Abstract
Modern agricultural activities and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are two of the major sources of groundwater contamination that affect the quality of drinking water. Conventional water quality improvement methods include direct filtration, coagulation/settling treatment techniques, membrane-based systems, and absorption-based systems. However, to date, there are no efficient and cost-effective processes available for water treatment. This study developed an innovative nanotechnology-based technique to improve groundwater quality. Magnetic nanosponges (MNSs) were synthesized and characterized using two different magnetic nanoparticles along with polymeric coagulants. The efficiency of MNSs in removing pollutants in wastewater collected from local diary and swine CAFO lagoons was investigated. Standard water quality evaluation parameters, such as the total organic content (TOC), turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and biological oxygen demand (BOD), were measured prior to and after treatment with MNSs. The results demonstrate the potential of MNSs to improve the quality of groundwater and support the development of a cost-effective best management practice (BMP) that also employs traditional coagulants at CAFOs and other wastewater treatment plants.
Highlights
In many countries, including the USA, agriculture and animal farming are the leading pollutant sources that significantly affect surface and groundwater quality
The use of coagulants with Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs) resulted in the formation of Magnetic nanosponges (MNSs) in situ
Pristine coagulants were effective in reducing all the measured parameters in both dairy and swine farm water while pure MNPs were ineffective
Summary
In many countries, including the USA, agriculture and animal farming are the leading pollutant sources that significantly affect surface and groundwater quality. Agricultural and animal facility byproducts, such as nutrients, fertilizers, siltation, pesticides, metals, and pathogens originating from these operations, contaminate rivers, lakes, and reservoirs [2]. Agricultural activities, cropland irrigation and livestock production, have significantly increased and account for 70% of all agricultural land. Other agricultural activities that cause water pollution in the US include poorly managed concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), overgrazing, and overapplication of pesticides, irrigation water, and fertilizers [3]. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has defined CAFOs as an agricultural operation that raises animals for at least 45 days per year, usually at high density, for the consumption of meat, eggs, or milk. In the US, the estimated annual manure produced by livestock is between three and 20 times more than what humans produce, which adds up to approximately two billion dry tons of manure every year [4,5]
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