Major Water Pollution Research Articles

Spatiotemporal variation of riverine nutrients in a typical hilly watershed in southeast China using multivariate statistics tools

The water quality of lakes can be degraded by excessive riverine nutrients. Riverine water quality generally varies depending on region and season because of the spatiotemporal variations in natural factors and anthropogenic activities. Monthly water quality measurements of eight water quality variables were analyzed for two years at 16 sites of the Tianmuhu watershed. The variables were examined using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and factor analysis/principal component analysis (FA/PCA) to reveal the spatiotemporal variations in riverine nutrients and to identify their potential sources. HCA revealed three geographical groups and three periods. Two drainages comprising towns and large villages were the most polluted, six drainages comprising widely distributed tea plantations and orchards were moderately polluted, and eight drainages without the factors were the least polluted. The river was most polluted in June when the first heavy rain (daily rainfall > 50 mm) occurs after fertilization and the number of rainy days is most (monthly number of rainy days > 20 days). Moderate pollution was observed from October to May, during which more than 60% of the total nitrogen fertilizer and all of the phosphorus fertilizer are applied to the cropland, the total manure is applied to tea plantations and orchards, and a monthly rainfall ranging from 0 mm to 164 mm occurs. The remaining months were characterized by frequent raining (i.e., number of rainy days per month ranged from 5 to 24) and little use of fertilizers, and were thus least polluted. FA/PCA identified that the greatest pollution sources were the runoff from tea plantations and orchards, domestic pollution and the surface runoff from towns and villages, and rural sewage, which had extremely high contributions of riverine nitrogen, phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand, respectively. The tea plantations and orchards promoted by the agricultural comprehensive development (ACD) were not environmentally friendly. Riverine nitrogen is a major water pollution parameter in hilly watersheds affected by ACD, and this parameter would not be reduced unless its loss load through the runoff from tea plantations and orchards is effectively controlled.

Selective extraction and determination of toxic lead based on doped metal oxide nanofiber

Lead is considered to be one of the major water pollutants. Its persistence in nature makes it more toxic among other heavy metal ions. The current study introduced a newly developed cadmium oxide (CdO) codoped iron oxide (Fe2O3) nanofiber for selective separation of Pb(II) ions from aqueous media. The newly prepared CdO codoped Fe2O3 nanofiber was characterized by different state of the art instruments. The morphological behavior and chemical properties of the material were confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Different parameters, including the effect of pH, concentration, contact time and temperature were evaluated to understand the mechanism of adsorption phenomena. The maximum uptake capacity was found to be 45.75 mg/g at pH 6.0. The nature of adsorption was monolayer with homogeneous adsorption sites as suggested by Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Kinetic studies revealed that the system followed pseudo second-order kinetic. Moreover, thermodynamic parameters displayed that the adsorption mechanism of Pb(II) onto CdO codoped Fe2O3 nanofiber was a spontaneous process and thermodynamically favorable. Selectivity studies of nine different metal ions, i.e. Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Cr(VI), Cu(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II), established that CdO codoped Fe2O3 nanofiber was most selective toward Pb(II). Finally, the proposed method was further validated by applying it to real environmental water samples with satisfactory results.

Bioremoval of an azo textile dye, Reactive Red 198, by Rhizopus oryzae

Among all environmental contaminants, industrial dye is one of the major pollutants of soil, water, and air. There are different chemical, physical, and biological methods for removal of all types of synthetic media from the environment. One common method is to utilize microorganisms like yeast, fungi, or bacteria. In this study, we identified a soil-derived microorganism and evaluated its efficacy for removal of industrial dye from wastewater. First, a strain of fungus isolated from various samples of soil was defined via colonial identification and DNA sequencing. Second, the bioremoval activity of the defined fungus (Rhizopus oryzae) in treating the water-soluble monoazo dye, Reactive Red 198, in synthetic media was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The effects of varying factors in processing, including dye concentration, fungal volume, time, and pH were determined. Under optimal conditions, a dye removal rate of 96% was obtained.

Chronic natural arsenic exposure affecting histoarchitecture of gonads in Black Bengal goats (Capra aegagrushircus)

Arsenic is a major water pollutant that may cause serious health hazard (e.g., infertility) in human and animal. We evaluated the changes in histoarchitecture of testes and ovaries of adult Black Bengal goats (n=10) reared in arsenic affected areas in Bangladesh. Grossly, we found insignificant variations among the testes and ovaries, but histological evaluation revealed an extensive alteration in morphology of both testes and ovaries in the arsenic affected goats. In testes, the thickening of tunica albugenia and trabeculae, widening of intertubular space between seminiferous tubules, and narrowing in diameter of seminiferous tubules were observed. In ovaries of arsenic affected goats, significant decrease in number of primary follicles and antral follicles were observed. The diameters of secondary and antral follicles were significantly reduced. The granulosa layer of antral follicles showed marked thickening. The findings indicate that chronic arsenic exposure alters the histoarchitecture of both male and female gonads in Black Bengal goat, and thereby may affect their reproductive performance.

Humic acid adsorption onto cationic cellulose nanofibers for bioinspired removal of copper(II) and a positively charged dye.

Waste pulp residues are herein exploited for the synthesis of a sorbent for humic acid (HA), which is a major water pollutant. Cellulose pulp was etherified with a quaternary ammonium salt in water thereby introducing positive charges onto the surface of the pulp fibers, and subsequently mechanically disintegrated into high surface area cellulose nanofibers (CNF). CNF with three different charge contents were produced and their adsorption capacity towards HA was investigated with UV-spectrophotometry, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, and ζ-potential measurements. Substantial coverage of the CNF surface with HA in a wide pH range led to a reversal of the positive ζ-potentials of CNF suspensions. The HA adsorption capacity and the kinetics of HA uptake were found to be promoted by both acidic pH conditions and the surface charge content of CNF. It is suggested that HA adsorption onto CNF depends on electrostatic interactions between the two components, as well as on the conformation of HA. At pH ∼ 6, up to 310 mg g(-1) of HA were adsorbed by the functionalized CNF, a substantially higher capacity than that of previously reported HA sorbents in the literature. It is further shown that CNF-HA complexes could be freeze-dried into "soil-mimicking" porous foams having good capacity to capture Cu(II) ions and positive dyes from contaminated water. Thus, the most abundant natural polymer, i.e., cellulose could effectively bind the most abundant natural organic matter for environmental remediation purpose.

Unpresendant Piggery Waste Resource and Resurvive Approach

Piggery waste is one the tree major water pollution sources in Taiwan. Piggery waste should be viewed as resource and not waste. Conventionally, three stage wastewater treatments are too costly and hard to operate. Direct application to soil can be a remedy if the application rate is careful managed. Taiwan EPA ambitiously launches piggery manure direct apply to soil policy. It might the panacea to water pollution control.

Kinetic and equilibrium studies of the heavy metal remediation potential of Helix pomentia

Heavy metals are one of the major pollutants in water and are very toxic. However, chitosan – a waste biomass of agricultural products possess the ability to chelate heavy metals in water. In this study, the application of snail (Helix pomatia) shell based chitosan for remediating heavy metals contaminated Osun River (OSR), Odo-ebu stream (OBS) and Aso well water (AWW), all in Osogbo community, Nigeria; and the binding efficiency of chitosan for heavy metals in these water sources were evaluated. The result shows the prevalence of Iron (Fe), Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Chromium (Cr), and Lead (Pb) ions in the three water samples with OBS and OSR having higher metal concentrations in the order: Pb > Cd > Fe > Zn > Cr > Cu compared with AWW which follows the order: Fe > Zn > Pb > Cr > Cd > Cu. The concentration range of heavy metals in OBS and OSR were (0.0011 -2.831) mg/L and (0.0012 -1.687) mg/L respectively, while for AWW it was (0.0004-0.0237) mg/L and below the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) 2007 and World Health Organization (WHO) 2004; maximum permissible level of metal ions in drinking water. The prepared chitosan is a selective candidate for remediating four heavy metals ions from these water samples, with the maximum sorption capacities for the metal ions in the sequence: Pb > Cd > Fe > Cr. The sorption behaviour followed a pseudo-second-order model, while the equilibrium data correlated well with the Langmuir isotherm models with the RL values in the range 0 < RL < 1. Key words: Heavy metals, Helix pomatia, chitosan, dumpsite, equilibrium studies.

Editorial: advanced catalytic materials for environmental application

Environmental protection is directly related to the sustainable development of the economy and society. Controlling the release of major air and water pollutants remains a daunting challenge in China. The removal of major air pollutants [PM, SO2, NOx, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and Hg] from stationary and mobile sources is becoming increasingly urgent to improve air quality. Additionally, the removal of numerous industrial and natural chemical compounds from contaminated water systems is essential to maintaining the availability of clean water. Therefore, cost-effective and appropriate air pollution control and water treatment technologies must be explored and implemented. Regarding air pollution control, the selective catalytic reduction of NOx (SCR) by ammonia and hydrocarbons over metal oxide and zeolite catalysts is discussed; non-toxic transition metal oxides supported on titania and zeolite matrices are emerging new catalysts. The removal of Hg from flue gas using catalysis is also a new research direction in this field. The oxidation of VOCs using photoand thermal catalysis for indoor air quality improvement is reviewed based on recent research progress achieved worldwide. Regarding wastewater treatment, the catalytic elimination of inorganic and organic pollutants from wastewater is presented. Additionally, mechanisms for the abatement of air and water pollutants using catalysis are discussed in detail. Finally, several aspects should be aimed in future research of environmental catalysis for the abatement of major pollutants in air and water. For instance, the development of environment-friendly catalysts that have attracted much attention in both the academic and industrial fields should be enhanced. Significant efforts should be made towards the development of highly active and durable catalysts, and anti-fouling catalysts for long-term successful treatments. For the selectivity of pollutants transformation to harmfulness should be more concerned by adjusting heterogeneous catalytic processes. Further efforts should be made to gradually improve material or reactor design for pilot and demonstration purposes. Moreover, much work is required to combine catalytic processes with other remediation technologies.

Industrial Wastewater Discharge Retrieval Based on Stable Nighttime Light Imagery in China from 1992 to 2010

Industrial wastewater (IW) discharge, which is a known point source of pollution, is a major water pollution source. Increasing IW discharge has imposed considerable pressure on regional or global water environments. It is important to estimate the IW distribution in grid units to improve basin-scale hydrological processes and water quality modeling. For the first time, we use the nighttime light imagery produced by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) to estimate the spatial and temporal variations in the IW distribution from 1992 to 2010 in China. The digital number values per unit area (DNP) of each stable light image were calculated using nighttime light imagery and were regressed against the IW per unit area (IWP) to estimate the total industrial wastewater (TIW) for each province. The results indicated strong positive correlations between the DNP and the IWP for each province during different years. The fitted linear regression models were used to estimate IW discharge in China with reliable accuracy. The IW estimation using the satellite data was consistent with the statistical results. The results also revealed that the IW discharge coverage expanded, whereas the IW discharge intensity decreased from 1992 to 2010 in China.

Genotoxicity Detection with Special Reference to Micronucleation in the Erythrocytes of Fish Species due to Water Pollution - A Mini Review

Water pollution is a matter of great concern in lentic and lotic ecosystems. Generally water pollutants like heavy metals, organic compounds, etc. generate from industries and domestic activities. All of these pose serious threat to the fish population in freshwater as well as marine water bodies. An impact caused by water pollutants especially genotoxins depend not only upon its concentration, but also on the duration (acute and chronic exposure) and showed individual and/or combination of pollutants or genotoxins. Genotoxicity of fish with special reference to micronucleus induction in the erythrocytes of fish is an easy screening of water pollution. The present review deals with past and present research works of major water pollutants discharge and their impact on several fish species from available literatures.

ChemInform Abstract: Role of Graphene/Metal Oxide Composites as Photocatalysts, Adsorbents and Disinfectants in Water Treatment: A Review

AbstractReview: 319 refs.

Genotoxicity Detection with Special Reference to Micronucleation in the Erythrocytes of Fish Species due to Water Pollution - A Mini Review

Water pollution is a matter of great concern in lentic and lotic ecosystems. Generally water pollutants like heavy metals, organic compounds, etc. generate from industries and domestic activities. All of these pose serious threat to the fish population in freshwater as well as marine water bodies. An impact caused by water pollutants especially genotoxins depend not only upon its concentration, but also on the duration (acute and chronic exposure) and showed individual and/or combination of pollutants or genotoxins. Genotoxicity of fish with special reference to micronucleus induction in the erythrocytes of fish is an easy screening of water pollution. The present review deals with past and present research works of major water pollutants discharge and their impact on several fish species from available literatures.

Water quality assessment of solar-assisted adsorption desalination cycle

This study focuses on the water quality assessment (feed, product and brine) of the pilot adsorption desalination (AD) plant. Seawater from the Red Sea is used as feed to the AD plant. Water quality tests are evaluated by complying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards with major primary and secondary inorganic drinking water pollutants and other commonly tested water quality parameters. Chemical testing of desalinated water at the post desalination stage confirms the high quality of produced fresh water. Test results have shown that the adsorption desalination process is very effective in eliminating all forms of salts, as evidenced by the significant reduction of the TDS levels from approximately 40,000ppm in feed seawater to less than 10ppm. Test results exhibit extremely low levels of parameters which are generally abundant in feed seawater. The compositions of seawater and process related parameters such as chloride, sodium, bromide, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, and silicate in desalinated water exhibit values of less than 0.1ppm. Reported conductivity measurements of desalinated water are comparable to distilled water conductivity levels and ranged between 2 and 6μS/cm while TOC and TIC levels are also extremely low and its value is less than 0.5ppm.

ANALYTICAL STUDY ON EFFECTS OF WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS USING REMOTE SENSING &amp; GIS UNDER HYDERABAD URBAN AREA ZONE – V

Rapid urbanization and industrialization has led to unchecked proliferation of hazardous industries in and around Hyderabad, unchecked and unregulated distribution and management of urban resources especially green areas, water bodies and the combination of above aspects with large scale urban sprawl have all made Hyderabad an unmanaged polluting city. One of the major problems 'Water Pollution' is referred to the addition to water an excess of material that is harmful to humans, animals, or desirable aquatic life, or otherwise causes significant departures from the normal activities of various living communities, in or near bodies of water. The term water pollution refers to any type of aquatic contamination between two extremes: A highly enriched over productive biotic community such as river or lake with nutrients from sewer or fertilizer. Water bodies poisoned by toxic chemicals, which eliminate living organizing, exclude all forms of life. Many steps are being taken to keep pollutants from reaching groundwater supplies. Manufacturers should use fewer toxic raw materials. Consumers have switched to phosphate-free detergents and other less polluting household products. Pollution control measures such as the Clean Water Act have also been a big part of the protection of drinking water supplies. Reutilization and Recycling of Waste: Various kinds of wastes like paper pulp, municipal and industrial effluents, sewage and thermal pollutants can be recycled to advantage. For example, urban waste could be recycled to generate cheaper fuel gas and electricity. Removal of Pollutants- The various physicochemical techniques used for removal of chemical biological or radiological pollutants have been adsorption, electro dialysis, ion exchange and reverse osmosis etc.

Statistical Approach in Determining the Spatial Changes of Surface Water Quality at the Upper Course of Kano River, Nigeria

In this study, statistical techniques were used to evaluate the spatial variation of surface water quality and pollution source apportionment in Kano River, Nigeria. Triplicate water samples were collected from 30 sampling sites along the upper course of Kano River and analyzed for 23 parameters which include dissolved oxygen (DO), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand $$(\hbox {BOD}_{5})$$ , chemical oxygen demand, pH, temperature, salinity, conductivity, dissolved solids, suspended solids, total solids, turbidity, chloride (Cl), ammonia $$(\hbox {NH}_{3})$$ , nitrate $$(\hbox {NO}_{3})$$ , potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), phosphate $$(\hbox {PO}_{4})$$ , iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), Escherichia coliform (E. coli), and total coliform (T. coli). Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis grouped the 30 sampling sites into three statistically significant clusters based on similarities of surface water quality characteristics. Principal component and factor analyses (PCA and FA) were used to investigate the source of water quality parameters and to identify three major water pollution sites: high pollution sites, moderate pollution site, and low pollution site which explained more than 65 % of the total variance in water quality. Discriminant analysis provided a better result with great discriminatory ability, pattern recognition, and important data reduction using only seven parameters (DO, $$\hbox {BOD}_{5}$$ , pH, $$\hbox {NH}_{3}$$ , Cl, E. coli, and T. coli) for spatial variation and affording more than 90 % correct cases assignation. Further, one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) was applied to the three factors obtained from PCA and FA to compare the variation within and between the factors, the result showed significant differences $$(p < 0.05)$$ between the factors. The study provides a new insight into the environmental quality in Kano River for effective surface water quality management and protection.

Amelioration by chlorophytum borivilianum upon arsenic induced oxidative stress in Swiss albino mice

Background: Arsenic, a major water pollutant in India, produces toxic effects on male reproductive system due to oxidative stress. Arsenic contaminated drinking water causes several health problems such as Blackfoot disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, disturbances in the nervous system and cancers of liver, kidney, lung and bladder in humans. Aim: This study accessed the efficacy of Chlorophytum borivilianum in reducing arsenic-induced biochemical and nucleic acid damages in mice testis. Methods: A different group of adult Swiss albino mice was made such as control group, C. borivilianum group, sodium arsenite group and combination group. For antioxidant activity, ABTS radical cation decolorization assay was done. Body and testis weight, protein, sialic acid, ATPase activity, DNA and RNA content in the testis were also estimated. Results: Animals exposed to sodium arsenite at the dose of 4.0 mg/kg b.wt. showed significant decrease (p&lt;0.001) in testicular protein, sialic acid, ATPase activity, DNA and RNA content indicate DNA damage and apoptosis whereas combination group showed a significant increase in all the parameters. Conclusion: The results thus led us to conclude that administration of C. borivilianum at the dose of 800 mg/kg b.wt. Significantly protects against arsenic-induced oxidative stress. Keywords: ABTS Assay; Atpase; DNA; Oxidative Stress; Protein; Sialic Acid.

The efficiency of Penicillium commune for bioremoval of industrial oil

Among all environmental contaminations, industrial oil is one of the major pollutants of soil, water, and air. There are different chemical, physical, and biological methods to remove all types of oil pollutions. One of the common biological methods is to utilize the microorganisms like yeast, fungi or bacteria. Previous studies concerning the biodegradation of an aromatic compound in industrial waste water by Aspergillus niger have been reported. In this study, we tried to identify an oil-derived microorganism and evaluate its efficacy on self-removal of industrial oil. Firstly, the strain of isolated fungus from various bulks of used oil was defined via colonial identification and DNA sequencing. Secondly, bioremoval activity of defined fungus (Penicillium commune) was evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The optimum conditions in biological elimination of oil including the incubation time, pH level of culture, and amount of reagents were determined. In the best condition, a removal rate of 95.4 % was obtained.

Environmental implications of rural policies in China: a multi-agent model at the level of agricultural households

We analyzed the socioeconomic and environmental changes in rural China from the perspective of agricultural households and developed a multi-agent agricultural household model for rural environmental management (MAREM). The MAREM model consists of four submodules: the agricultural household production module, the consumption module, the labor supply module, and the environmental assessment module. In the model, virtual agricultural households exist in a hypothetical village. Farmers follow a self-adaptive approach to learn and understand policy variations, in order to make relevant decisions. The model has been validated through simulation of actual trends (the based-on-reality scenario). On the basis of this scenario, we further analyzed possible future trends in rural environmental pollution in China. Our results reflect that China may enter a period of farmer income stagnation accompanied by a rapid deterioration in rural environmental quality. Ammonia emission from livestock production may become the primary agricultural source of air pollution, and eutrophication is calculated to be the major water pollution issue for the long term. Synthetic fertilizer application is projected to be the dominant source of total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in aquatic system (contributing to about 64% and 46% of the total discharge, respectively). Our study shows that MAREM is an effective tool to analyze the interactions between agricultural households' behavior and environmental consequences under specific policies in China.

Copper (II)/Cellulose-Chitosan] Microspheres Complex for Dye Immobilization: Isotherm, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Analysis

Considered as ligands due to the presence of donor atoms in their chemical structures, and being also among the major pollutants of water, Eriochrome Black B (Erio), Calmagite (Calma) and Acid Blue 25 (AB25) were successfully immobilized on cellulose-chitosan microspheres loaded with copper ions. Prepared supports were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectral study and Thermogravimetic analysis (TGA). The effect of experimental factors during dye immobilization such as pH, contact time, temperature, and initial dye concentration were studied. The experiments demonstrate that the adsorption capacities of dyes on [Cu(II)/cellulose-chitosan] are much higher than the unloaded microspheres. This indicates that these dyes can act as efficient ligands for coordinating metals already involved in [cellulose-chitosan]. At least, in the case of AB25, a 60% of difference in target removal was achieved at equilibrium. The kinetic adsorption fitted well to the intra-particle diffusion model and the corresponding rate constants were obtained. In addition, the interpretation of the equilibrium sorption data complies well with the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters were also determined and the enthalpy change (ΔH°) was found to be low, between −5.93 and −20.68 Kj.mol-1, indicating that the adsorption phenomenon is exothermic and physical. A probable mechanism of the Dye/Copper(II)/cellulose-chitosan complex is also proposed.

Copper (II)/Cellulose-Chitosan] Microspheres Complex for Dye Immobilization: Isotherm, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Analysis

Considered as ligands due to the presence of donor atoms in their chemical structures, and being also among the major pollutants of water, Eriochrome Black B (Erio), Calmagite (Calma) and Acid Blue 25 (AB25) were successfully immobilized on cellulose-chitosan microspheres loaded with copper ions. Prepared supports were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectral study and Thermogravimetic analysis (TGA). The effect of experimental factors during dye immobilization such as pH, contact time, temperature, and initial dye concentration were studied. The experiments demonstrate that the adsorption capacities of dyes on [Cu(II)/cellulose-chitosan] are much higher than the unloaded microspheres. This indicates that these dyes can act as efficient ligands for coordinating metals already involved in [cellulose-chitosan]. At least, in the case of AB25, a 60% of difference in target removal was achieved at equilibrium. The kinetic adsorption fitted well to the intra-particle diffusion model and the corresponding rate constants were obtained. In addition, the interpretation of the equilibrium sorption data complies well with the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters were also determined and the enthalpy change (ΔH&amp;Deg;) was found to be low, between −5.93 and −20.68 Kj.mol-1, indicating that the adsorption phenomenon is exothermic and physical. A probable mechanism of the Dye/Copper(II)/cellulose-chitosan complex is also proposed.