Percentage Removal Efficiency Research Articles

Instant Degradation of Organic Dyes in Contaminated Rivers Using Iron-Doped Zinc Quaternary-Based Quantum Dots Nanocatalyst

Organic dyes such as methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine 6G (Rh 6G), when dissolved in water, pose a serious threat to the environment, humans, and aquatic life. In this study, we report the synthesis of Fe-doped ZnCuInS/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (FeZCIS/ZnS QDs) in aqueous solution by varying the iron concentrations (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10%) for the instant removal of these organic pollutants in contaminated water. The as-synthesized FeZCIS/ZnS QDs were negatively charged and spherical in shape with a diameter of 2.97 nm ± 0.73 nm. Furthermore, it showed improved quantum yield (QYs) compared to the undoped with an average lifetime of 37.15 ns (3% Fe-doped QDs). The undoped ZCIS/ZnS QDs showed percentage removal efficiency of 94.42% and 93.97% for MB and Rh 6G in contaminated deionized water, respectively, and 90.73% (MB) and 1.28% (Rh 6G), respectively, in contaminated rivers. However, the 3% FeZCIS/ZnS QDs showed a percentage removal efficiency of 99.94% and 95.79% for MB and Rh 6G in contaminated deionized water, respectively, and 91.42% and 11.11%, respectively, in rivers contaminated with the dyes. Increasing the concentration of the nanocatalyst to 4 mg/mL improved the removal efficiency of Rh 6G in contaminated rivers to 93.28% and 94.40% using ZCIS/ZnS QDs and FeZCIS/ZnS QDs, respectively.

Utilization of natural and chemical activation corncob as adsorbent for continuous purification of used cooking oil using adsorption column

Abstract Corncob waste can be utilized for various purposes. The purpose of this research is to determine corncob adsorption ability and adsorption kinetics model of purified used cooking oil using natural and activated corncobs which is effective and economical method due to its low cost, simple, and regenerative. The research method used in this research is experimental. This study consisted of three stages, namely the manufacture adsorbent of natural and activated corncobs, purification, determination turbidy of used cooking oil. The natural corncob adsorbent turbidity is 13.2 NTU and the activated corncob adsorbent turbidity is 10.8 NTU. Percentage removal efficiency of natural corncob adsorbent is 97.238% and activated corncob adsorbent is 97.741%. It is shown from the pseudo-second-order graph that a chemical interaction occurs, the value of the coefficient of determination (R2) obtained is 1, using natural and activated corncob adsorbent.

Development an effective adsorptive treatment strategy for the removal of cadmium from textile wastewater by CuBi2O4@Fe3O4 nanocomposites

In this study, copper-bismuth oxide/iron oxide (CuBi2O4@Fe3O4) nanocomposites were prepared by microwave-assisted synthesis and used as adsorbents for the adsorptive removal of cadmium from textile wastewater. The pH/volume of buffer solution, mixing type/period and adsorbent dosage were optimized univariately to enhance the removal efficiency of the adsorbent and determined as 1.5 mL of pH 8.0 buffer solution, vortexing for 60s, and 30 mg of CuBi2O4@Fe3O4 nanocomposite material. Following the determination of the optimum parameters, equilibrium adsorption studies were performed at five different initial concentrations of cadmium within the range of 0.50 − 10 mg L−1 in textile wastewater. A matrix-matching calibration strategy was utilized for the accurate and precise quantification of cadmium in the wastewater matrix with a R 2 value of 0.9961. The percent removal efficiencies were calculated within the range of 77.2 − 81.5% for the adsorptive removal of cadmium ions from textile wastewater in the equilibrium adsorption experiments. Furthermore, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips adsorption isotherm models were employed for modeling the equilibrium data, and the results showed that all the models fitted well with the experimental data with R2 values higher than 0.99. The simple and efficient batch adsorption process developed was successfully utilized to remove cadmium ions from textile wastewater.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of γ-alooh nanoflowers as an adsorbent for cadmium removal from domestic wastewater.

In this study, cadmium ions were effectively removed from domestic wastewaters using an adsorptive treatment strategy based on γ-AlOOH nanoflowers. A novel, rapid, and simple procedure was developed for the synthesis of the nanoflowers. Characterization studies were performed using X-ray powder diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscope images. The synthesized nanoflowers were utilized as adsorbent in the batch adsorption experiments. The influential parameters of the adsorption process were optimized, and a flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS) system was used to determine maximum percent removal of cadmium ions. Matrix-matched calibration strategy, in which the calibration plot was developed in wastewater medium, was utilized for the accurate and precise quantification of cadmium in the effluent samples. The percentage removal efficiency values were calculated between 84 and 98% for different concentrations of cadmium ions in the wastewater samples. Equilibrium data was fitted to the four different linearization methods of the Langmuir isotherm model, as well as the Freundlich isotherm model and Elovich isotherm model. The best fitting was achieved for the Langmuir model with a high R2 value of 0.9956 and maximum adsorption capacity was calculated as 6.23mg/g.

Efficiency of water hyacinth and cattail for wastewater treatment using constructed wetland

Constructed wetlands have emerged as a cost-effective, eco- friendly and sustainable solution to enhance water quality by effectively removing nutrients. The objective of this study is to compare water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Cattail (Typha latifolia) as wetland plants for wastewater treatment at the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) situated in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The percentage removal of various parameters including pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Phosphorus, Nitrate, Ammonia, Sulphate, Oil and Grease, Total Coliform, Feacal Coliform, Copper, Zinc, Iron and Lead were compared for cattail and water hyacinth. The results of the analyzed parameters were compared with the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (FAO, 2015) limits for irrigation purposes. Results showed pH, TDS, Turbidity, TSS, Sulphate, Nitrate, BOD, COD, FC, and Iron, Copper, Lead and Zinc were within permissible limit of the standard for irrigation water quality according to FAO, while EC and Total Phosphorous were above the maximum permissible limit. The result of the percentage removal efficiency showed that water hyacinth had higher performance in removing the pH (13.34%), Turbidity (97.24%), Sulphate (100%), Nitrate (18.51%), Total Phosphorous (96.34%), COD (86.21%), BOD (77.92%), Oil and Grease (73.80%), FC (78.48%), TC (36.24%), Copper (81.84%), Lead (89.69%) and Zinc (79.38%) compared to typha latifolia. For 82.61% EC, 82.09% TDS, 94.51% TSS, 97.31% Iron and removal, efficiency of typha latifolia was higher. Constructed Wetland vegetated with typha latifolia and Eichhornia crassipes showed high contaminant removal efficiency with water hyacinth showing superior removal efficiency

Industrial park wastewater treatment using a combined sono-pulsed electrochemical-coagulation process

Maintaining sustainable water management practices, preserving ecosystems, and safeguarding public health has depend on the treatment of wastewater. It has a significant impact on reducing water pollution and protecting the water supplies. Sono-pulsed electrochemical oxidation (S-PEO) process is a wastewater treatment method that uses ultrasound (US) waves and electrochemistry to enhance the pollutant removal efficiency. This study aim is to investigate the mineralization of industrial park wastewater by using pulsed electrochemical oxidation (PEO) and a combination of sonolysis and pulsed electrochemical oxidation (S-PEO) processes. The research focuses on the percentage elimination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color, as well as the assessment of power consumption. The study considers the influence of experimental parameters like initial pH, electrolysis time, and current to find the optimum conditions for maximum percentage removal efficiency with minimization of power consumption. According to the study, the optimum values of responses for the S-PEO process were obtained at pH=7, electrolysis time=40 min, and current =0.5 Amp. The optimum values for the maximum removal percentages of the responses COD and color were 97.04 %, and 99.70 %, respectively. The minimum of power consumption for S-PEO was 0.19 kWh/m3. These results demonstrate that, the superior efficiency of the S-PEO process and its feasibility in the removal of industrial wastewater pollutants. Optimizing parameters like pH, time, and current intensity is crucial for optimal performance, reducing energy consumption and operational costs. The S-PEO technique eliminates pollutants from wastewater efficiently and effectively, making it the suitable process when compared to the others.

P-32 powdered activated carbon detoxifies potentially toxic elements in the Kumasi Abattoir Ghana effluent

Industrial activities, particularly from abattoirs without effluent treatment facilities, threaten ecosystems, releasing a spectrum of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) into the environment. With a defunct wastewater treatment plant (WTP), exploring a low-cost but efficacious and eco-friendly adsorbent for the Kumasi Abattoir Ghana (KAG) effluent treatment is warranted. The study is the first attempt to utilize activated carbon (AC), such as the P-32 Powdered AC (PAC) brand, to detoxify PTEs—Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), and Lead (Pb)—in Ghana’s abattoir effluent. The adsorbent was manufactured and supplied by the Climate/Environmental Research and Technology (CLERET) Laboratory, one of the Research and Development (R&D) departments of Explore Scientific Innovations (ESI) Ltd., Ghana, using palm nutshell wastes as precursor. The study systematically evaluated the efficiency and adsorption prowess using incremental masses of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 g of the adsorbent/100 ml effluent, with three replicates per experimental unit in one cycle application of the adsorbent. The PTE concentrations were determined using standard methods before and after applying the adsorbent. Three adsorption isotherm models Langmuir, Freundlich, and Elovich, were applied to investigate the adsorption mechanisms governing the PTEs. The model performance was evaluated using R2 and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) metrics. The findings unveiled varied percentage removal efficiencies (% Rs), with Zn exhibiting the highest (79.64 %) at 2.5 g and Cd the least (7.8 %) at 0.5 g, of the carbon. The Freundlich isotherm emerged as the most robust model, consistently exhibiting the highest coefficient of determination (R2) with the lowest RSME values. Fe and Cd had the highest and lowest adsorption capacity (Kf) of 0.181 and 0.001, respectively. The Freundlich exponent (nf) values were within the favorability range of 1–10. The PTE adsorptions were physical rather than chemical. P-32 PAC provided a promising avenue for abattoir effluent management.

Olive oil waste treatment: A review

The most intriguing results were obtained on UASB reactors, both at laboratory and pilot scale, fed on diluted waste, and the most promising results were obtained on UASB reactors, both at laboratory and pilot scale, fed on diluted waste. With these digesters, volumetric loading rates were observed and 70 percent removal efficiency was achieved. The start-up of UASB reactors fed with waste from olive oil mills is a complicated process that must be carefully monitored and optimized. Starting with very diluted trash yielded the greatest results. Granulation of the sludge, as seen in UASB digesters fed on sugar beet wastewaters, was not attained; however, the sludge's settleability was observed to be excellent. Since the olive oil industry has been blamed for a lot of pollution, there has been a lot of pressure to improve olive oil waste treatment facilities. Bioremediation (ex-situ, in-situ), thermal processes (incineration, pyrolysis, gasification), evaporation, membrane processes, electrolysis, ozonation, digestion, Coagulation/flocculation/precipitation, and distillation are among the many methods currently in use. Per the waste treatment approach, both advantages and downsides were described, along with the methodology and explicit flow diagrams. Furthermore, the most recent studies were provided, with around twenty–five figures primarily illustrating the efficacy of current waste treatment procedures versus time or temperature. The comparison of the various olive oil waste treatment approaches revealed that, while bioremediation is the most environmentally beneficial option, it is not the only one.

Color, COD, and turbidity removal from surface water by using linseed and alum coagulants: optimization through response surface methodology

This study examined the treatment of surface water using a mixed natural (linseed) and chemical (alum)-based coagulant in terms of color, turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (%) removal in a laboratory jar test. Experimental results showed that using a combined coagulant has shown higher removal of color (99.72%) and turbidity (97.76%) at pH values of 3.5 using a 1.5 g/L dosage and a stirring time of 38.58 min. Similarly, at the same pH value and 2.5 g/L dosage, the COD removal was 96%. To determine the optimum value with the highest percent removal efficiency of the coagulation–flocculation process, several experimental parameters including blended dosage, pH, COD concentration, and initial turbidity have been studied in terms of the percent of color, chemical oxygen demand, and turbidity removal. The optimum value was found for the highest removal of color-97.75%, turbidity-96.86%, and COD-90.33% with the pH values of 7.0, at a dosage of 2.5 g/L and a stirring time of 40 min, respectively. Statistical techniques of response surface methodology were used in experimental design and optimization, in order to calculate the confidence intervals to assess population parameter precision. An ANOVA-95% confidence interval ensures that the high reliability optimizes the result. The findings proved the excellent adsorption potential and high performance of the blended coagulant in the removal of contaminants from surface water.

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous caged silica for efficient adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution

Addressing the challenge of removing dyes from textile industry wastewater is crucial for wastewater treatment. Adsorption, utilizing suitable materials, emerges as a promising solution. This work introduces caged silica as an effective adsorption material for wastewater treatment in the textile industry. The proposed caged silica was synthesized via the hard template synthesis method, commonly used in various applications such as catalysts and wastewater treatment. Caged silica exhibited an amorphous structure with notable BET surface area (448m2/g), pore volume (0.325cm3/g), and average pore size (2.4nm), confirmed through detailed characterization. Evaluation of its adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB) revealed an impressive removal efficiency of approximately 95% within the initial 20 min. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model and adhered more closely to the Freundlich isotherm model than the Langmuir model. Additionally, the study investigates the effects of pH, percent removal efficiency, cyclic stability, and initial MB concentration on the adsorption procedure. Consequently, the synthesized caged silica stands out as a promising mesoporous material for efficiently removing MB from aqueous solutions, offering practical application potential in wastewater treatment.

HSPiP and QbD oriented optimized green nanoemulsion to treat chloramphenicol contaminated water

Nanoemulsion is an isotropic and kinetically stable system used for multiple purposes. Exhaustive flow of chloramphenicol (CAMP) in the water systems raised global thereat to aquatic and human lives. Innate cohesive energy of the material is the basis of predictive HSPiP program. We aimed to prepare biocompatible nanoemulsion employing eugenol oil, lecithin, tween 80, and propylene glycol) for the contaminated water treatment. Furthermore, experimental design oriented robust nanoemulsion (OCEN1) investigated the impact of composition, CTime (exposure time), and nanoemulsion characteristics on percent removal efficiency (%RE). Thermodynamic stability study was conducted at different temperatures. Finally, the presence of CAMP in the treated water was negated by ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy). HSP (Hansen solubility parameters) and experimental solubility data were the basis of excipient selection. A blend of tween-80 and lecithin served as surfactant mixture (Smix) to stabilize nanoemulsion. OCEN1 was associated with high desirability (D = 0.93), low size (43 nm), low PDI (0.19), high %RE (90.72 % over period of 17 min of exposure time), optimal viscosity (1.12 cP), and high zeta potential (−25 mV). Experimental design identified significant impact of composition, exposure time (CTime), and nanoemulsion characteristics on %RE as prime factors to consider before wastewater treatment plant installation. Thus, the approach is simple, rapid, ecofriendly, and scalable to treat CAMP contaminated water with high selectivity and efficiency.

Invasive lignocellulose-based plants bio-sorbents for the elimination of nitrites of emerging concern from water

The regulation of nitrite levels in potable water is primarily motivated by the potential for excessive amounts to induce methemoglobinemia, which is also referred to as blue baby syndrome. Human and industrial activities generate and release nitrite-containing wastewater into water bodies, thereby endangering ecosystem health and contaminating water sources. Biosorption is an alternative and environmentally beneficial method of wastewater treatment. These methods have several advantages over conventional methods, including their cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and reusability. This study investigates the viability of utilizing guava leaf, neem leaf, orange peel, banana peel, and custard apple leaf as bio-sorbents for the removal of nitrite from contaminated water. One hundred percent removal efficiency is the result of this endeavor. Following an examination of all six bio-sorbents, it was observed that the guava leaf bio-sorbents exhibited the most effective performance in the removal of nitrite from water. Additionally, the impacts of various parameters including contact duration, agitation speed, adsorbent dosage, pH, and temperature are also investigated. Additionally, prior to utilization, the biomass may undergo physical and chemical modifications. To enhance the analysis of each bio-sorbent, a range of characterization techniques are utilized, including XRD, SEM-EDX, FTIR, and BET analysis. Economic feasibility can be achieved by regenerating and reprocessing the bio-sorbent subsequent to the nitrites removal process.

The worthy green heterogeneous Fenton degradation process for removal of E102 in foodstuffs and industrial waste-waters using Cypress arizonica leaves based magnetic nanocomposite (CA-Fe3O4-MNc)

A new, green magnetic nanocomposite (MNc) was synthesized based on framework of Cypress arizonica (CA) leaves and then used as Fenton catalyst for removal of tartrazine (E102) in foodstuffs and industrial waste-waters. Characterization of the synthesized magnetic nanocomposite (CA-Fe3O4-MNc) was performed with IR, EDX, FESEM, XRD and pHpzc analyses. The average particle size and pHpzc of the CA-Fe3O4-MNc were determined to be 24.36 nm and 6.8, respectively. CA-Fe3O4-MNc was composed of C (15.08 %), Fe (51.86 %), O (31.80 %) and Ca (1.26 %) elements. The parameters effecting heterogeneous Fenton dye removal process including pH, catalyst amount, reaction time, H2O2 and initial dye concentrations were investigated to achieve the best removal efficiency for E102. Under optimal conditions, the matrix effect was investigated, the reusability of CA-Fe3O4-MNc was tested, degradation products and mechanism were elucidated, and green analytical procedure index (GAPI) and analytical eco-scale (AES) of the proposed Fenton degradation process were evaluated. E102 removal values were obtained between 93 and 99 % in the applications of some foodstuffs, water samples and artificial model dye solutions. Proposed heterogeneous Fenton removal process with using CA-Fe3O4-MNc catalyst exhibited quantitative removal efficiency for E102. E102 concentrations between 5 and 50 mg/L were removed successfully. It was observed that the synthesized CA-Fe3O4-MNc material could be used at least 5 times to obtain quantitative removal values. The percent removal efficiency value decreased to 93 after five uses. Defined GAPI parameters and calculated AES scores indicated that the proposed CA-Fe3O4-MNc based heterogeneous Fenton degradation process could be considered that a valuable green removal method.

Investigating the improvement of the quality of industrial effluents for reuse with added processes: coagulation, flocculation, multi-layer filter and UV

Reuse of wastewater is one of the ways to develop water resources. In addition to the need for drinking water, many industries also need high-quality water in the production line. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the advanced treatment of the wastewater treatment plant of Morche Khort industrial town using the processes of coagulation, flocculation with aeration, multi-layer filter, and disinfection by ultraviolet radiation to increase the quality of wastewater and reuse it in industries. In this study, to investigate the effect of coagulation and flocculation units along with aeration, filtration, and disinfection by ultraviolet rays (UV), on the quality of the secondary effluent from the wastewater treatment plant of Morche Khort industrial town, they were operated on a pilot scale. Polyaluminum chloride (PAC) was used as a coagulant. Layering of three layers of sand filter, from bottom to top including granulated silica at a height of 10 cm, sand at a height of 20 cm, and activated carbon at a height of 70 cm was used. The input and output sampling points of each unit were considered. By repeating twice in five stages of flow rates of 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 (L/min), the samples were collected to determine COD, TSS, TDS, turbidity, pH, hardness, total coliform, and fecal coliform. Jar test results showed that Alum coagulant works almost the same as PAC in removing turbidity, but the efficiency of removing organic substances by PAC coagulant is higher than that of Alum at lower doses. The results of this study showed that the efficiency of the coagulation and flocculation process in removing turbidity, COD, TSS, TDS, and fat was 56.88%, 46.66%, 38%, 23.19%, and 91.43% respectively. In the current study, the results of the wastewater entering the sand filter showed that the percentage of removal efficiency with a loading rate of 1 (L/min) was turbidity, TSS, COD, TDS, and fat was 16. 93%, 56.84%, 50%, 5.67%, 33.44% respectively. In the UV disinfection unit, the removal efficiency percentage with a loading rate of 1 (L/min) for COD, TSS, turbidity, hardness, total coliform, and fecal coliform is 16%, 3.45%, 3.58%, 5.21%, 99.88%, and 98.37% respectively. Coagulation and flocculation system—multi-layer filter and disinfection can remove chemical–physical and microbial parameters to an acceptable level for using water in advanced purification systems and also for irrigation.

Application of Agro-industrial Solid Waste as Biochar for Iron (II) Removal from Aqueous Solution

In recent years, various industrial activities have introduced a high concentration of iron in the waterbody which causes serious problem to environment. This paper proposed the application of Exhausted Coffee Husk (ECH) as the biosorbent (BS) for removing iron (Fe) (II) in the aqueous solution. The ECH was carbonized into biochar before performing biosorption of the heavy metal ion. The effect of carbonization temperature, time and rate on the performance of the ECH biochar for removing Fe (II) were evaluated. The percentage of removal efficiency (RE) and the capacity of biosorption (mg/g) were considered as the determining parameters. The pyrolysis temperature was varied in a range of 200-600 °C with 50 °C of interval, while the time was in between 1h – 3h with a n interval of 0.5 h, and the temperature gradient of 5 – 25°C/min. The results showed that the temperature had a significant effect on the properties of the ECH biochar as BS for Fe (II). The temperature of 550 °C, at 1.5 h of time and 25 °C/min was chosen as the suggested carbonization temperature of biochar from ECH for biosorption of Fe (II). Keywords: Agro-industrial solid waste, Biosorption, Carbonization, Exhausted coffee husk (ECH), Heavy metal.

Facile green synthesis route for new ecofriendly photo catalyst for degradation acid red 8 dye and nitrogen recovery

This study novelty is that new photo catalyst prepared from sustainability low cost precursors. Dark red color hydrogel composites have been easily prepared from gelatin biopolymer using a simple sol–gel method. Gelatin doped by cobalt chloride, and silver nanoparticles (SNPs) in the presence of traces amount of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant and calcium chloride. Water-insoluble Gelatin composites are thermally stable photocatalysts for the degradation of toxic anionic acid red 8 dye. Promising photodynamic activity confirmed by fluorescence emission at λmax 650 nm. Optical absorption in Vis. light enhanced photo catalytic activity. Silver nanoparticles enhanced crystallinity, and improved optical properties and porosity. Dopants by CoCl2 and silver nanoparticles increased band gap of gelatin composites from (1.82 to 1.95) indicating interfacial charge separation. Low band gaps improved photo catalytic activity. Optical band gaps (Eg) lower than 2.0 eV indicates high catalytic activity in the photo degradation acid red 8 dye using Vis. light, wavelength 650 nm. Percent removal efficiency (%Re) of the dye at 500 ppm initial concentration, pH 1, contact time 30 min., and 0.20 g L−1 dose photo catalyst reached 95%. pH not affects removal efficiency. So, gelatin composites removed AR8 dye by photodegradation mechanism rather than adsorption due to photodynamic activity. Kinetics of photodegradation followed pseudo first order kinetic with rate constant k1 5.13 × 10−2 min.−1 Good electrical conductivity and magnetic properties (effective magnetic moment (µeff 4.11 B.M) improved dye degradation into simple inorganic species. Nutrients NH4+, and NO3− degradation products recovered by using alumina silicate clay via a cation exchange mechanism.

Application of aqueous extracts of <i>Alternanthera brasiliana, Chromolaena odorata</i> and <i>Tridax procumbens</i> plants in remediating lead contaminated soils

Soil washing is an effective method of removing lead from contaminated soils. However, great limitations abound in the choice of washing solution that is ecologically sustainable for agricultural soils. In this study, applications of plant soluble extracts in remediating of Pb contaminated soils for ecological sustainability were carried out. Batch laboratory experiments were done using aqueous extracts of Alternanthera brasiliana, Chromolaena odorata, Tridax procumbens and water as control at varying soil-pulp-densities (SPD) of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15%, and washing time of 1, 3, 6, 12 h. For contaminated soil, percentage removal efficiency followed the order: Alternanthera brasiliana (38.1±0.28%) > Chromolaena odorata (21.8±0.12%) > Tridax procumbens (21.3±0.18%). The most appropriate ratio for contaminated soil was 3% SPD at 12 h washing time. Removal efficiency was found to be substantially depended on geochemical phase of Pb (exchangeable-4.04%) in contaminated soil and washing solution pH (5.68). Lead removal efficiency was observed to increased proportionally with increasing washing time, but decreased with increasing SPD. Spike soil with high exchangeable Pb-78.9% recorded significant Pb removal of 63.4±0.24% with Alternanthera brasiliana, 47.8±0.22% with Chromolaena odorata, 38.3±0.38% with Tridax procumbens and 52.0±0.26% with water. Analysis of variance at p=0.05 indicated a significant difference inpercentage Pb removal efficiency across all the four washing solutions. However, the statistical T-test indicated no significant difference at p=0.05 in percentage Pb removal efficiency between both soils. Also, moderately positive correlations were observed between contaminated and spiked soils for Alternanthera brasiliana (0.676), Chromolaena odorata (0.570) and Tridax procumbens (0.517) while negative correlation observed for water (0.485) which served as the control. The three plant extracts exhibited good potential characteristics as washing solutions for the treatment of Pb contaminated soils. Chemical modifications are recommended to enhance and improve their efficiencies when considering the geochemical phase of Pb in soil.

Investigating the Optimization of Magnetic Biochar Production from Rubber Seed Shells for Enhanced Cr(VI) Removal Efficiency

This study aimed to utilize agricultural and produce low-cost magnetic biochar from rubber-seed shells using ferric chloride (FeCl3) as a transition metal. The study employs Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken Design (BBD) to determine optimal production conditions for removing chromium (Cr(VI)). The effect of preparation conditions such as pyrolysis temperature (500-700 °C), duration (90-180 min), and impregnation (1-3 M) on the produced magnetic biochar was examined. The optimal condition was demonstrated based on yield percentage and Cr(VI) removal efficiencies. The study revealed that the optimal conditions for producing magnetic biochar from rubber seed shells were a pyrolysis temperature of 580 °C, a pyrolysis time of 130 min, and a FeCl3 concentration of 3 M. Under these conditions, a yield of 48.63% was achieved, and the removal efficiencies for Cr(VI) were 41.29%. This research suggests that utilizing agricultural waste products from rubber seed shells may be a viable and economical method for producing magnetic biochar, which can serve as an efficient adsorption agent.

In silico approaches for the prediction of the breakthrough of organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plants.

The removal efficiency (RE) of organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a major determinant of the environmental impact of chemicals which are discharged to wastewater. In a recent study, non-target screening analysis was applied to quantify the percentage removal efficiency (RE%) of more than 300 polar contaminants, by analyzing influent and effluent samples from a Swedish WWTP with direct injection UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS/MS. Based on subsets extracted from these data, we developed quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPRs) for the prediction of WWTP breakthrough (BT) to the effluent water. QSPRs were developed by means of multiple linear regression (MLR) and were selected after checking for overfitting and chance relationships by means of bootstrap and randomization procedures. A first model provided good fitting performance, showing that the proposed approach for the development of QSPRs for the prediction of BT is reasonable. By further populating the dataset with similar chemicals using a Tanimoto index approach based on substructure count fingerprints, a second QSPR indicated that the prediction of BT is also applicable to new chemicals sufficiently similar to the training set. Finally, a class-specific QSPR for PEGs and PPGs showed BT prediction trends consistent with known degradation pathways.

Study and Verify the Performance Evaluation and Percentage Removal Efficiency of the Plant

Domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater all belong to the category of urban wastewater. There are various treatment technologies available to treat the waste water from simple oxidation ponds to advanced MBBR systems. The present study is to verify the performance evaluation and percentage removal efficiency of the plant. The various water quality parameters like COD, BOD, TSS, TDS, Oil & Grease , Nitrates, pH, EC, DO, Turbidity and Phosphates of the waste water were being analyzed for the which were collected. Water samples were collected at different stages of treatment plant such as (raw water inlet, Aeration tank, Clarisettler and Treated water outlet) in the weekly basis for a period of 6 weeks before disposal into water body streams. After treatment, the average percentage removal efficiency for the parameters COD, BOD, TSS, TDS, Oil & Grease, and Phosphates was found to be 89%, 88%, 85%, 68%, 69% and 75%. After the analysis the result were finalized by comparing data with CPCB and IS standard values and ultimately, the performance and removal efficiency of the waste water treatment facility was found to be under good condition and the treated water are being used for flush-outs and gardening.