Amount Of Hexavalent Chromium Research Articles

Insolubilization of hexavalent chromium in highly alkaline cement sludge by anaerobic bioremediation

ABSTRACTChemical treatment using reducing agents such as ferrous sulfate is the most popular method for remediation of hexavalent chromium–contaminated sludge. However, the use of such chemical agents poses the risk of secondary pollution through the elution of other heavy metals. Therefore, a bioremediation method was developed to remediate high-alkali cement sludge containing hexavalent chromium. When a biomediator mainly composed of lignocellulose and lignoarabinoxylan was added to hexavalent chromium–contaminated sludge under anaerobic conditions, the amount of hexavalent chromium eluted from the treated sludge decreased significantly to below the level of the environmental standard value in Japan and its pH was reduced to 8. Moreover, the oxidation-reduction potential of the treated sludge decreased and its microbiota changed. These results indicate that anaerobic microbes can facilitate the change of hexavalent chromium to an immobilized form of trivalent chromium. Nucleotide sequence analysis suggested that anaerobic microbes activated in the sludge were Exiguobacterium aurantiacum, which are known to tolerate high pH environments and produce organic acids, even in the cement sludge. Finally, treated sludge did not elute hexavalent chromium during shaking in acid or alkaline solution.

Biodecolorization of Reactive Yellow-2 by Serratia sp. RN34 Isolated from Textile Wastewater.

Remediation of colored textile wastewaters is a matter of interest. In this study, 49 bacteria were isolated from the textile wastewater and tested for their ability to decolorize reactive yellow-2 (RY2) dye. The most efficient isolate, RN34, was identified through amplification, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rDNA and was designated as Serratia sp. RN34. This bacterium was also found capable of decolorizing other related reactive azo-dyes, including reactive black-5, reactive red-120, and reactive orange-16 but at varying rates. The optimum pH for decolorization of RY2 by the strain RN34 was 7.5 using yeast extract as cosubstrate under static incubation at 30 °C. The strain RN34 also showed potential to decolorize RY2 in the presence of considerable amounts of hexavalent chromium and sodium chloride. A phytotoxicity study demonstrated relatively reduced toxicity of RY2 decolorized products on Vigna radiata plant as compared to the uninoculated RY2 solution.

Evolution of C02 during the fixation of chromium containing wood preservatives on wood

A titration procedure was used to confirm carbon dioxide evolution from wood treated with solutions containing chromic acid and to quantify the effects of species (red pine vs soft maple), solution concentration and reaction temperature on the rate and amount of CO2 evolved. Small blocks or chips were vacuum treated with either chromated copper arsenate (CCA) wood preservative or chromic acid solutions and the release of CO2 monitored until the reaction was complete. Significant volumes of CO2 were measured. This is attributed to the oxidation and subsequent decarboxylation of primary hydroxyl groups on wood constituents. The ratio of moles of CO2 produced to moles of chromium added to the wood ranged from about 0.07 to 0.24 depending on the wood species, solution properties and fixation conditions. This accounted for from 9 to 32% of the total oxidation potential of the hexavalent chromium applied. The relative amounts of CO2 produced were higher for maple than for red pine. The rate of CO2 evolution was also higher in the maple samples, consistent with the higher rate of chromium reduction in soft maple compared to red pine. The amount of C02 produced was approximately proportional to the amount of hexavalent chromium in the CCA treating solution although the ratio of CO2 produced to chromium added to the wood increased slightly with increasing solution concentration. The relative amounts of CO2 produced increased with increasing fixation temperature over the 50–90 °C range in both species. The rate of CO2 evolution was accelerated as the fixation temperature was increased. The rates and amounts of CO2 produced were similar for CCA and Cr03 treatments containing the same concentration of chromic acid. Copper and arsenic components of the CCA solution did not appear to have any effect on the decarboxylation reaction.

The transformation of chromium in a laminar premixed hydrogen-air flame

The transformation of chromium was studied numerically and experimentally in a simple laminar premixed hydrogen-air flame. Chromium was added to the flame as a vapor of chromium hexacarbonyl that provided a source of zero-oxidation-state pure elemental chromium through its rapid pyrolysis. The flame was operated over a range of equivalence ratios. The metal aerosol and vapors that were created in the flame were sampled at different heights with a dilution sampling probe. Aerosol was collected on a filter and vapors in a liquid nitrogen trap. Analysis of the samples showed an initial increase in the amount of hexavalent chromium with increasing distance from the burner, followed by a drop to about 5% far from the burner. The modeling of detailed chromium kinetics showed a similar behavior. The observations highlighted the importance of finite-rate kinetics in controlling the ultimate state of the metal oxide. Aerosol samples were analyzed with an electrical mobility analyzer and condensation nuclei counter. Mean diameters were of the order of 40 nm. The numerical model of the chromium aerosol showed qualitatively good agreement between measured and predicted aerosol size distributions.