Removal of cadmium (II) from aqueous solution and natural water samples using polyurethane foam/organobentonite/iron oxide nanocomposite adsorbent     

M. Sayed  N. Burham 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(1):105-118

A novel polyurethane foam/organobentonite/iron oxide nanocomposite adsorbent was successfully prepared via in situ polymerization of toluene diisocyanate and polyol in presence of 5 wt% organobentonite/iron oxide. The obtained nanocomposite was characterized in detail, and the results revealed that the clay layers are exfoliated and/or intercalated in the polymer matrix forming a nanocomposite structure. The application of the prepared nanocomposite for adsorption of cadmium ions from aqueous solution was tested as a function of various experimental parameters using batch procedures. Adsorptive removal of Cd(II) onto the nanocomposite attained maximum at adsorbent content 1.5 g/L, pH 6, and the equilibrium was established within 60 min. Kinetic studies showed that the experimental data fit very well to pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption process proceeds through three steps. It was found that external liquid film and intraparticle diffusion steps deeply affect the rate of Cd²⁺ ions adsorption onto the synthesized nanocomposite. Langmuir isotherm model fitted the adsorption data better than Freundlich with a maximum adsorption capacity (q _m) for Cd(II) equal to 78 mg/g under the specified experimental conditions. The synthesized nanocomposite afforded effective extraction for Cd²⁺ ions from natural water samples and excellent reusability feature. This study declares the potential efficiency of a new clay/polymer nanocomposite as alternative for wastewater remediation.  相似文献   

Extraction and recovery of precious metals from electronic waste printed circuit boards by bioleaching acidophilic fungi     

M. Narayanasamy  D. Dhanasekaran  G. Vinothini  N. Thajuddin 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(1):119-132

Printed circuit boards contain precious metals. They are produced in large volumes, rendering them an important component of the electronic waste. In view of the heterogeneity of the metals present, reprocessing of electronic waste is a heinous task. The present study focused on leaching of valuable metals from electronic waste printed circuit boards using Aspergillus niger DDNS1. The adaptation phases began at 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0% of fine powder of printed circuit boards with 10% inoculum and were optimized with three effective factors, viz. initial pH, particle size and pulp density, to achieve the maximum simultaneous recovery of the valuable metals. The interactions of these metals were also deciphered using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrum and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results indicated that extraction of the precious metals was accomplished mainly through the unique organic acids originating from A. niger DDNS1. The initial pH played an important role in the extraction of the precious metals and the metals precipitate formation. The leaching rate of the metals was generally higher at low powder dosage of printed circuit boards. The toxicity of the printed circuit boards had little effect on two-step bioleaching at the pulp density of 0.1% compared to one-step bioleaching. The two-step bioleaching process was followed under organic acid-forming conditions for the maximum mobilization of metals. Thus, the precious metals from printed circuit boards could be mobilized through fungal bioleaching which promises an important industrial application in recycling of electronic wastes.  相似文献   

Eco-friendly smart hydrogels for soil conditioning and sustain release fertilizer     

J. Pushpamalar  S. J. Langford  M. B. Ahmad  Y. Y. Lim  K. Hashim 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(10):2059-2074

In the agricultural industry, biomass waste generated along with the production of food, is transformed into value-added products. Also, the demand for the slow or control release fertilizer is increasing to reduce the cost of maintaining the agricultural land. These issues are tackled by converting biomass waste to a slow fertilizer release vehicle and biodegradable water retention material that could reduce the cost for fertilizer application and simultaneously preserved the soil from dryness. A series of carboxymethyl sago pulp (CMSP) hydrogels were prepared by electron beam irradiation. Slow release systems were evaluated by loading potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) into the CMSP hydrogels. These CMSP hydrogels endow slow release property, biodegradability and a soil moisture preservation property that could find greener application in agricultural industries. The results indicate that CMSP hydrogels have a great potential as an agent for slow release of fertilizers.  相似文献   

Investigation of cadmium immobilization in a contaminated calcareous soil as influenced by biochars and natural zeolite application     

H. R. Boostani  A. G. Hardie  M. Najafi-Ghiri  D. Khalili 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(11):2433-2446

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Health risk of heavy metals from vegetables irrigated with sewage water in peri-urban of Dera Ismail Khan,Pakistan     

H. Ullah  N. U. Khan  F. Ali  Z. A. Shah  Q. Ullah 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(2):309-322

Health risks of heavy metals in vegetables irrigated with sewage water were investigated in the present study. The findings indicated a massive accumulation of heavy metals in soil and vegetables collected from Dera Ismail khan, Pakistan. The concentration levels of heavy metal in vegetables grown on soil irrigated with untreated sewage water were significantly higher at (P ≤ 0.001) than in vegetables grown on fresh-water-irrigated soil and proceeded the recommended limits of World health organization. Moreover, the findings also indicated that the adults and children consuming such vegetables ingested a large proportion of the selected toxic metals. Health risk index was greater than one for Pb and Cd in all the selected vegetables and was greater than one for Ni in three vegetables like Spinacia oleracea, Benincasa fistulosa and Lactuca sativa. Health risk assessment would be a useful tool for information regarding any threats of heavy metals contamination in vegetables.  相似文献   

Effectiveness of Mg–Al-layered double hydroxide for heavy metal removal from mine wastewater and sludge volume reduction     

M. Tamzid Rahman  T. Kameda  S. Kumagai  T. Yoshioka 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(2):263-272

Health hazards from heavy metal pollution in water systems are a global environmental problem. Of similar concern is sludge that results from wastewater treatment due to unsatisfactory sludge management technology. Therefore, the effectiveness of using Mg–Al-layered double hydroxide in the removal of heavy metals from mine wastewater was tested and compared with that of calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂], which is a common treatment method for heavy metal removal. Initially, the mine wastewater contained cations of the heavy metals iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb). The Mg–Al-layered double hydroxides were able to remove 371, 7.2, 121, and 0.4 mg/L of these pollutants, respectively, using the co-precipitation method. The removal of these metals is most effective using 0.5 g Mg–Al-layered double hydroxide (Mg/Al molar ratio 4) and 20 min of shaking. Zn was removed by the formation of Zn(NO₃)(OH)·H₂O and Zn₅(NO₃)₂(OH)₈ when LDH, Mg/Al molar ratios of 4 and 2, respectively, were used. Similarly, Fe, Cu, and Pb were removed by the formation of Fe–Al-layered double hydroxide, Cu₂(OH)₃·NO₃ and Pb₄(OH)₄(NO₃)₄, respectively. While Ca(OH)₂ is also capable of reducing the heavy metal concentrations below the Japanese recommended values, this analysis shows that using 0.5 g Mg–Al-layered double hydroxide is a better treatment condition for mine wastewater, because it generates lower sludge volumes than 0.1 g of Ca(OH)₂. The measured sludge volume was 1.5 mL for Mg–Al-layered double hydroxide and 2.5 mL for Ca(OH)₂, a nearly twofold further reduction.  相似文献   

Electro-chemical mineralization of recalcitrant indole by platinum-coated titanium electrode: multi-response optimization,mechanistic and sludge disposal study     

A. D. Hiwarkar  S. Singh  V. C. Srivastava  C. Thakur  I. D. Mall  S.-L. Lo 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(2):349-360

Indole is a highly recalcitrant aromatic heterocyclic organic compound consisting of a five-membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring fused to a six-membered benzene ring. This study presents the results of the electro-chemical mineralization of indole in an aqueous solution using platinum-coated titanium (Pt/Ti) electrode. A central composite design was used to investigate the effect of four parameters namely initial pH (pH_o), current density (j), conductivity (k) and treatment time (t) at 5 levels. Multiple responses namely chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (Y ₁) and specific energy consumption (Y ₂) were simultaneously maximized and minimized, respectively, by optimizing the parameters affecting the mineralization of indole by using the desirability function approach. At the operating conditions of pH 8.6, j = 161 A/m², k = 6.7 mS/cm and t = 150 min, 83.8% COD removal with specific energy consumption of 36.3 kWh/kg of COD removed was observed. Ultra performance liquid chromatography, UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry of the indole solution were performed at the optimum condition of the treatment so as to report a plausible mechanism of indole degradation. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis of electrodes before and after treatment was performed for determining the changes on anode surface during the treatment. Thermal analysis of the solid residue (scum) obtained was also performed for exploring its disposal prospects. Present study shows that electro-chemical oxidation can be used for mineralization of nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds such as indole.  相似文献   

High-performing antifouling bacterial consortium for submerged membrane bioreactor treating synthetic wastewater     

H. Waheed  S. Pervez  I. Hashmi  S. J. Khan  S.-R. Kim 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(2):395-404

Biofouling, associated with membranes, is considered as a major operational challenge in membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Interrupting the process for the formation of biofilm by the action of interspecies quorum quenching (QQ) has received a significant attention since recent years. An antifouling bacterial consortium was identified to improve biofouling inhibition performance during MBR operation. For this purpose, various QQ bacteria were isolated from laboratory-scale MBR using enrichment culture method and identified via 16S rRNA. Potential quenching strains including Enterobacter cloaca, Delftia sp., and Pseudomonas sp. were utilized to control biofouling in the MBR operated in the continuous mode for 38 days. Three laboratory-scale MBRs, including two MBRs with different anti fouling consortium and a control, were operated in parallel under similar operating conditions. Biofouling control by QQ bacteria was compared based on the membrane permeability and EPS secretion from biofilm on the membrane. Both MBRs with antifouling consortium (AC-MBRs) experienced around three times less biofouling as compared to conventional MBR leading to significant decrease in acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) concentration in the biocake. More than 90, 45, and 49% of COD, NH₄–N, and PO₄ ^3?–P removal efficiencies elucidate that QQ bacterial consortium could effectively reduce membrane biofouling without compromising the MBR efficiency. Comparatively lower concentration of bound EPS in AC-MBRs restricted the bacterial adhesion to membrane resulting in enhanced membrane permeability depicting that a broader range of signal molecules could be hydrolyzed using antifouling consortium than single or no QQ strain in the submerged MBR.  相似文献   

Interactive effect of cadmium and zinc on chromium uptake in spinach grown in Vertisol of Central India     

M. L. Dotaniya  S. Rajendiran  M. Vassanda Coumar  V. D. Meena  J. K. Saha  S. Kundu  A. Kumar  A. K. Patra 《International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology》2018,15(2):441-448

A pot culture experiment was conducted to study impact and interaction of multi-metals on growth, yield and metals uptake by spinach (variety All Green). Three levels of each chromium (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg), cadmium (0, 1 and 2 mg/kg) and zinc (0, 10 and 20 mg/kg) in combinations (total treatments 3 × 3 × 3 = 27) were applied in a Vertisol (5 kg). The results showed that increasing the concentration of chromium, cadmium and zinc in soil enhanced the respective metal concentrations in spinach root and shoot. When cadmium at 2 mg/kg along with chromium at 100 mg/kg soil was applied, chromium concentration and uptake were decreased in root and shoot. Meanwhile, zinc application had no significant effect on chromium uptake and concentration in spinach biomass. From the results, it was concluded that cadmium at higher dose had an antagonistic effect over chromium. On the other hand, in chromium, cadmium and zinc combinations particularly at their higher levels, a competition among each other was found. Therefore, the findings could be used as guidelines for controlling and management of heavy metals pollution in farmland.  相似文献   

Evaluation of the potential for gas leakage along wellbores in the St. Lawrence Lowlands basin,Quebec, Canada     

A. Nowamooz  F.-A. Comeau  J.-M. Lemieux 《Environmental Earth Sciences》2018,77(8):303

Wellbore attributes (i.e., deviation, casings and plugging characteristics) for 85 wells in the St. Lawrence Lowlands basin of southern Quebec were compiled from drilling reports and abandonment programs to provide an overview of the abandoned well characteristics and to establish a diagnosis on the long-term reliability of the completion and abandonment practices carried out by the companies since the beginning of oil and gas exploration. Using these data, the conventional and unconventional wells were divided into four categories: (1) conventional wells drilled before 1950, (2) conventional wells drilled between 1950 and 1970, (3) conventional wells drilled after 1970 and shale gas wells (all drilled after 2000). Very little information was available for wells drilled before 1950. More information was available for the wells drilled from 1950 to 1970 which is considered a transition period between old and modern technology. Conventional and unconventional wells drilled after 1970 were generally well documented and their attributes corresponded to API standards. A decision tree, inspired from the methodology proposed by Watson and Bachu (SPE Drill Complet 24(1):115–126, 2009.  https://doi.org/10.2118/106817-PA), was then created to assess the potential of leakage of each of the conventional and unconventional wells using the compiled attributes. The factors defining the probability of well leakage were wellbore deviation, height of cement in casing annuli (partially or fully cemented), type of abandonment plugs (cement or mechanical plugs) and drilling date (before or after 1970). Among the 85 wells assessed by this tree, the probability of leakage was higher than 50% for 55 wells (65% of wells). Wellbore deviation and lack of information on the construction and abandonment methods were respectively the primary and secondary causes of high probability of leakage of these wells.  相似文献