Feature Article

The present study comprises of field trips in different rural localities of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts of Kerala. Information regarding the occurrence of plant species, their local names, parts ued, formulations and vegetable preparations through interviews and discussions held with elderly persons of rural communities were recorded. The plant specimens were identified and herbarium sheets prepared for all the species. From the information documented and also from literature data, 9 vegetable plants having high nutrient value were selected.

The aerobic pollution load (COD and BOD) removal of spent sulphite liquor using activated porous spherical charcoal prepared from neem oil cake both as an adsorbent and fluidizing particle was studied in a fluidized-bed reactor.

The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of reactive orange 16 (RO16) dye from synthetic wastewater by the adsorption on cocoa (Theobrama cacao) shell activated carbon (CSAC).

Batch adsorption study was investigated for the removal of single and binary mixture of basic dyes (bismark brown (BB) and safranine (SF) using artocarpus heterophyllus seed carbon (AHSC) in the aqueous solution. The effect of various experimental parameters has been investigated using a batch adorption technique to obtain information on treating effluents from the dye industry.

Under the environmental impact studies of the sewerage scheme, assessment of the seasonal water quality of the sources around the oxidation ponds and few pumping stations were monitored in Trichirrappalli Sewerage Scheme, Tamil Nadu.

Contamination of aquatic resources by a variety of heavy metals is of growing concern because of health risk posed by the exposure to flora and fauna as well as human being. The vast majority of toxic metals are the waste products/by products of industrial and metallurgical processes. Other possible sources include the effluent from electroplating, storage battery manufacturing industries, tanneries, municipal sludges, extractive metallurgy processes, and metal finishing operations contains high amount of dissolved metals and the concentration reaches to a significant range.

Nowadays, power crisis term is very common to make us realize that we have deficit amount of electrical energy. On the other hand, ‘misuse of power’ and ‘electricity theft’ are also being heard by everyone. Various articles have been published dealing with electricity theft and how to minimize it. ‘Misuse of power’ is either not in focus or has less priority. To give a clear picture of the present scenario regarding the misuse of power, a thorough study is needed.

Among the missing or grossly inadequate infrastructure support facilities for the rural economy, particularly for enabling its farming segment to attain healthy growth, highly conspicuous inadequacy of warehouses in the rural areas capable of providing safe and sound storage for the farm would surely ranks high.

Biotechnology offers many benefits, but only nineteen developing countries have commercially approved the planting of genetically engineered crops. Outreach and educational programmes could help prepare stakeholders in developing countries to influence biotechnology policies. Faculty at Michigan State University (MSU) developed a two-week course that was taught 14 times from 2002 to 2010 for 251 participants from 58 countries.

The groundwater chemistry in the shallow aquifers of the coastal zone of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, India have been examined in detail. Results, in general, indicate that the groundwaters is more or less deteriorated.