Faculty Publications

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    Interactions Between Soils and Laboratory Simulated Electrolyte Solution
    (2010) Nayak, S.; Sunil, B.M.; Shrihari, S.; Sivapullaiah, P.V.
    To study the impact of salt water intrusion on two types of soils from west coast region of India were investigated in the laboratory. The key characteristics evaluated included Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, hydraulic conductivity and chemical characteristics of selected soils. The sea at this coast receives effluent from different points and hence the characteristics change with time and locality. Therefore, to maintain uniform composition, 0.5 N sodium chloride solution (NaCl) was prepared in the laboratory and batch tests were used to determine the immediate effect on soils. Soil specimens were prepared by mixing the soils with 0.5 N NaCl in the increments of 0, 5, 10 and 20% by weight to vary the degree of contamination. Experimental results of soils mixed with 0.5 N NaCl showed that the maximum dry density increases and the optimum moisture content (OMC) decreases with increasing sodium chloride concentration. The study also revealed that the hydraulic conductivity of the soils tested increases with increase in sodium chloride concentration. The Atterberg limits of contaminated specimens show a remarkable change when compared with uncontaminated specimens. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
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    The uptake mechanism of Cd(II), Cr(VI), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) by mycelia and fruiting bodies of Galerina vittiformis
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation 410 Park Avenue, 15th Floor, 287 pmb New York NY 10022, 2013) Damodaran, D.; Mohan Balakrishnan, R.M.; Shetty K, K.
    Optimum concentrations of heavy metals like copper, cadmium, lead, chromium, and zinc in soil are essential in carrying out various cellular activities in minimum concentrations and hence help in sustaining all life forms, although higher concentration of these metals is lethal to most of the life forms. Galerina vittiformis, a macrofungus, was found to accumulate these heavy metals into its fleshy fruiting body in the order Pb(II) > Cd(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Cr(VI) from 50 mg/kg soil. It possesses various ranges of potential cellular mechanisms that may be involved in detoxification of heavy metals and thus increases its tolerance to heavy metal stress, mainly by producing organic acids and phytochelatins (PCs). These components help in repairing stress damaged proteins and compartmentalisation of metals to vacuoles. The stress tolerance mechanism can be deduced by various analytical tools like SEM-EDX, FTIR, and LC-MS. Production of two kinds of phytochelatins was observed in the organism in response to metal stress. © 2013 Dilna Damodaran et al.
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    Effect of chelaters on bioaccumulation of Cd (II), Cu (II), Cr (VI), Pb (II) and Zn (II) in Galerina vittiformis from soil
    (2013) Damodaran, D.; Shetty K, K.; Raj Mohan, B.
    Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil and water streams are of great necessity as heavy metals are toxic and pose hazardous ecological impacts. Low cost mitigation measures like phytoremediation and mycoremediation are commonly employed. Mycoremediation using macro fungi (mushroom) have proven to provide effective tolerance using an efficient accumulation mechanism in removing heavy metals from soil. The current paper reports the heavy metal remediation potential of macro fungi on soil artificially contaminated with 50mgkg-1 of Cu (II), Cd (II), Cr (VI), Pb (II), and Zn (II) ions. Galerina vittiformis belonging to Strophariacea family was found to be effective in removing the heavy metal from the soil under study within 30 days. Both chemical and biological chelaters at 1, 5, and 10mmolkg-1 concentrations were found to increase the mycoremediation potential of the organism. This study showed that G. vittiformis are efficient in remediating heavy metal from contaminated soil and that their remediation potential can be enhanced by the addition of chelaters. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
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    Uptake of certain heavy metals from contaminated soil by mushroom-Galerina vittiformis
    (Academic Press, 2014) Damodaran, D.; Shetty K, K.; Raj Mohan, B.
    Remediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals has received considerable attention in recent years. In this study, the heavy metal uptake potential of the mushroom, Galerina vittiformis, was studied in soil artificially contaminated with Cu (II), Cd (II), Cr (VI), Pb (II) and Zn (II) at concentrations of 50 and 100. mg/kg. G. vittiformis was found to be effective in removing the metals from soil within 30 days. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) for both mycelia and fruiting bodies with respect to these heavy metals at 50. mg/kg concentrations were found to be greater than one, indicating hyper accumulating nature by the mushroom. The metal removal rates by G. vittiformis was analyzed using different kinetic rate constants and found to follow the second order kinetic rate equation except for Cd (II), which followed the first order rate kinetics. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.
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    Investigation of physical and chemical characteristics on soil due to crude oil contamination and its remediation
    (Springer Verlag, 2019) Devatha, C.P.; Vishnu Vishal, A.; Purna Chandra Rao, J.
    Oil contamination causes serious geoenvironmental concern and adversely affects the soil environment due to the release of toxic by-products. Hence, the aim of the study was to investigate the influence of oil contamination on soil physical and chemical properties and phytoremediation as a treatment option based on field studies conducted for analyzing significant parameters. The sites selected were near National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka (site-1), and another is close to the oil refinery (Kuthethur, Karnataka, India, as site-2). Phytoremediation of oil-contaminated samples was carried out by Chromolaena odorata. The evaluation of soil physical and chemical properties includes field and laboratory tests. A pumping test was conducted to estimate aquifer parameters in the field. The hydraulic conductivity for field soil sample (unsaturated condition) is carried out by a filter paper test. Laboratory tests to evaluate physical and chemical parameters include total petroleum hydrocarbons of contaminated (crude oil varying from 0 to 10% at an interval of 2%) and uncontaminated samples and plant parameters. Characterization of contaminated and uncontaminated soil sample was performed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results obtained reveal that physical properties of soil (moisture content, liquid and plastic limit) got affected due to oil contamination. Relative hydraulic conductivity was established as 0.46 (uncontaminated) and 0.57 (contaminated) for soil samples and led to the conclusion that hydraulic conductivity was drop down by 10% due to oil contamination. Total petroleum hydrocarbon analysis reveals that the uptake/presence of hydrocarbons by showing increased concentration in contaminated soils (5% and 10%) by the plant species. This is further confirmed by FTIR results. The TPH concentrations in the contaminated soils were reduced up to 50–60% and also showed better plant growth after 7 weeks of transplantation. Hence, considered plant species possess high potential for degrading oil contaminated in the soil. © 2019, The Author(s).
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    Role of coconut shell biochar and earthworm (Eudrilus euginea) in bioremediation and palak spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) growth in cadmium-contaminated soil
    (Academic Press, 2022) Noronha, F.R.; Manikandan, S.K.; Nair, N.
    The contamination of soil with heavy metals is known to affect the yield the soil fertility, which in turn affects the growth of agricultural crops. This study investigates the role of coconut shell biochar (CSB) and earthworms (Eudrilus euginea) in the bioremediation and growth of Palak spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in cadmium (Cd) contaminated soil. The soils were amended with different combinations of CSB and earthworms and incubated for 35 days. Later, the soil samples were analyzed for the changes in the soil properties, soil enzyme activity, and heavy metal contents. It is observed that the treatments with both CSB and earthworms resulted in the improvement of soil properties and soil enzyme activity which was directly related to soil fertility. Meanwhile, the maximum removal of 94.38% of total Cd content in the soil was obtained for the soil sample contain both CSB and earthworms. The improved soil properties resulted in a higher germination percentage of Spinacia oleracea L. seeds in the Cd contaminated soil. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
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    Investigation of Ti contamination and transport mechanisms in ferruginous soils: Impacts of ilmenite and rutile processing and immobilization using clay amendments
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Bincy, B.; Devatha, C.P.; Thalla, A.K.
    Titanium (Ti) contamination from coastal mining activities poses significant threats to groundwater and soil quality, especially in regions with ferruginous soils (FS). This study investigates Ti transport and immobilization in FS, assessing its natural retention capacity and the enhancement achieved using bentonite, zeolite, and kaolinite amendments. Environmental assessment identified industrial discharge as the primary source, with elevated Ti in soil (271.67 ppm), surface water (0.56 ppm), and groundwater (0.45 ppm), forcing 86 % of households to rely on alternative sources. The 3D flow model demonstrated that FS reduces Ti mobility; however, rising inlet to outlet head differences (6-12 cm) led to increased flow rates (0.1–0.7 cm3/min), resulting in elevated Ti concentrations in wells 2 and 3(8.55 ppm and 7.23 ppm). Ti peaks observed in the wells were the result of desorption following initial adsorption, reflecting the breakthrough pattern. Batch adsorption tests (0–1000 ppm Ti, 25–27 °C, 1:20 ratio, pH-3.9-5.5) revealed chemisorption dominance at low concentrations (Kd = 28.5 L/kg, KL = 33.39 L/kg) and multilayer physisorption at higher loads (qm = 11.09 mg/g, Kf = 88.11 L/kg), modelled using Linear, Langmuir, and Freundlich isotherms. XRD and SEM-EDS confirmed Ti incorporation into stable mineral phases (Al8Ti32Cl48, Fe4Ti2Cl7, Ti3O5) with increased retention (4.1–7.8 %). Among amendments, bentonite-enhanced FS showed the highest Ti retention (97.5 %, Kf = 478.5 L/kg) at 10–20 % dosage. This integrated experimental framework is transferable to other heavy metal-affected coastal aquifers, where it supports predictive contaminant transport and groundwater protection strategies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. © 2025