Abstract
The bivalve mollusk, Meretrix casta shells are abundant in the Vellar estuary along the East coast of India, they are economically important and used as chief raw material for many lime based industries. Their shells are harvested in large quantities for meat and lime production. The present study focused on understanding the chemical characteristics of M. casta shells, collected at eight different locations in the marine zone of Vellar estuary. Slica, alumina, iron, calcium and magnesium were determined by wet analysis method. The concentrations of Cu, Fe, Zn, Cd, Hg and Mg were analysed by inductive coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The M. casta shells consists of calcium which is up to 54%, silica, aluminum, iron and magnesium constituents are very small. Metal concentrations in the shells were in the following order: Fe>Mg>Zn>Cu. The results of heavy metal concentrations was Fe (1.822 mg/l), Mg (0.420 mg/l), Zn (0.026mg/l) and Cu (0.017 mg/l), the elements Cd and Hg were below detection limit in all the eight locations. The result evidenced that the shells were suitable for industrial applications especially for lime based industries. Key words: Raw materials, bivalve, Meretrix casta, ICP-OES, heavy metals, Vellar estuary.
Highlights
Meretrix casta (Chemnitz) (Bivalvia: Family Veneridae) occurs in extensive and dense beds all over the East coast of India (Abraham, 1953)
Loss on ignition is about 44.15% which is common in organic shells
Casta shells of Vellar estuary as compared to Mg (0.420 mg/l), Zn (0.026 mg/l) and Cu (0.017 mg/l), concentrations of Cd and Hg in the shells of M. casta showed below detection limit in all eight locations, indicating that these metals are imprecise in the shells
Summary
Meretrix casta (Chemnitz) (Bivalvia: Family Veneridae) occurs in extensive and dense beds all over the East coast of India (Abraham, 1953). It is fairly abundant in Pulicat Lake, Kovalam backwaters, Muthupet swamps, Vellar estuary and Vaigai estuary (Nayar and Mahadevan, 1980). Clam production in Vellar estuary is about 730 t/year (Silas et al, 1982). In Vellar estuary, among the bivalves, M. casta and Tellina sp. Were commonly encountered; the former accounting for 80 to. 90% of the total benthic population (Chandran, 1987). M. casta is harvested in large quantities from Vellar estuary region for meat and provides a source for proteins, lipids and minerals. Casta is harvested in large quantities from Vellar estuary region for meat and provides a source for proteins, lipids and minerals. Sugesh and Mayavu (2013) studied that M
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