untreated effluents into the water. These are long standing local complaints about water pollution causing fish mortality and serious damage to agricultural crops resulting in extensive unemployment in the area. The river is thus of considerable social and economic importance.

Phase Transitions of Trace Metals in the Aquatic Environment of Kuttanad, Kerala

This thesis is a modest attempt in assessing the trace metal levels and their behavior in the aquatic environment of Kuttanad, an aquatic system that is severely affected by man’s intervention on natural processes, by study seriously evaluating the levels of trace metals in dissolved and particulate phases and also in the different chemical fractions of the sediments. Understanding of the distributions, variations and transfer processes of trace metals in different environmental phases in the backwaters of Kuttanad is vital for the assessment of the water pollution problems and study the ecology of the area which contributes 20% of the rice production in the State of Kerala. Kuttand is a low-lying, shallow bay formed as a result of geological uplift. The major economic activity is agriculture involving 40% of the population. About 1.5% of the people are engaged in aquaculture. The trace metal distribution in the Kuttand backwaters is considerably influenced by the tropical features of the location and by human activities including agricultural activities and construction of salinity barrier. In this study an attempt is made to differentiate the metals in the sediment into exchangeable, reducible and resistant fractions in the sediments.

Coral Reef Ecosystem of Lakshadweep Archipelago –A Biogeochemical Facsimile

The present study focuses on the biochemical aspects of six islands belonging to Lakshadweep Archipelago – namely Kavaratti, Kadamath, Kiltan, Androth, Agathy and Minicoy. Lakshadweep, which is an area biologically significant due to isolation from the major coastline, remains as one of the least studied areas in Indian Ocean. The work, processed out the distributional pattern of trace metals among the biotic (corols, sea weeds and sea grass) and abiotic component (sediments) of ecosystem. An effort is made to picturise the spatial distribution pattern of different forms of nitrogen and phosphorus in the various sedimentary environments of the study area. Studies on the biogeochemical and nutrient aspects of the concerned study area scanty. In Lakshadweep, the local life is very dependent on reefs and its resources. The important stress which produce a threatening effort on the existence for coral reefs are anthropogenic-namely-organic and inorganic pollution from sewage, agricultural and industrial waters, sediment damage from excessive land cleaning, and over exploitation particularly through destructive fishing methods. In addition these one other more localized or less service anthropogenic stress: pollution by oil and other hydrocarbons, complex organic molecular and heavy metal pollution, and destructive engineering practices.

Economic Impacts Of Air Pollution on Human Health and Property Values

The objectives of the present study are to provide a systematic descriptive documentation of the nature of air pollution of the Cochin industrial agglomeration, estimate the willingness to pay for morbidity reduction due to air pollution in observed and hypothetical markets and to estimate the value of welfare loss in the purchase of property due to reduced air quality. This study is an attempt to examine economic impacts of air pollution on the human health and property values in the industrial capital of Kerala. The process of industrialization in Kerala and the increase in air pollution created damages to human, natural and economic resources in the state. The study documents the extent of air pollution and applied econometric approaches to estimate economic impacts of air pollution on human health and property values. The Important sources of air pollution identified in Cochin are emissions from industries and automobiles.

Process Optimization for Mass Production of Marine Yeast Candida sp. S 27 and its Nutritional Characterization

The main source of protein for human and animal consumption is from the agricultural sector, where the production is vulnerable to diseases, fluctuations in climatic conditions and deteriorating hydrological conditions due to water pollution. Therefore Single Cell Protein (SCP) production has evolved as an excellent alternative. Among all sources of microbial protein, yeast has attained global acceptability and has been preferred for SCP production. The screening and evaluation of nutritional and other culture variables of microorganisms are very important in the development of a bioprocess for SCP production. The application of statistical experimental design in bioprocess development can result in improved product yields, reduced process variability, closer confirmation of the output response to target requirements and reduced development time and overall cost.The present work was undertaken to develop a bioprocess technology for the mass production of a marine yeast, Candida sp.S27. Yeasts isolated from the offshore waters of the South west coast of India and maintained in the Microbiology Laboratory were subjected to various tests for the selection of a potent strain for biomass production. The selected marine yeast was identified based on ITS sequencing. Biochemical/nutritional characterization of Candida sp.S27 was carried out. Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) the process parameters (pH, temperature and salinity) were optimized. For mass production of yeast biomass, a chemically defined medium (Barnett and Ingram, 1955) and a crude medium (Molasses-Yeast extract) were optimized using RSM. Scale up of biomass production was done in a Bench top Fermenter using these two optimized media. Comparative efficacy of the defined and crude media were estimated besides nutritional evaluation of the biomass developed using these two optimized media.

Pollution Routing in a Tropical Estuarine Environment

This thesis attempts to gain insight on the mathematical approach to estuarine oceanographic systems; also to closely understand the governing processes in the estuarine environment as well as in the adjoining river reaches. The main aim was to conduct pollution routing for tropical estuarine environment namely, for the Cochin estuary. In this context, attempts have been made to apply, verify and validate the application of models, pre- prepared with necessary modifications to suit the area of interest by use of RIVMIX and WASP tools. Finally the thesis concludes by highlighting the advantages and limitations in modelling water bodies and concurrentlysimulates most of the possible scenarios within the purview of this work.