Domestic Purposes Research Articles

Experimental analysis on the impacts of soil deposition and bird droppings on the thermal performance of photovoltaic panels

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are capable of meeting the urgent demand for power production for both domestic and commercial purposes. PV systems possess serious drawbacks as their performance is heavily influenced by environmental variables like wind, radiation, shadow, dust, and soil accumulation. The current work examines the performance of solar PV panels in the presence of soil and dust at various tilt angles. A solar PV simulator was used, and experiments were conducted for a hot-dry climate location (Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India, 12.91° N, 79.1325° E), to evaluate the performance of solar PV panels under varying dust deposition. A total of seven different samples, such as black soil, desert soil, red soil, alluvial soil, laterite soil, coal dust, and bird droppings, were selected and dispersed over the surface of the PV panel at various weights of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 g. The physical characteristics of the dust samples have been emphasized as being essential in determining how effectively the PV panel functioned. Bird droppings were shown to have the greatest influence on PV panel efficiency because of their tendency to stick to the panel surface due to moisture content, but coal dust, independent of tilt angle, was found to have the least effect. Coal dust was determined to have the least impact of all soil types since it is quickly blown away and does not stick to the surface. Bird droppings accounted for about 46.42 %–89.18% of the efficiency loss, which was determined to be high, whereas coal dust accounted for less than 13% of the efficiency loss. Furthermore, it was revealed that considered tilt angles (0O and 12.91O) have a minor influence on the PV's overall performance.

Investigations on carbonization operating conditions of ANSYS customized kiln for charcoal production from Prosopis juliflora biomass and ANN model prediction for optimized operating conditions

The majority of the population still uses charcoal for domestic and industrial purposes. Charcoal is favored by many developing countries because of its low cost and ever-increasing energy demand. The objective of this study is to provide the optimum temperature and moisture content for a fixed residence time toobtain a good quality charcoal yield. The kiln model has been validated using ANSYS, before fabricating the kiln. The selected kiln is a verticalrectangular steel kiln and horizontal square stacking is followed. The wood used for charcoal production is Prosopis juliflora. Initially, wood is subjected to a pyrolysis process to determine the optimum residence time, 3 and 4 hrs were considered for the experiment. The wood is subjected to a pyrolysis process for different moisture content of 30.7 and 15.45% in varying pyrolysis temperatures of 350, 380, 420, 450 and 500 ⁰C. from the experimental results, it is revealed that the optimum residing time is 4 hrs and the optimum temperature is 500 ⁰C, because more time facilitates the evaporation of lite volatile matter and forms a good quality of charcoal yield with more fixed carbon if 15.45 % moisture air dried wood is used. ANN model was developed and evaluated for a different training function by varying hidden layer neuron numbers. The suitability of the developed ANN model is verified based on deviation in error with the experimental values for different input values.

Pig based water quality assessment in El-Hai River Basin, Elkantara Plain, Algeria

Groundwater of the El-Kantara plain needs greater attention, because it is the alternative source of water for domestic and agricultural purposes. Water pollution affects both water quality and human health. Hence it is essential for continuous monitoring of the quality of groundwater so that pollution can be minimized. This study aims to evaluate the degree and extent of contamination of the Mio-Plio-Quaternary alluvial aquifer, in the El-Kantara area, Northern Biskra region (Algeria). A pollution index of groundwater (PIG) is proposed for quantification of water contamination at eleven (11) sampling different wells during four times at each well (dry period: September 2011/2014 and wet period February 2012/2015). PIG quantifies the status of concentrations of water quality measures with respect to their drinking water quality standards. The computed values of Pollution Index Groundwater (PIG) of El-Kantara aquifer in El-Hai River Basin vary from 0.746 (Insignificant pollution during wet period; February 2015) to 6.287(Very high pollution during dry period; September 2014). Spatial variation map has been prepared using GIS reveled that most of the study area accounts for very high pollution zones (61.36% of samples).

Hydrogeochemical Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Suitability for Drinking and Agricultural Use. The Case Study of Fars Province, Iran

This study aims to evaluate the hydrogeochemistry of aquifers in Fars province, Iran, from 2007 to 2017 and assess the groundwater’s suitability for drinking and agricultural uses. A total of 35,000 samples were collected from wells and qanats across the province. Piper, Gibbs, and Durov diagrams were used to assess the hydrochemical facies and processes. Cross plots of different ions were investigated to assess ion exchange and determine the effects of anthropogenic activities, as well as the weathering and dissolution of different rocks and minerals in the aquifers. Groundwater quality and suitability for agricultural and drinking purposes were also assessed using physicochemical parameters including pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (TH), and calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, sulfate, and chloride concentrations. Suitability for domestic purposes was assessed by comparing these values with the WHO standards. Sodium and alkalinity hazards, including Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), sodium percentage (Na%), Permeability Index (PI), Magnesium Hazard (MH), and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) were used to assess irrigation suitability, along with plotting Wilcox and USSL diagrams.

Groundwater occurrence and flow in varying geological formations

Groundwater includes water that is formed within the unsaturated zone (soil), above the water table (capillary fringe) and below the water table. Its occurrence is everywhere, and it is restricted to a maximum of 750 m depth in the near surface. Groundwater availability within the subsurface formation has become a primary concern to the geoscientists because the dependency of surface water has been limited and declined due to it inadequate yield during the period of a year and also the surface contaminant which affect its quality and potential. The investigation of groundwater in the near surface has been a major principal discovery which has served both the domestic, commercial, agricultural and industrial purposes and to understand the continuity of groundwater availability within the subsurface, a study on occurrence and flow of groundwater is highly significant. Understanding the flow pattern is a major constituent in productive groundwater exploitation and exploration. Therefore, this review has been design to place emphasis on the occurrence and flow of groundwater in the near surface, which is one of the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Assessment of mine water quality for domestic and irrigation purposes, Neyveli coal mine region, Southern India

Assessment of mine water quality for domestic and irrigation purposes, Neyveli coal mine region, Southern India

Smart Healthcare Kit for Domestic Purposes

Smart Healthcare Kit for Domestic Purposes

Evaluating the relationship between groundwater quality and land use in an urbanized watershed.

Understanding the impact of urbanization on groundwater quality is critical. Effective water management requires understanding the relationship between land use and water quality. The study's goals were to compare the effects of land use, identify the types of land that impact hydrochemistry, and define how different land use affects water quality. For this purpose, the comparative relationship between groundwater quality, land use classes and landscape metrics were established for the years 2016 and 2021. Water samples were collected from 42 wells, and different hydro-chemical variables were considered to calculate the water quality index (WQI). The WQI value in 2016 ranged from 26.49 to 151.03 and 29.65 to 155.62 in 2021. The results indicate that the water quality in most parts of the study area is moderate for drinking and domestic purpose use. The google earth engine platform wasused and radiometrically corrected and orthorectified Sentinel-2 satellite images were processedto classify land use classes for selected years. Five buffer zones were established within a 2-km watershed along each well site, and the effects of land use types and landscape metrics on water quality in the buffer zones were analyzed. Results revealed that the effects of land use types on water quality were mainly reflected in buffer 1 (B1), buffer 4 (B4), buffer 5 (B5) in 2016 and B1, buffer 3 (B3), and B5 in 2021. The impacts of landscape-level metrics on water quality are mainly reflected in buffer 2 (B2) and B3 in 2021, while at the class-level, they are mainly reflected in B1 and B4 in 2021. The redundancy analysis revealed that different hydro-chemical variables behaved differently with the land use classes and landscape metrics in the various buffer zones.

Analysis and comparison of innovative PEMFC systems coupled with an ASHP for space heating in cold climates

In this study, two integrated systems are proposed and analysed: an air source heat pump (ASHP) coupled with either high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) or low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (LT-PEMFCs), where the exhaust gases from the PEMFCs are used to increase the external air temperature to the evaporator of the ASHP. The objective is to understand how the proposed systems behave in a cold climate region and determine which of the systems is better to couple with an ASHP for domestic space heating purposes in a cold climate. The novelty of the work lies in the idea of recovering heat from the exhaust gases from the fuel reformer and PEMFCs and mixing them with external air, before sending it to the ASHP as the inlet air. Grey-box models are employed to model the PEMFCs, whereas the hypothesis of the chemical equilibrium of reacting species is considered in the reformer model. Steady state analyses are considered to understand the performances of the proposed systems compared to two different types of furnaces: high-efficiency and mid-efficiency ones. The results indicate that the HT-PEMFCs are the best for the case studied here, with performances up to 100% greater than the mid-efficiency furnace and up to 63% more than the high-efficiency one. A scenario analysis on a simple pay back is also carried out, and the return on the investment costs in the 2024 scenario is about 24 years if compared to the high efficiency furnace and 14 if compared to the mid-efficiency one, whereas the corresponding numbers are 19 and 11 years, respectively, for the 2030 scenario.

Waterborne exposure during non-consumptive domestic use of surface water: a population study across WASH service levels in rural India.

Exposure to pathogens from domestic use of surface water is understudied. In many low- and middle-income countries, surface water is used for hygiene, sanitation, amenity, and recreational purposes. In this study, self-reported use of and structured observations at community ponds were collected to measure waterborne exposure across water and sanitation service levels in a rural population of Khorda District, India. Overall, 86% of households (n = 200) reported using ponds on a regular basis. Among observed people (n = 765), 82% put water into their mouth at least once, with a median frequency of five occurrences per visit. Reported and observation data were combined to estimate the proportion (p) of the population that put water in their mouth at least once per day, and their mean daily rate of oral exposure (OE). These were highest for individuals with neither safely managed water nor basic sanitation access (p = 93%, OE = 14 day-1), but still high among those with both (p = 67%, OE = 6 day-1). The results suggest widespread exposure to waterborne pathogens in settings where non-potable surface water bodies continue to be used for domestic purposes, even among households with access to safely managed drinking water.

High-standard farmland destruction monitoring by high-resolution remote sensing methods: a 2017–2018 case study of Hebei and Guangdong, China

Remote sensing has emerged as a new technique for collecting farmland data due to its rapid advancement, rising popularity, and application in social production practice. In order to understand and manage farmland resources in China, it is essential to account for and monitor high-standard farmland and its usage. Therefore, this work used satellite remote sensing empowered with various abilities for monitoring high-standard farmland by employing GF-2 high-resolution satellite images to identify targets and objects in Hebei and Guangdong provinces. Farmland occupation and utilization were analyzed by detecting destructions, underutilization, and overutilization, and converting farmland for other economic activities registered on a special field sheet for quantification. A statistical summary was compiled for the two provinces, and the results reveal that high-standard farmland irregularities were detected in both Hebei and Guangdong provinces. However, in Hebei province, this was due to domestic purposes, such as building home shelters and domestic factories. On a contract, the result shows that in Guangdong province, farmland was being converted for economic purposes on an industrial scale, such as high residential apartment blocks and new industrial zones, and environmental destruction. Furthermore, the results reveal that there is still a steady and continuous decline in arable land due to accelerated industrialization and population pressure, especially in the Guangdong provinces, which is a threat to national food security. The high interpretation accuracy demonstrates that high-resolution remote sensing is an effective farmland monitoring tool that can be used to advance policy formulation.

Economic evaluation of groundwater resource in the Effutu Municipality: An application of the Gisser-Sanchez effect

This study presents an economic valuation of the groundwater resource in the Effutu Municipality. It tests the validity of the Gisser-Sanchez's position that the benefits derived from implementing a groundwater management intervention are insignificantly small compared to when no intervention is made. Hundred groundwater-user households were sampled by quota, convenience, and simple random sampling techniques. Assuming a quantitative approach, a contingent valuation-based willingness to pay questionnaire was used for data collection. Respondents were asked to value groundwater under two regimes based on quality: (1) unmanaged quality and (2) hypothetically-managed quality regimes. Using the Lancaster demand theory, the values assigned under either regime were assumed as the benefits users would derive from using groundwater. The statistical difference between the benefits of the two regimes was established by the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings revealed that groundwater users are willing to pay 20 Pesewas (GH₵ 0.2) and 30 Pesewas (GH₵ 0.3), respectively, for a 10 L bucket of groundwater from the unmanaged quality regime and groundwater from the hypothetically-managed quality regime. The study established a statistically significant difference between the economic values of groundwater under either regime, indicating that the Gisser-Sanchez effect does not hold for groundwater used for drinking and domestic purposes in the Effutu Municipality. It has been expressed that improving groundwater quality will significantly increase the economic value of the resource. It has therefore been recommended that efforts should be made to treat groundwater to assume the quality of the Ghana Water Company's pipe-borne water after drilling projects in the Municipality.

Management strategies for maximizing the ecohydrological benefits of multilayer blue-green roofs in mediterranean urban areas

Multilayer Blue-Green Roofs are powerful nature-based solutions that can contribute to the creation of smart and resilient cities. These tools combine the retention capacity of traditional green roofs with the water storage of a rainwater harvesting tank. The additional storage layer enables to accumulate the rainwater percolating from the soil layer, that, if properly treated, can be reused for domestic purposes. Here, we explore the behavior of a Multilayer Blue-Green Roof prototype installed in Cagliari (Italy) in 2019, that have been equipped with a remotely controlled gate to regulate the storage capacity of the system. The gate installation allows to manage the Multilayer Blue-Green Roof in order to increase the flood mitigation capacity, minimizing the water stress for vegetation and limiting the roof load with adequate management practices. In this work, 10 rules for the management of the Multilayer Blue-Green Roof gate have been investigated and their performances in achieving different management goals (i.e., mitigating urban flood, increasing water storage and limiting roof load on the building) have been evaluated, with the aim to identify the most efficient approach to maximize the benefits of this nature based solution. An ecohydrological model have been calibrated based on field measurements carried out for 6 months. The model has been used to simulate the system performance in achieving the proposed goals, using as input nowdays and future rainfall and temperature time series. The analysis reveled the importance of the correct management of the gate, highthing how choosing and applying a specific management rule helps increasing the performance in reaching the desired goal.

Radiological assessment of irrigation water used in Rustenburg, South Africa.

Water is an essential input in agricultural production, which is why it plays an important role in food security. According to the World Bank, water irrigated agriculture represents about 20% of the total cultivated land and 40% of the total food produced globally. This makes water a direct and indirect route of radiation exposure to humans via contact, ingestion and consumption of agricultural products. Radiological assessment of irrigation water around Rustenburg, one of the mining and industrial cities in South Africa, is investigated in this study. The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K in irrigation water samples were determined using the total mass elemental concentrations of uranium, thorium and potassium, measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The activity concentrations of 238U and 40K range from 1.24×10-04 to 1.09×10-02Bq/l, and 7.07×1000 to 1.32×10+01Bq/l, with mean activity concentrations of 2.78×10-03 and 1.16×10+01Bq/l, respectively. The activity concentration of 232Th was found below the detection level in all sampled irrigation water. Estimated annual effective dose because of ingestion because of 238U and 40K was also found to be below 120μSv/y for 238U and 232Th, 170μSv/y for 40K and a total of 290μSv/y by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. The estimated radiation dose and lifetime cancer risk indices indicate insignificant radiological risk, making the irrigation water safe for domestic and agriculture purposes.

Geogenic Sources of Arsenic and Fluoride in Groundwater: Examples from the Zagros Basin, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Groundwater is one of the crucial water resources for domestic, agriculture and other purposes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is counted as a semiarid region with seasonal precipitation in winter. The geogenic source of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater has been studied in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is a part of the Zagros Basin, using the hydrogeochemical method. The analysis results showed that the concentrations of arsenic and fluoride range from 0.19 to 7.8 µg/L and from 0.01 to 2.1 mg/L, respectively. The hydrogeochemical characteristics of the groundwater in the studied area were connected to the fluoride F− and arsenic As concentrations for understanding their sources and behavior. The hydrogeochemical relations between F and As indicate geogenic sources and relatively simple aquifer conditions. Some samples may indicate the presence of contamination sources in addition to geogenic sources. Considering the WHO guidelines, the concentrations of As in most of the samples do not exceed the WHO limit, but the F in some samples shows a higher concentration than the WHO limit, indicating a serious risk of fluorosis in some spots. Connecting the changes in F concentrations to depth and aquifer types, a higher F concentration is associated with an intergranular aquifer and decreases in a karst aquifer. The speciation of F− and As is controlled by pH and redox conditions. Adsorption, cation exchange, and the dissolution of carbonate minerals with the possible dissolution of fluorite are the most dominant geochemical processes that control the concentrations of As and F− in groundwater. The principal sources of F− and As in the study area seem to be geogenic.

A study on measuring the 222Rn in the Buriganga River and tap water of the megacity Dhaka.

Radon (222Rn), an inert gas, is considered a silent killer due to its carcinogenic characteristics. Dhaka city is situated on the banks of the Buriganga River, which is regarded as the lifeline of Dhaka city because it serves as a significant source of the city's water supply for domestic and industrial purposes. Thirty water samples (10 tap water from Dhaka city and 20 surface samples from the Buriganga River) were collected and analyzed using a RAD H2O accessory for 222Rn concentration. The average 222Rn concentration in tap and river water was 1.54 ± 0.38 Bq/L and 0.68 ± 0.29 Bq/L, respectively. All the values were found below the maximum contamination limit (MCL) of 11.1 Bq/L set by the USEPA, the WHO-recommended safe limit of 100 Bq/L, and the UNSCEAR suggested range of 4-40 Bq/L. The mean values of the total annual effective doses due to inhalation and ingestion were calculated to be 9.77 μSv/y and 4.29 μSv/y for tap water and river water, respectively. Although all these values were well below the permissible limit of 100 μSv/y proposed by WHO, they cannot be neglected because of the hazardous nature of 222Rn, especially considering their entry to the human body via inhalation and ingestion pathways. The obtained data may serve as a reference for future 222Rn-related works.

Analysis of diversity and antibiotic susceptibility profile of bacterial strains isolated from freshwater canal of Lahore, Pakistan

The key objective of current study was to analyse the bacterial diversity of canal water of Lahore, Pakistan. Members of Enterobacteriaceae were targeted that may pose serious health issues to human health. Total 50 bacterial strains were isolated by using Eosin Methylene Blue agar and MacConkey agar. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 30 strains confirmed the final taxonomic status of bacterial strains. The results manifested that strains belong to genera of Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas and Vogesella. Antibiotic susceptibility profile of isolates was evaluated against 13 different antibiotics. E. coli SCE-1 showed highest resistant against majority of the antibiotics. Whereas all strains were sensitive to Amikacin (30 µg). Aeromonas hydrophila SD-6 exhibited highest sensitivity against all antibiotics except ampicillin (10 µg) and amoxicillin (25 µg). None of the bacterial strain was completely resistant or susceptible to all antibiotics. Except E. coli all strains were sensitive to Amikacin (30 µg), Gentamycin (30 µg) and Norfloxacin (10 µg). Most of the strains showed intermediate and resistant antibiotic profile towards Nitrofurantoin (300 µg). Latex agglutination test was performed for the screening of E. coli O157 that showed negative results for this serotype. The detection of potential human pathogens like E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and A. hydrphila in canal water indicates that it is not suitable for domestic purposes, recreational activities, and irrigation

Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Coal in Dahor Formation, Borneo Island, Indonesia: A Comparative Study Utilizing Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

This study focuses on the multivariate statistical analysis of coal samples from the Dahor Formation in Borneo Island, Indonesia, utilizing Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The objective is to discern the differences in coal samples based on their geological history and chemical properties. The Indonesian coal industry heavily relies on domestic consumption, with plans to increase coal usage for domestic purposes. Coal classification systems play a vital role in evaluating coal quality and determining its economic value. The geological background of the study area in Borneo Island is discussed, emphasizing relevant formations and sedimentation processes. The application of PCA in multivariate statistical analysis is explained, along with the generation of a correlation matrix to explore relationships between variables. The results reveal the presence of four distinct quadrants in the processed coal data, indicating the influence of volatile matter, total moisture, ash content, and fixed carbon. Further analysis demonstrates relatively insignificant differences in the proximate analysis parameters, except for ash content, which indicates the presence of impurity minerals. The concentration of volatile matter, ash, and moisture impacts the fixed carbon content, while volatile matter influences the combustion process. These findings provide valuable insights into coal quality and utilization. The utilization of PCA and multivariate analysis enhances understanding of coal characteristics and facilitates decision-making in coal-related industries. The study concludes with a call for further investigations and analyses to enhance our understanding of coal deposits, improve resource estimation, and develop more sustainable and efficient coal-based processes. Continued research in this field will contribute to advancements in coal science and the development of strategies for responsible coal utilization.

The crises water security upwards of Iraqi after 2003: an attempt to determine handicaps wizards future prospects

The water crisis in Iraqi is considered as one of the most important issues that affect the national security. Thus, the water factor has become one of the main factors that threaten good neighborly relations and regional cooperation among riparian countries in the international river basins. The increasing role of the water security factor in the contemporary international politics can be attributed to a set of concerns such as the phenomenon of drought, food security, population explosion and increasing demand for water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and other purposes

Determinants of Household Fuelwood Consumption in Public Residential Estates in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

The type of energy utilized by households is a good reflection of the quality of life and socio-economic development in any given country. Unfortunately, the continued dependence on traditional fuels such as fuelwood as a major source of energy for domestic purposes particularly in Nigeria is generating concerns due to its negative environmental, socio-economic and health effects. This study was therefore undertaken to examine the factors that drive household fuelwood consumption in public residential estates in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria. A survey questionnaire was used to elicit data from a sample of 355 household-heads that were selected using systematic random sampling technique from a population of 3,192 households. The data were analyzed using Ordinary Least Square regression analysis. The results revealed that gender, marital status, larger household size and prices of alternative fuels had positive and significant correlation with the quantity of fuelwood consumed in households while higher level of education, higher income; location of residence, share of dwelling and prices of fuelwood were significant and negatively related to fuelwood consumption. It is recommended that stakeholders and policy makers in the energy sector should vigorously promote access to affordable and modern energy sources for household cooking activities by subsidizing the prices of modern fuels and increasing the availability of electricity supply to households. This will go a long way to reducing the rate of indoor air pollution and other environmental consequences associated with the use of fuelwood in the study area. Finally, there is the need for proactive enlightenment campaigns with a view to strengthening public awareness on the deleterious effects of the consumption of solid fuels such as fuelwood in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.