Economic and environmental benefits of natural treatment systems for sewage treatment: A life cycle perspective.

Sewage treatment involves a trade-off of land vs. energy and the location of installing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) strongly impacts the decisions regarding treatment technologies. In the wake of rapid urbanization, deteriorating freshwater quality and water scarcity, it is crucial to plan adequate and low-cost sewerage infrastructure that can improve the quality of life in rural and urban areas. The present work involves a novel life cycle analysis through six scenarios generated from a holistic perspective that can aid urban planners and urban local bodies in planning the sewage treatment facilities in their cities, towns or villages. Instead of planning sewerage infrastructure for a long-term period of thirty years, it is suggested to create and operate the STPs only for the upcoming decade. Further, owing to the drawbacks of mechanized and natural treatment systems, adopting a mix of these treatment approaches in planning infrastructure is suggested and the benefits of implementing the same are quantified and discussed. Implementing these strategies results in almost 30 % cost savings and 40 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, hence, investing in land for natural treatment systems is suggested instead of incurring heavy electricity bills for mechanized treatment systems. The land cost significantly affects the decision-making regarding treatment technology selection; hence, the variation in the life cycle cost of different sewage treatment approaches is assessed for varying land rates in India.

Comparing Patient Outcomes for Teeth Treated with Traditional Root Canal Therapy Versus Pulpotomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Root canal therapy (RCT) and pulpotomy are two common treatment modalities for managing dental pulp infections, but their comparative effectiveness in terms of patient outcomes remains unclear. This root canal therapy (RCT) aimed to assess and compare patient outcomes between teeth treated with traditional RCT and pulpotomy. Materials and Methods: In this single-center RCT, a total of 120 patients presenting with symptomatic dental pulp infections were randomly assigned to either the RCT group or the pulpotomy group. The RCT group received conventional root canal treatment, which involved complete removal of infected pulp and obturation of the root canals. The pulpotomy group underwent a procedure where only the coronal pulp tissue was removed, followed by the placement of a medicament. Pain levels, infection resolution, and tooth survival were assessed at 6 months and 1 year posttreatment. Results: At the 6-month follow-up, patients in the RCT group reported significantly lower pain scores (2.5 ± 0.8) compared with the pulpotomy group (4.3 ± 1.2, P < 0.001). Infection resolution was also higher in the RCT group (92%) compared with the pulpotomy group (78%) at 6 months. Tooth survival rates at 1 year were significantly higher in the RCT group (95%) compared with the pulpotomy group (81%, P < 0.05). Conclusion: This RCT demonstrates that traditional RCT is superior to pulpotomy in terms of pain reduction, infection resolution, and tooth survival. Patients who underwent RCT experienced less pain, faster infection resolution, and better tooth survival rates compared with those who received pulpotomy. These findings support the use of RCT as the preferred treatment modality for dental pulp infections.

Spatio-temporal trends in the flow and water quality: response of river Yamuna to urbanization.

Urban rivers are major victims of pollution and the river Yamuna is a notable example. Effective human intervention requires an understanding of the water quality response of rivers to urbanization. To this end, the time-series data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was analyzed. The dataset included 44 parameters for twelve stations on Yamuna mainstream from 1978 to 2015. Statistical tests for analysis of trends revealed decreasing monsoon flows over the past decades. Furthermore, increasing non-monsoon flows from Delhi to Agra was indicative of a significant contribution from wastewater discharge to the river. Groundwater parameters such as electrical conductivity, hardness, and sodium content were found to increase in the river over the years. This suggests the use of groundwater that gets converted into domestic wastewater flowing in surface drains discharging into the river resulting in the deterioration of water quality of river Yamuna. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonical nitrogen values from Delhi to Agra stretch do not support indigenous aquatic life. A positive correlation between total and fecal coliform in this river stretch indicates the dominance of domestic sewage. The expected significant correlation between DO and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was not observed throughout the river stretch. High values of DO reported by CPCB indicate the presence of photosynthetic activity in the river; hence diurnal DO measurement is suggested for validation. For the rejuvenation of river Yamuna, the focus of treatment should be shifted to coliform, DO, chemical oxygen demand, and nutrients. The present study analyzed the response of the riverine ecosystem to altered flow regimes and changes in river water quality, and the findings can serve as a basis for decision-makers engaged in river restoration and conservation efforts.