Browsing by Autor "Nidhi Nagabhatla"

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Assessing Pollution Mitigation in Transboundary Waters Through Biosorption Technique in Rural Andean Bolivia
(2026) Alejandra Paz Rios; Paula Cecilia Soto-Rios; Cristhian Carrasco; B. Acevedo-Juárez; Laura Mamani-Garcia; Nidhi Nagabhatla
Heavy metal pollution from mining activities and urban runoff poses a serious threat to public health and aquatic ecosystems in vulnerable communities around the Bolivia–Peru transboundary Lake Titicaca basin. This study evaluates the use of two abundant wetland plants—totora (Schoenoplectus californicus) and reed (Phragmites australis)—as low-cost, locally available biosorbents for the removal of dissolved iron (Fe2+) from the Pallina River, a major contaminant source to Cohana Bay. Monitoring data from Bolivia’s Ministry of Environment and Water (2019–2022) revealed Fe2+ concentrations exceeding the national legal limit (0.3 mg/L) by more than 20 times during the dry season. Laboratory experiments using synthetic Fe2+ solutions (20 mg/L) optimized biosorption conditions, identifying pH 5, 4–6 g/L biomass, fine particle size (0.15–0.212 mm), and a 3 h contact time as optimal. Both plants followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherms. Totora showed superior performance, achieving a maximum capacity of 7.8 mg/g compared to reed’s 2.9 mg/g. Continuous-flow column tests removed up to 95% of Fe2+ from synthetic water. When applied to real Pallina River water, totora achieved 50% Fe2+ removal despite reduced efficiency due to competing organic matter. The findings demonstrate the potential of totora-based biosorption as a scalable, nature-based solution for transboundary water management. The policy implications of this study are profound under the national and global water and wetland governance mechanisms and transboundary frameworks like the Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca (ALT, est. 1996) and Ramsar Convention.
Circular Economy Intersections with SDGs in the Latin American Region: Bolivia
(2023) Paula Cecilia Soto-Rios; Nidhi Nagabhatla; Zusan A. Tejeda Fernandez; Ala Al Dwairi; Chelsi A. McNeill-Jewer; Brenda Acevedo-Juárez
Circular Economy Intersections with SDGs in the Latin American Region: Bolivia
(2023) Paula Cecilia Soto-Rios; Nidhi Nagabhatla; Zusan A. Tejeda Fernandez; Ala Al Dwairi; Chelsi A. McNeill-Jewer; Brenda Acevedo-Juárez
Circulatory Pathways in the Water and Wastewater Sector in the Latin American Region
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2023) Paula Cecilia Soto-Rios; Nidhi Nagabhatla; Brenda Acevedo-Juárez
The Circular Economy (CE) is noted as an emerging framework to support sustainable production and consumption agendas. In addition, the CE aims to be a trigger for redefining economic growth pathways as sustainable, inclusive, and sensitive to ecological and environmental agendas, and to focus its operational standards on co-creating societal benefits. Concerning the guiding principles and the standards of practice applied to implement and scale circular economy, this study will provide an overview of water sector-specific circularity roadmaps and strategies in the Latin American Region (LAR). By using a semi-systematic review, document analysis, and qualitative assessment approach, we highlight framings and operational pathways, gaps, and needs within existing practices of circularity in the water sector. The results provide an overview of CE pathways at the national level of selected countries in the LAR, urging those nations to reflect various levels of advancement (low to high) with CE-focused innovations and policy support structures specific to the water and wastewater sectors. Towards the end, the study points to the ‘call for action’ to integrate outstanding advances and innovations in the circular economy within sectoral mandates for water and wastewater management, making an argument that circularity in the water sector could serve as an accelerator towards implementing the agenda outlined in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular for SDG 6 (water security for all).
Circulatory Pathways in the Water and Wastewater sector in the Latin-American Region (LAR)
(2023) Paula Cecilia Soto-Rios; Nidhi Nagabhatla; Brenda Acevedo-Juárez
Circular Economy (CE) is noted as an emerging tool or framework to support sustainable production and consumption agenda. In addition, CE is aiming to be a trigger for redefining economic growth pathways to be sustainable, inclusive, and sensitive to ecological and environmental agendas and to focus its operational standards on co-creating societal benefits. Concerning the guiding principles and the standards of practice applied to implement and scale circular economy, this study will provide an overview of the water sector-specific circularity roadmaps and strategies in the Latin American Region. By using a semi-systematic review, document analysis, and qualitative assessment approach, we highlight framings and operational pathways, gaps, and needs within existing practices of circularity in the water sector. The results provide an overview of CE pathways at the national level of selected countries in LAR iterating those nations reflect various levels of advancement (low to high) with CE-focused innovations and policy support structures specific to the water and wastewater sectors. Towards the closing, the study is pointing to the ‘call for action’ to integrate outstanding advances and innovations in the circular economy within sectoral mandates for water and wastewater management, making an argument that circularity in the water sector could serve as an accelerator toward implementing the agenda outlined in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular for SDG 6 (water security for all).