Jaskaran Dhiman | University of Guelph (original) (raw)

Papers by Jaskaran Dhiman

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2021

This study was conducted to understand the effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on soil mobili... more This study was conducted to understand the effect of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on soil mobility and plant uptake of heavy metals present in wastewater irrigation systems. Radish (Raphanus sativus) was grown in pots under controlled environment, irrigated with synthesized wastewater containing various heavy metals, with and without silver nanoparticles. Soil samples were collected at 30, 45, 51, and 56 days after seeding. Radish was harvested on day 57, and different plant parts (peel, flesh, stem, and leaf) were sampled. Presence of silver nanoparticles in wastewater led to increased (p < 0.05) uptake of several heavy metals (chromium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc) by different plant parts. However, no significant differences were observed in soil metal concentrations between the two treatments. The results indicate that presence of nanoparticles in wastewater can facilitate heavy metal uptake by wastewater irrigated food crops, and thus pose a potential health risk for humans.

Environmental Technology & Innovation, 2021

Increased food production, required for a growing population, would place additional stress on fr... more Increased food production, required for a growing population, would place additional stress on freshwater resources. Since agriculture is the largest freshwater consumer, supplementation of irrigation water with wastewater could be beneficial. However, wastewater contains contaminants such as heavy metals, which can adversely affect plant growth. Thus, it is necessary to develop techniques to minimize this adverse impact of wastewater irrigation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of super absorbent polymer (SAP), as well as a mixture of SAP and plantain peel biochar as soil amendments, on growth and yield of wastewater (WW) irrigated potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). The proposed amendments are known to adsorb these contaminants and reduce their uptake by plants, thus promoting plant growth and yield. In the mixed amendment, gasified biochar (GBC) was used for potatoes, whereas pyrolyzed biochar (PBC) was used for spinach plant...

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021

Abstract Food crops irrigated with wastewater can uptake heavy metals, causing serious health ail... more Abstract Food crops irrigated with wastewater can uptake heavy metals, causing serious health ailments in humans. Use of a polyacrylamide superabsorbent polymer hydrogel and the same hydrogel mixed with pyrolyzed plantain peel biochar as soil amendments are proposed to reduce heavy metal uptake by wastewater-irrigated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) plants. A sorption test was carried out to establish the ability of these treatments to bind the heavy metals. In a lysimeter field experiment, the amendments were mixed in the top 0.10 m of soil (1% w/w) and spinach plants were grown using synthetic wastewater irrigation. After each irrigation, soil samples were obtained at different depths (0, 0.10, 0.30, and 0.60 m from the surface) for heavy metal analysis. Spinach leaves, root, and stem samples were obtained at the harvest for metal analysis. Sorption test results showed that the hydrogel-biochar amended soil adsorbed 0.80, 0.46, and 0.44 mg g−1 of cadmium, copper, and zinc, respectively, from a 0.5 mM multi-metal solution; the hydrogel treatment adsorbed 0.59, 0.41, and 0.24 mg g−1 of the metals, respectively. These amounts were at least 90% more than those adsorbed by the non-amended soil. In terms of the total metal uptake by spinach leaves, the hydrogel-biochar mix treatment performed better than the hydrogel treatment; it reduced the total uptake by 48%, whereas the hydrogel treatment was only able to reduce it by 15% when compared to the control that exhibited a total metal load of 1028 mg kg−1. Both treatments were able to significantly (p

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the ad... more This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Ecological Engineering, 2020

Abstract A point-of-use household water treatment technology, the biosand filter (BSF), has been ... more Abstract A point-of-use household water treatment technology, the biosand filter (BSF), has been widely adopted across over 180 countries (CAWST, 2020). However, it has a poor Escherichia coli (E. coli) removal efficiency during the first few weeks of its use. This study investigated the potential of biochar on E. coli removal in a laboratory-modified biosand filtering system. Two biochars, produced from wheat straw and willow wood feedstocks, were used and their effects were compared. Only the coarser fraction of both biochars (1–4 mm) was used in order to minimize its impact on the filtration rate. It was observed that the filter amended with wheat straw biochar exhibited a higher mean E. coli removal rate (84%) than the filter amended with willow wood biochar (79%); however, both biochar-amended filters had lower mean E. coli removal rates than the sand-only control filter (88%), over a 5-week filtration experiment. The E. coli adsorption of biochar and sand were examined at the end of the filtration experiment. Both biochars were shown to have a larger total amount of E. coli adsorption (7.4 log10) than sand (6.8 log10). The two biochars showed comparable E. coli adsorption capacities of 5.7 log10 CFU/g, although their specific surface areas varied greatly (55.24 m2/g for wheat straw biochar and 380.00 m2/g for willow wood biochar). The discrepancy between the results of E. coli removal and E. coli adsorption might indicate the importance of biochar straining; the absence of fine biochar particles (

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2020

The effect of plantain peel biochar on the uptake of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn)... more The effect of plantain peel biochar on the uptake of six heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) irrigated with untreated wastewater was investigated in nine outdoor lysimeters (0.45 m diameter × 1.0 m height) arranged in a completely randomised design with three replicates. The lysimeters were packed with sandy soil (bulk density 1.35 Mg m −3) and brought to field capacity 1 day before starting the experiment. Biochar (1% w/w) was mixed in the top 0.10 m of soil under biochar amendment. Spinach were planted in each lysimeter, irrigated (every 10 days for 4 times in total), harvested (harvest 1 and harvest 2) and analysed for the heavy metals. Spinach leaves accumulated more heavy metals than the roots and stems. Biochar amendment did not affect the translocation of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe and Pb) to spinach leaves, possibly due to competition with other compounds in the soil solution. However, the biochar amendment improved CEC and increased the pH of soils which resulted in a 42% reduction of translocation of Zn in spinach leaves. Assuming daily spinach consumption of 200 g per person, Zn in spinach grown in soil amended with biochar would be below the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake limit for adults (20 mg) as prescribed by WHO/FAO/IAEA. Consumption of spinach grown with wastewater in soil without biochar amendment may not be safe because of Zn toxicity. Likewise, the concentration of Cd, above CO-DEX permissible levels in the spinach leaves and eleven times higher in wastewater than freshwater irrigation, raises a concern for consumers in developing countries where untreated wastewater is often used for irrigation.

Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 2019

This study investigated the effects of biochar, produced from plantain peel, on the yield of pota... more This study investigated the effects of biochar, produced from plantain peel, on the yield of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) irrigated with wastewater in two consecutive seasons. Potatoes were grown in 2015 and 2016 in nine lysimeters (1.0 m × 0.45 m), packed with sandy soil to a bulk density of 1.35 Mg m −3. The lysimeters were arranged in a completely randomized design with three replicates. The treatments were (i) wastewater with biochar, (ii) wastewater without biochar, and (iii) freshwater without biochar. The soil with biochar treatments was amended in 2015 with an application rate of 1% (w/w) on the top 0.1 m of soil. After 33 days of planting, the potatoes were irrigated 8 times, on a 10-day irrigation interval, with freshwater or wastewater that was synthesized to represent a typical wastewater in developing countries. Plant health parameters (e.g., photosynthetic rate) were measured. After 120 days of planting, the potato tubers were harvested; the fresh weight was measured and the tubers were counted. The plant health parameters (e.g., photosynthesis rate) varied with time but were not affected by biochar amendment. Also, the total fresh tuber weights as well as the total number of tubers were similar in all treatments although the biochar showed a significant positive effect (p < 0.05) on the pH and the cation exchange capacity of the soil. Thus, it was concluded that application of the plantain peel biochar as soil amendment showed no significant effect on the yield of potatoes irrigated with wastewater.

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 2019

In this study, CFD analysis has been conducted and compared with already developed heat transfer ... more In this study, CFD analysis has been conducted and compared with already developed heat transfer model (HTM) to predict the heating load generated by (i) flue gas heat sink pipe network (FGHSPN) handling flue gas at 350°C and (ii) hot water heat sink pipe network (HWHSPN) receiving hot water at 65°C for accurately computing the heating requirements in order to determine the effect of each system on the greenhouse temperature rise. The heat was generated using innovatively designed forced draft paddy straw bale combustor (FDPSBC) through combustion of paddy straw biomass bales in single operation of FDPSBC which was coupled with a 100 m 2 area greenhouse. The results of both CFD and HTM have been compared with the experimental results performed during winter night in Ludhiana city (30.56°N latitude, India). The heat released through radiation and free convection was computed through two methods viz; an unstructured mesh with 509,153 elements was used for simulation using CFD. The simulation was 3D pressure-based, transient analysis with activated energy, laminar viscous and surface to surface radiation models without taking into account the effect of incident solar radiation. Simulated results show that the total heat transfer by radiation and convection mode was 8.70 kW and 4.68 kW (total 13.38 kW) respectively resulting in steady-state greenhouse temperature rise of 10.35°C above the ambient air. The CFD simulated results match with heat transfer model results of 12.98 kW (RMSE of 1.5%) and also comparable with experimentally observed temperature profile inside the greenhouse with RMSE of 1% which show the utility of CFD to study greenhouse microclimatic parameters and predict the heating load requirements without using complicated heat transfer equations and mathematical solutions.

Journal of Environmental Management, 2019

In many developing countries water scarcity has led to the use of wastewater, often untreated, to... more In many developing countries water scarcity has led to the use of wastewater, often untreated, to irrigate a range of crops, including tuber crops such as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.). Untreated wastewater contains a wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals, which can find their way into the edible part of the crop, thereby posing a risk to human health. An experiment was undertaken to elucidate the fate and transport of six waterborne heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn), applied through irrigation water to a potato (cv. Russet Burbank) crop grown on sandy soil, having either received no biochar amendment or having top 0.10 m of soil amended with 1% (w/w) plantain peel biochar. A non-amended control, irrigated with tap water, along with the two contaminated water treatments were replicated three times in a completely randomized design carried out on nine outdoor PVC lysimeters of 1.0 m height and 0.45 m diameter. The potatoes were planted, irrigated at 10-day intervals, and leachate then collected. Soil samples collected two days after each irrigation showed that all heavy metals accumulated in the surface soil; Fe, Pb and Zn were detected at 0.1 m depth, while only Fe was detected at 0.3 m depth. Heavy metals were not detected in the leachate. Tested individually, all portions of the potato plant (tuber flesh, peel, leaf, stem and root) bore heavy metals. Biochar-amended soil significantly reduced only Cd and Zn concentrations in tuber flesh (69% and 33%, respectively) and peel compared to the non-amended wastewater control (p < 0.05). Heavy metal concentrations were significantly lower in the tuber flesh than in the peel, suggesting that when consuming potatoes grown under wastewater irrigation, the peel poses a higher health risk than the flesh. tion was detected in a loamy soil irrigated with untreated wastewater (Kiziloglu et al., 2008), while Pb and Cd were measured in the leachate of soils contaminated with coal fly ash deposits (Hartley et al., 2004). Abdu et al. (2011) raised concerns of Cd and Zn leaching to groundwater following wastewater irrigation. Crops grown with heavy metal contaminated irrigation water can take up heavy metals through their roots, and translocate them to different edible portions, where they may accumulate to toxic levels. For instance, Hussain et al. (2013) reported the uptake of copper (Cu), Zn, Pb, chromium (Cr) and Fe in vegetable crops grown in wastewater irrigated soils, and their eventual translocation to leaves and stems. In another study, Roy and McDonald (2015) reported high concentrations of Cd and Zn in the roots of carrot (Daucus carota L.) and radish (Raphanus sativus L.) grown in a heavy metal contaminated soil. Likewise, potatoes grown in soil receiving sewage water irrigation had high concentrations of Cd, and Pb, far above permissible limits for potatoes (0.1 mg kg −1) (Sadiq Butt et al., 2005). Consumption of heavy metal contaminated food may result in serious health problems. For example, Pb poisoning is linked to kidney disease (Wang et al., 2009), while diseases such as Alzheimer's and "itai-itai" are linked to Cu and Cd toxicity, respectively (Brewer, 2009). By displacing calcium, Cd accumulates in bones and softens them

Transactions of the ASABE, 2015

Indian Journal of Economics and Development, 2016

The depletion of groundwater resources can seriously hinder the availability of irrigation water ... more The depletion of groundwater resources can seriously hinder the availability of irrigation water in India and can thus adversely affect agricultural productivity, jeopardizing the food security efforts. To meet the future demand for food production India must circumspectly manage its water resources and try saving and conserving water, particularly for irrigated agriculture; enhancing use-efficiency of surface and ground water; improving groundwater recharge; and using waste waters with safety. This paper discusses issues related to irrigation water management and focuses on innovative practices, strategies and approaches. The technological advances in the area of super absorbent polymer hydrogel, lining of canals and field channels; breeding short duration and drought tolerant aerobic rice varieties; strategies for using wastewater, use of remote sensing technologies are highlighted. The issues like crop diversification, mitigation and adaptation strategies dealing with climatechange and the relevance of virtual water trading are discussed in an Indian perspective. The governmental policy decisions to arrest the trends of rapidly falling groundwater along with their impact are also discussed.

There has been a rise in global water consumption in the past 100 years due to increase in human ... more There has been a rise in global water consumption in the past 100 years due to increase in human population, urbanization, economic growth, improved standard of living and industrialization. In many parts of the world, wastewater is generated in a sustainable manner from industries and homes, but it is not used efficiently. The use of wastewater in the agricultural sector—a major driver in water usage, is being advocated in many developing countries. However, there are myriad issues related to its usage which may pose serious problems directly or indirectly to the global environment. Biochar, the carbon-rich product obtained from the pyrolysis of plant based materials, has shown some agronomical and environmental benefits. These benefits derived from the use of biochar, depend largely on the type of feedstock used. Thus, this preliminary study was conducted to ascertain if plantain peel biochar (PPB) will serve as a low cost sorbent for the removal of heavy metals (Cd, Cr and Pb) in...

Journal of Environmental Management, 2020

The environmental effectiveness of plantain peel biochar in the second season of its application ... more The environmental effectiveness of plantain peel biochar in the second season of its application to soil was studied using outdoor lysimeters (0.45 m diameter x 1.0 m height) packed with sandy soil, cultivated with potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) and irrigated with wastewater. Biochar (1% w/w) was amended in the soil onetime in the first season. For two seasons, the biochar improved the soil properties, immobilized the heavy metals in the soil, and reduced their uptake by the crop. The CEC of the biochar-amended soil (WW þ B) for example, as compared to the unamended treatment (WW-B), was significantly higher (p<0.05; >65%) for both seasons due to higher pH which controls the availability of cations in soils, influencing their CECs. The soil sampled in the second season showed accumulation of all the heavy metals in the topsoil, while only Zn, Pb and Fe moved to the 0.1 m depth. The Fourier transform infra-red spectra of the soil and soil-biochar mix were similar and suggested that oxygen-containing functional groups were partly responsible for binding the heavy metals. The heavy metals translocated to all the potato parts (flesh, peel, root, stem and leaves). The concentrations of the heavy metals in potato parts under freshwater were lower than those under wastewater irrigated condition. After the second season of being in the soil, biochar significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn in the edible flesh suggesting that biochar immobilized wastewater-laden heavy metals in soil and reduced their uptake in potatoes for at least two seasons.