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This report presents the result of geochemical studies carried out on cores recovered from Krishna-Godavari Basin (K-G Basin) during the National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 02 (NGHP-02). NGHP-02 targeted gas hydrate accumulations in sand facies in the K-G Basin off the east coast of the Indian Peninsula. Three areas (Area B, Area C and Area E) in the K-G Basin were investigated. During this expedition, 10 research sites in K-G basin were cored and samples for geochemistry analysis were collected. High TOC/TN ratios indicate an input from terrestrial organic matter. Analysis of gas samples from pressure cores also acquired during NGHP-02 were composed of mostly methane. Carbon Isotopic studies show that methane gas sampled from recovered gas hydrate samples were derived from biogenic (microbial) sources. This list of factors appears to indicate that the gas associated with the recovered hydrate-bearing core samples were derived from a microbial source. However, the biogeochemical processes responsible for generating the microbial gases found with the recovered gas hydrates may not have been limited to current limits off the gas hydrate stability zone. It is important to note here that microbial process likely extend to more than 1 km deep into the basin, so gas coming from below the GH stability zone can still be from a microbial source. In addition, the microbial gas within the stability zone was likely in part recycled from hydrate accumulations that has passed through the base of the gas hydrate stability zone as a product of sedimentation, with the dissociated microbial gas migration again vertically in the section, entering the gas hydrate stability zone and reforming gas hydrates. Although the organic carbon required for in situ methanogenesis and gas hydrate formation is abundant in the shallow sedimentary section of the KG-Basin, the faulted, fractured, and deformed stratigraphy observed in the KG- Basin coupled with high pore filling gas hydrate saturations at many sites, suggests that advective processes may be contributing to the supply of methane to the gas hydrates in the KG- Basin. The possible migration of gas from greater depths is also supported by seismic evidence of through-going migration-pathways that can connect the gas hydrate system with deeper petroleum systems. It is important to note here that the deep conventional gas accumulations in the basin also contain microbially sourced gas.

The generation of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has increased proportionally across the world, and the developed countries due to regulatory pressures have integrate sustainable practices to manage this huge quantity of waste. However, the developing countries like India are facing numerous hurdles in managing the huge quantity of WEEE. Therefore, this study aims to first identify the enablers of sustainable WEEE management in the context of India and subsequently analyze those barriers that need to be addressed urgently to manage this issue. With extensive literature review and experts input, we have identified ten key enablers of sustainable WEEE management. Subsequently, these ten enablers were analyzed to uncover their causal relationship using a DEMATEL approach. The findings of the study reveals reduction in hazardous and toxic substances that holds the top position followed by collaboration with environmental partners and employee health scheme among cause group enablers whereas, environmental management system (EMS) followed by training programs for environmental consciousness and recovery of precious material are categorized into effect group.

The generation of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has increased proportionally across the world, and the developed countries due to regulatory pressures have made technological upgradations and practices to manage this huge quantity of waste. However, the developing countries like India are facing numerous hurdles in managing the huge quantity of WEEE. Therefore, this study aims to first identify the barriers of WEEE management in the context of India and subsequently analyze those barriers that need to be addressed urgently to manage this issue. Through extensive literature review, expert inputs, we have identified seven primary barriers and forty-four sub-barriers and then rationalize with various socio-economic theories. Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is applied in this study to prioritize the barriers and then identify the interdependence of these barriers on each other. The results indicate that the policy and regulatory barriers and the infrastructural barriers are the prominent barriers for effective management of WEEE. Further, the results obtained through DEMATEL analysis indicate that the policy and regulatory barriers as well as the socio economic barriers are the most prominent barriers with maximum driving effect on the overall system.

Today, e-waste management practices are gaining momentum because of the global environmental regulations, but the presence of barriers makes the implementation of e-waste management difficult. Moreover, e-waste contains valuable metals as a well as hazardous substance that has more deceptive impacts on the ecosystem. This study aims to identify ten barriers based on the literature and the perceptions of experts involved in e-waste management issues. In this paper, we employed an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Decision Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) for understanding the hierarchal and contextual relationship structure among the barriers of e-waste management. The study shows that no autonomous barriers are present in the course of study. The result suggests that the lack of public awareness about e-waste recycling and the lack of policies addressing e-waste issues are the root cause barriers as depicted by the novel ISM-DEMATEL based methodology. This present novel model helps the policy and decision maker’s to find out the mutual relationship and interlinking among the barriers.

Benefits of recycling will be mitigated if the recycling plant location is not aligned with the sustainability principles. The present study aims to build a guiding framework for managers and policymakers in selecting a sustainable location for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling plant. It uses a case study approach and a three-phase novel methodology which includes Best-Worst Method (BWM) to rank the criteria for a sustainable plant location and VIsekriterijumska optimisacija i KOmpromisno Resenje (VIKOR) to rank the recycling candidate locations present in the case. The results indicate that environmental and natural criteria like, distance from the residential areas and water bodies, and biodiversity conservation are the most significant considerations for a sustainable plant location. Policy and legal criteria like, support from local authorities and financial support, ranked as the second while, economical aspects like, proximity to the waste collection point, and slope ranked as the third best criteria for decision on a sustainable recycling plant location. The study established the consistency and robustness of the results by performing two sets of sensitivity analysis. One by changing the weight specified for the main criteria and the other, by modifying the weight specified for a specific expert. The study will facilitate WEEE recycling companies in their decision making for facility location and also, the policy makers in increasing the effectiveness of the national WEEE management policy, by providing insights on the sustainability factors for recycling plant locations around which incentives can be built and disclosure regulations be designed.

Forest fires due to pine needles in the northwestern Himalayas during summers are a very common phenomenon every year causing major harm to flora and fauna. They are a major contributor to climate change as forest fires destroy hectares of land covered by forest and emit greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. One possible solution to this problem is to generate energy from the bio residue of pine tree. This paper intends to identify, categorize and prioritize the major factors that hinders and are barriers to energy generation using pine needles in the state of Uttarakhand, India. This paper adopts a multi-criteria decision-making approach based on the technique of fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process. Sensitivity analysis is also used to test the robustness of this technique. The study finds that Legal and regulatory factors are the most critical and categorized as major influences of such renewable energy generation project, which includes government policy, project guidelines, financial support, technical support, and government clearances. The second barrier is economic which majorly includes cost factor associated with the development and sustenance of such energy generation projects. Technological and market related factors are next on the priority to energy generation using pine needles through limitations such as topography, hilly terrain, seasonal availability, supply chain, poor marketing. Human resource barriers stands at the fifth place and has less influence on such energy generation initiatives. This paper will help the policy makers to understand the priorities while solving energy generation issues to reduce forest fires and contribute to mitigate climate change.

Due to an increase environmental awareness and stringent legislation, electronic companies attempt to move towards environmental protection and extend their efforts to integrate green competencies across their forward and reverse supply chain. Environmental performance of companies not only rely on design and manufacturing aspects but it is also affected by the partners' social as well as environmental performance. For companies, recycling and assets recovery process, as well as final disposal of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), requires recycling partners to be equipped with green competencies (GC). With the scope of this paper, selection of most desirable recycling partner is an important task and complex decision for managers of electronic companies. This paper presents a three-phase novel hybrid methodology for partner selection by electronic companies. The first phase involves extensive literature for identification of green competencies (GC) criteria and then finalize seven main criteria and forty-eight sub-criteria with experts' opinion, the second phase involves fuzzy AHP method which is used to calculate relative weight and rank the selection criteria and third phase involves ranking of recycling partners’ alternative with respect to GC criteria weights using novel VIKOR. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted to check the robustness and stability of the framework. The results indicate that resource and environmental management capabilities (REC), green core competencies (GCC), and regulatory obligation and risk compliance (RRC) are the key criteria for partner selection process.