Comprehensive evaluation of the effluents eluted from different processes of the textile industry and its immobilization to trim down the environmental pollution

Due to the significance of industrial waste water pollution, which creates severe health hazards in humans, this study concentrates over the reduction and determination of the amounts of toxic metals/pollution parameters in the effluents leached from different processes of the textile industry. The concentrations of metal ions were measured by using neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. The values of toxic metals such as As (49.1 ± 1.8 mg/L), Cu (42.7 ± 1.5 mg/L), Ni (41.1 ± 3.3 mg/L), Mn (51.1 ± 0.7 mg/L), Sb (1.89 ± 0.04 mg/L), Se (0.41 ± 0.01 mg/L), Co (7.5 ± 0.3 mg/L), Cr (8.5 ± 0.5 mg/L) and Cd (1.21 ± 0.08 mg/L) were found very high in crude textile??s effluents as compared to their standard recommended limits. The immense variation observed among the injurious pollutants of the effluents i.e. pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, biological oxygen demands, chemical oxygen demands, total suspended solids, total dissolved solids, total solids etc. The toxic metals and injurious pollutants in the unprocessed effluents have been reduced in the post filtration effluents up to 98% and 96% respectively with the help of an ultra-filtration membrane therapy unit.     

Assessment of the toxicity level of an industrial eco-system for its hazardous metals

Pakistan is an agricultural country, yet it is facing a serious threat due to the shortage of water resources and degradation of the agricultural land by the pollution of industrial effluents. A limited number of the current industries are equipped with proper operating treatment plants. Generally, the untreated effluents are disposed off to the open environment which is used for irrigation purposes. Therefore, vegetables and crops grown around the industrial areas is a major potential source of metal poisoning which pose a serious risk to the general public. Hence, study of the toxicity level in vegetables and crops is highly desirable. In this regard, systematic studies have been carried out to determine concentration levels of toxic elements in the samples of vegetables, crops, effluents and soil collected from the industrial areas of the Faisalabad. After processing, these samples were analyzed using neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometric techniques. The highest concentrations of toxic metals were observed for As (2.73 ± 0.34) in cabbage, Cd (1.5 ± 0.1), Ni (5.1 ± 0.9) and Pb (4.3 ± 0.2) in corn, Co (0.65 ± 0.02), and Sb (0.09 ± 0.01) in carrot, Cr (9.63 ± 1.3), Mn (46.5 ± 4.2) and Se (1.03 ± 0.1) in millet, Cu (11.3 ± 1.1) in tomato vegetables and crop samples. Although, the observed toxicity levels in vegetables and crop samples were higher than those grown in non-industrial areas, yet these toxicity levels are within the safe recommended limits.     

Evaluation of toxicity level of the polluted eco-system for an industrial city of Pakistan

The indiscriminate discharge of untreated industrial effluents and solid wastes into the open environment poses a serious threat to the ecosystem. Gujranwala is an industrial city of Pakistan wherein a large number of different industries are situated and majority of them are not equipped with proper recycling or effluent treatment plants. Unfortunately, untreated industrial effluents are locally used for the irrigation purposes which may result in higher concentrations of toxic metals in the crops and vegetables. Therefore, prime objective of the present study was to determine concentrations of toxic metals in the polluted soils, vegetables and crops grown in the vicinity of industrial areas using neutron activation analysis technique. The results obtained showed higher values of toxic metals in the studied samples. The observed highest concentration of As (0.94 ± 0.06) in spinach, Br (69 ± 9) in turnip, Co (0.83 ± 0.01) in millet, Cr (51.7 ± 4.2) in wheat, Mn (76.2 ± 7.3) in tomato, Sb (0.5 ± 0.06) in rice, Cl (31698 ± 3921) and Se (3.4 ± 0.4) in carrot. These values are higher than those reported in the literature.     

Appraisal of venomous metals in selected crops and vegetables from industrial areas of the Punjab Province

Due to the inadequate water sources, usually sewerage water and industrial effluents are being use for irrigation of the agricultural land around the industrial areas in Pakistan wherein crops and vegetables are cultivated. As untreated effluents contain heavy elements, toxic metals and organic pollutants that may find its way through food chain to general public and may cause health hazards. It is, therefore, mandatory to assess the toxic metals in such crops and vegetables. In this regard, samples of corn, millet, cabbage, spinach and potato were collected within the vicinity of industrial areas of the Faisalabad and Gujranwala regions. The food samples were analyzed using neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. The highest concentration values of Arsenic (1.9 ± 0.1 μg/g) and Cobalt (0.85 ± 0.01 μg/g) were found in cabbage whereas Manganese (91.6 ± 0.2 μg/g), Antimony (0.15 ± 0.03 μg/g) and Selenium (1.1 ± 0.1 μg/g) were observed in spinach and Chromium (9.63 ± 1.3 μg/g) was found in millet crop. The observed concentrations of all the toxic and heavy metals in crops and vegetables are higher than those reported in the literature.     

Date pits waste as a solid phase extraction sorbent for the analysis of lead in wastewater and for use in manufacturing brick: An eco-friendly waste management approach

Lead (Pb(II)), an extremely hazardous heavy metal that has been shown to have detrimental effects on both the environment and humans, mostly gets into the ecosystem through industrial activities. In this work, a new solid-phase extraction (SPE) based on treated date pits bio-sorbent and iCAP Q inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (iCAP Q ICP/MS) method has been optimized for the trace determination of Pb(II) in various industrial wastewater effluents. A cost-effective biomass material was prepared from date pits (DP), and chemically modified with H₂O₂ and successively used as SPE bio-sorbent for Pb(II) extraction. Extracting solutions for instance H₂SO₄, HNO₃ and HCl at various concentrations (1–5 mM) were optimized, and best extraction of Pb(II) was obtained by HCl (1 mM). The optimized SPE and iCAP Q ICP/MS method has offered excellent validation conditions in terms of coefficient of determination (CoD, R² > 0.999), detection limit (DL, 0.011 µg/L), quantification limit (QL, 0.034 µg/L), and run-to-run and day-to-day precision (RSD < 6 %). The optimized procedure was practically applied in the determination of Pb(II) in industrial wastewater comprising iron and steel, textile, printing and battery industries. Among the analyzed samples, the battery industry produced higher amounts of Pb(II) (18.55 µg/L) followed by iron and steel (14.65 µg/L), petroleum (12.38 µg/L) printing (5.78 µg/L) and textile (3.76 µg/L) industries. The recovery values were achieved between 95 % and 99 %. The obtained results have established the appropriateness of the offered technique as a new useful method for the routine examination of Pb(II) in industrial wastes. In addition, the current method could be expansively used in the proficient removal and identification of other heavy metals contaminants from similar matrices. Further, the metal ions saturated bio-sorbents were used in the preparations of bricks and it was found to be a successful approach for heavy metals and agricultural waste management.     

Metal ions binding onto a lignocellulosic substrate extracted from wheat bran: a NICA-Donnan approach

In this study ion binding to solid organic matter was investigated. We used the NICA-Donnan model to describe the interaction between Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions and a lignocellulosic substrate extracted from wheat bran. Such a material represents a very cheap and flexible substrate, which can be used as a natural filter to remove toxic metal ions from industrial effluents or applied in the decontamination and rehabilitation of abandoned industrial sites. Moreover, such a material also represents a very simple model of natural organic matter derived from lignin and cellulose, for which there is now a lack of thermodynamic data as far as their interaction with toxic metal ions is concerned. Experimental results were obtained in various conditions of pH and ionic strength. In our modeling, we used the acidity constants and the concentration of sites that were determined in a previous work. The parameters deduced from the NICA-Donnan model were also compared to thermodynamic data available for other cases of natural organic matter, mainly humic substances.     

Competitive adsorption of toxic heavy metal contaminants by gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium): A natural hydrocolloid

Gum kondagogu (Cochlospermum gossypium), a naturally occurring tree biopolymer, is exploited as a biosorbent to remove metal ions from aqueous solutions. The removal efficiency of toxic metals by gum kondagogu was determined quantitatively in the order Cd²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Fe²⁺ > Se²⁺ > Pb²⁺ > total Cr > Ni²⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Co²⁺ > As²⁺ at pH 5.0 ± 0.1 and temperature 25 ± 2 °C by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The biosorption (%) of various metal ions tested was found to be in the range of 97.3–16.7%, at pH 5.0. The morphological and mechanisms of interaction of toxic metal ions with gum kondagogu were assessed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDXA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. The analysis indicated that biosorption process included morphological changes, precipitation, complexation and ion exchange mechanism for the removal of metal ions by the gum. XRD analysis indicated the amorphous nature of gum kondagogu, which facilitate metal biosorption. The metal ions adsorption leads to its deposition on the gum kondagogu matrix in a crystalline state.     

Synthesis and in vitro biological evaluations of novel tetrapeptide as therapeutic agent for wound treatment

We report a new small peptide containing four amino acid residues (glycine-aspartic acid-proline-histidine) conjugated with palmitic acid (Palmitoyl-GDPH) that was synthesized, characterized and evaluated for its biological activities. The Palmitoyl-GDPH was prepared by solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) with high percentage purity of 98.6%. The results of circular dichroism (CD) demonstrated the feasibility and stability of Palmitoyl-GDPH secondary structure at many temperatures up to 60 °C. Palmitoyl-GDPH showed its greatest collagenase inhibition activity and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging effect of 80.00 ± 2.22% at 1.0 mg/ml and 83.40 ± 8.08% at 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. In addition, in-vitro cell based study revealed that Palmitoyl-GDPH was not toxic and possessed strong proliferative activity towards normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF) cell line. Wound scratch assay method showed that Palmitoyl-GDPH significantly promoted the cell migration which progressed faster compared to tetracycline-treated group (positive control) by about 98.39 ± 2.79% and 95.79 ± 3.83%, respectively. Collectively, these results suggested that newly synthesized Palmitoyl-GDPH possessed a strong candidate for use as therapeutic agent and can be a novel approach in the treatment of cutaneous wounds.     

Recent advances on hydrogels based on chitosan and alginate for the adsorption of dyes and metal ions from water

In contemporary times, water resources have become increasingly scarce and suffer from anthropogenic pollution sources with an organic and inorganic origin that are products of industrial, agricultural, and everyday waste. Contamination with heavy metals and dyes in wastewater is considered a risk for water sources that can leak into underground and surface sources, leading to increased biological and chemical contamination. The pollutant removal process is performed by adsorption treatment methods, which is the most common method, and it is considered an effective method with a high and economical removal rate.In this review, we discuss the use of biobased hydrogel adsorbents in the removal of organic dyes and metal ions from water. The literature indicates that hydrogels exhibit rapid absorption kinetics and a dye removal absorption capacity that can reach more than 100 mg/g and sometimes more than 2000 mg/g, with a metal adsorption capacity ranging from 38 mg/g to more than 440 mg/g. These results are discussed and compared by taking into account hydrogel materials that contain biopolymers such as alginate, chitosan or both. In general, absorption depends mainly on biobased materials, which have a natural origin and can be utilized to synthesize hydrogels to remove pollutants, dyes and heavy metals. Chitosan and alginate are prominent materials for this use and they can be incorporated with other components to obtain hydrogels or nanocomposite materials with different efficacies to remove dyes and metal ions.     

Stability evaluation of alkali metal standard solutions by using precise ion chromatography

Mass fractions of alkali metal (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) standard solutions (1000 mg/kg) were measured with about 0.1% relative standard deviation by improving the method of injection in ion chromatography (IC). This technique was applied to stability testing of the standard solutions. After storage of each alkali metal standard solution for 18 months, an increase of the mass fraction was observed, for all the alkali metal ions, of approximately 0.15% per year at 25 °C and approximately 0.02% per year at 5 °C. The observed increase of the mass fraction can be explained by the weight loss of the solution during storage. The deviation between the mass fraction measured by IC and the preparation mass fraction after correcting the weight loss for solvent evaporation was within ±0.05% for every alkali metal ion. It is concluded that alkali metal standard solutions of 1000 mg/kg are basically stable for more than 18 months under these storage conditions and that correction for evaporation is effective if weight monitoring of each bottle is performed precisely. Presented at BERM-11, October 2007, Tsukuba, Japan.     

Utilization of olive pomace in nano MgO modification for sorption of Ni(II) and Cu(II) metal ions from aqueous solutions

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and modified by olive pomace (NMOOP700) as a novel sorbent and characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra, Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, X-ray Diffraction, Differential Thermal Analysis and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis. Sorption of Cu (II) or Ni (II) ions were achieved taking into account important parameters including initial pH of the medium, contact time, initial metal ion concentration and temperature. A comparative study between Magnesium oxide nanoparticles and NMOOP700 material for the sorption of Cu (II) or Ni (II) ions was implemented. The obtained data revealed that the sorption process is significantly improved using NMOOP700. The monolayer capacity of Ni (II) and Cu (II) metal ions on NMOOP700 at pH 5 were found to be 149.93 ± 4.4 and 186.219 ± 6.3 mg/g, respectively. Findings of the present work highlight the potential use of NMOOP700 as a novel and effective sorbent material for the removal of Cu (II) or Ni (II) ions from the liquid phase.     

Newly selective electrochemical sensors for trace-level determination of Al(III) ions in drainage water,spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples

In this work, two newly sensitive and selective Al(III)-modified carbon paste electrodes (MCPEs) were developed based on diphenylcarbazone (DPC) modifier mixed with tricresyl phosphate plasticizer and either graphite powder (electrode I) or graphite powder mixed with graphene (electrode II). The potentiometric performance characteristics of the two electrodes were scrutinized and discussed. The proposed sensors showed a high electrochemical response in the linear concentration range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ to 1.0 × 10⁻² mol L⁻¹ with a good Nernstian slopes of 20.12 ± 0.30 mV decade⁻¹ and 20.63 ± 0.66 mV decade⁻¹ and limits of detection of 9.0 × 10⁻⁷ and 8.5 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. Both electrodes showed a fast response time and reasonable thermal stability. The potentiometric response of the DPC-based electrodes was independent on the pH of the tested solutions in ranges of 2.5–5 and 2.5–5.5 for electrode (I) and electrode (II), respectively. The two electrodes can be also used in partially non-aqueous medium containing up to 20% (v/v) acetone or methanol with no significant changes in the working concentration ranges or the slopes. The proposed electrodes showed fairly good discriminating ability toward Al(III) ions in comparison with many other metal ions. The electrodes were applied successfully for Al(III) ions determination in drainage water, spiked tap water and pharmaceutical preparation samples. Furthermore, the electrode surfaces were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) as surface characterization techniques and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) technique to confirm the interaction between Al(III) and DPC.

     

Determination of elemental and nutrient composition of water,clam mantle and shell of the Volta clam (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Galatea paradoxa</Emphasis>) using neutron activation analysis

The Volta clam Galatea paradoxa is a highly priced shellfish providing nutrition, jobs and poverty alleviation for the inhabitants of the lower Volta estuary. Clams are filter feeders straining particulate materials in the surrounding water, thus concentrating microorganisms and other metal elements in the gut and mantle which present possible health hazards. The elemental composition of the water, clam mantle, gut, shell, and bottom sediments were determined using Neutron Activation Analysis for the presence of Ca, Cl, Cu, Mg, Mn, V, Fe, Co, Br, Na and K. Proximate analysis of the mantle for the levels of protein, fat, carbohydrate, ash, wood fiber, phosphorus, free fatty acids and energy were carried out using the method of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The riverine water was laden with heavy metals V, Co, Cu, Mn, and Fe, as well as Al. These same metallic elements were detected in higher concentrations in the bottom sediments. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) which is the measure of the distribution of heavy metals between water and biota (Clam mantle and gut), ranged from 2 to 145 times, depending on the type of contaminant. The clam meat contained high protein (15.3 ± 0.2%), no crude fiber, low fat content (1.80 ± 0.11%), fatty acids as oleic (25.2 ± 0.1%), energy (85.5 ± 0.21 kcal/100 g), carbohydrates (22.10 ± 0.03%), P (485 ± 1 mg/100 g), Ca (793 ± 75 mg/kg), Mg (860.3 ± 90.0 mg/kg). The high concentration of Ca (21,402.7 ± 797.0 mg/kg), Fe (18,071.2 ± 94.0 mg/kg), K (96 ± 14 mg/kg), Mg (540.8 ± 81.1 mg/kg), Na (4,570.0 ± 0.2 mg/kg) gives credence to the use of the shell for poultry feed mineral supplements, and in the emulsion paint manufacturing industry.     

Malachite Green and Crystal Violet Decolorization by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ganoderma lucidum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurotus ostreatus</Emphasis> Supernatant and by rGlLCC1 and rPOXA 1B Concentrates: Molecular Docking Analysis

Laccases catalyze the oxidation of various aromatic organic compounds concomitantly with molecular oxygen reduction to water. Triphenylmethane dyes are synthetic compounds widely used in diverse industries. Their removal from effluents is difficult, due to their high degree of structural complexity; hence, their high concentration in effluents cause a negative impact on the environment. In the present work, molecular docking was used to evaluate interactions between rGlLCC1 or rPOXA 1B enzymes with Crystal Violet (CV) or Malachite Green (MG) dyes. In addition, removal tests of the two dyes were performed. Van der Waals interactions were obtained for only the CV dye for both GlLCC1 and POXA 1B enzymes. Nevertheless, in the GlLCC1 model, two π-π interactions were observed. For the MG dye only, Van der Waals interactions were obtained. Moreover, amino acid composition interacting in each model with each dye was similar. It is important to highlight that by molecular docking, none of the estimated ligand configurations generated hydrogen bonds. Thus, explaining the difficulty to degrade CV and MG. Regarding CV, maximum decolorization percentage was 23.6 ± 1.0% using Ganoderma lucidum supernatant and 5.0 ± 0.5% with Pleurotus ostreatus supernatant. When using recombinant laccase enzyme concentrates, decolorization percentages were 9.9 ± 0.1 and 7.5 ± 1.0% for rGlLCC1 and rPOXA 1B, respectively. On the other hand, for the MG dye, maximum decolorization percentages were 52.1 ± 5.1 and 2.3 ± 0.2% using G. lucidum and P. ostreatus concentrates, respectively. Whereas with recombinant laccase enzymatic concentrates, values of 9.4 ± 0.8% were obtained, with rGlLCC1, and 2.1 ± 0.1% when using rPOXA 1B. These findings represent an important step in bioremediation processes improvement and efficiency of industry-generated products, using environmentally friendly alternatives.     

Fabrication of an iron(III)-selective PVC membrane sensor based on a bis-bidentate Schiff base ionophore

A Fe³⁺ ion-selective membrane sensor was fabricated from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix membrane containing bis-bidentate Schiff base (BBS) as a neutral carrier, sodium tetraphenyl borate (NaTPB) as anionic excluder, and o-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) as a plasticizing solvent mediator. The effects of the membrane composition, pH, and additive anionic influence on the response properties were investigated. The best performance was obtained with a membrane containing 32% PVC, 62.5% NPOE, 3% BBS, and 2.5% NaTPB. The electrode shows a Nernstian behavior (slope of 19.3 ± 0.6) over a very wide iron ion concentration range (1.0 × 10⁻⁷–1.0 × 10⁻² M) and has a low detection limit (7.4 × 10⁻⁸ M). The potentiometric response of the sensor is independent of pH of the solution in the pH range 1.9–5.1. The proposed sensor has a very low response time (<15 s) and a good selectivity relative to a wide variety of other metal ions including common alkali, alkaline earth, heavy, and transition metal ions. The electrode can be used for at least 60 days without any considerable divergence in potentials. The proposed sensor was successfully applied as an indicator electrode for the potentiometric titration of 1.0 × 10⁻² M Fe³⁺ ions with a 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M EDTA and the direct determination of Fe³⁺ in mineral water and wastewater samples.     

Novel silver-platinum bimetallic nanoalloy synthesized from Vernonia mespilifolia extract: Antioxidant,antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities

In this study, bimetallic nanoparticles comprising silver and platinum with promising therapeutic activities were synthesized using ethanolic Vernonia mespilifolia plant extract for the first time. The bimetallic silver-platinum nanoparticles (AgPtNPs) were characterized using solid-state techniques including UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. The internal morphological structure showed that the AgPtNPs were spherical with a diameter of approximately 35.5 ± 0.8 nm, while FTIR confirmed the effective capping and formation of the nanoparticles by phytoconstituents. The polyphenolic contents of the green synthesized nanoparticles from the ethanolic extract of V. mespilifolia (AgNPs and AgPtNPs) was found to be (28.0 ± 0.8 and 13.6 ± 0.1 mg GAE/g) total phenol, while the flavonoids content was (366.2 ± 17.0 and 126.6 ± 0.2 mg QE/g), and proanthocyanins content was (161.8 ± 0.6 and 70.2 ± 0.6 mg CE/g). The AgPtNPs displayed a greater ability to scavenge free radicals, especially DPPH and ABTS (IC₅₀ 19.5 and 21.6 µg/mL) respectively when compared with AgNPs and ascorbic acid. Besides, the AgPtNPs had a higher ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (44.1 mg GAE/g) when compared to AgNPs (18.5 mg GAE/g). Moreover, the AgPtNPs showed a two-fold antimicrobial activity towards pathogenic microbes compared to AgNPs and a selective cytotoxic potency towards MCF-7 breast cancer cell line compared to HEK 293 normal cell line. In summary, these fascinating bioactivities displayed by the AgPtNPs highlighted their potential in therapeutic biomedical applications.     

Natural <Superscript>3</Superscript>H radioactivity analysis in groundwater and estimation of committed effective dose due to groundwater ingestion in Varahi and Markandeya river basins,Karnataka State,India

The present study aimed at the assessment of natural tritium radioactivity in groundwater, being used for domestic and irrigation purposes in Varahi and Markandeya river basins. The study also intended to assess human health risk by estimating committed effective dose due to groundwater ingestion in the study area, taking into consideration the obtained tritium activity concentrations and annual water consumption. Tritium concentration of groundwater samples from the Varahi and Markandeya river basins were determined by liquid scintillation counting and the results laid in the range of 1.95 ± 0.25 to 11.35 ± 0.44 TU and 1.49 ± 0.75 to 9.17 ± 1.13 TU in Varahi and Markandeya river basins, respectively. Majority of the samples from Varahi (46.67%) and Markandeya (62.5%) river basins belong to modern water category aged between 5 and 10 years, while the remaining 53.33% and 37.5% of the samples from Varahi and Markandeya river basins respectively belong to sub-modern water with modern recharge, significantly influenced by precipitation and river inflowing/sea water intrusion. The effective committed dose for general public consumption considering the highest concentration value of 0.02 μSv year⁻¹, which is very negligible compared to EPA (0.04 mSv year⁻¹), WHO (0.1 mSv year⁻¹), ICRP (1.0 mSv year⁻¹) and UNSCEAR (2.4 mSv year⁻¹) recommended dose limits, should not mean any additional health risk for the population living nearby.     

Adsorption/desorption of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II) using chemically modified orange peel: Equilibrium and kinetic studies

Waste materials from industries such as food processing may act as cost effective and efficient biosorbents to remove toxic contaminants from wastewater. This study aimed to establish an optimized condition and closed loop application of processed orange peel for metals removal. A comparative study of the adsorption capacity of the chemically modified orange peel was performed against environmentally problematic metal ions, namely, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺, from aqueous solutions. Chemically modified orange peel (MOP) showed a significantly higher metal uptake capacity compared to original orange peel (OP). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectra of peel showed that the carboxylic group peak shifted from 1637 to 1644 cm⁻¹ after Pb (II) ions binding, indicated the involvement of carboxyl groups in Pb(II) ions binding. The metals uptake by MOP was rapid and the equilibrium time was 30 min at constant temperature and pH. Sorption kinetics followed a second-order model. The mechanism of metal sorption by MOP gave good fits for Freundlich and Langmuir models. Desorption of metals and regeneration of the biosorbent was attained simultaneously by acid elution. Even after four cycles of adsorption-elution, the adsorption capacity was regained completely and adsorption efficiency of metal was maintained at around 90%.     

Impacts of calcium-alginate density on equilibrium and kinetics of lead(II) sorption onto hydrogel beads

Chronic exposure to Pb²⁺ above the 15-μg/L US Environmental Protection Agency action level for drinking water has been shown to cause a host of health problems in humans. Thus, it is important to study new methods available for the treatment and removal of Pb²⁺ from drinking water and wastewater, where elevated levels of heavy metals are found. Alginate-based beads represent one such possible method for heavy metal removal. The impact of alginate density on the equilibrium and kinetics of Pb²⁺ sorption onto hydrogel beads was investigated using Ca-alginate beads ranging from 1% to 8% (w/v) and exposed to Pb²⁺ concentrations ranging from 100 to 1,000 mg/L. When Ca-alginate beads were characterized using Fourier transform infrared analysis, the carboxylic acid groups of the mannuronate and guluronate residues in alginate were the primary functional groups that interacted with Pb²⁺. Hydration of Ca-alginate beads was also examined and found to decrease as Ca-alginate density increased. A positive correlation was observed between Ca-alginate hydration and Pb²⁺ sorption. Sorption of Pb²⁺ was fast, reaching equilibrium after approximately 4 h, and is well described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Maximum sorption capacities for 1%, 4%, and 8% beads were 500 ± 100, 360 ± 30, and 240 ± 20 mg/g (dry weight), respectively. The kinetics of sorption were best described by the pseudo-second-order Lagergren model, with rate constants determined as 3.2 ± 0.1 × 10⁻⁴, 1.0 ± 0.1 × 10⁻⁴, and 1.6 ± 0.1 × 10⁻⁴ g mg⁻¹ min⁻¹ for 1%, 4%, and 8% beads, respectively.     

Development of a combined SEM and ICP-MS approach for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of metal microparticles and sub-microparticles in food products

An integrated approach based on the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of metal particles in foods was devised and validated. Different raw materials and food products, like wheat, durum wheat, wheat flour, semolina, cookies, and pasta were considered. Attention was paid to the development of sample treatment protocols for each type of sample to avoid potential artifacts such as aggregation or agglomeration. The analytical protocols developed followed by ICP-MS and SEM investigations allowed us the quantitative determination and the morphological and dimensional characterization of metal nano- and microparticles isolated from the raw materials and finished food products considered. The ICP-MS method was validated in terms of linearity (0.8–80 μg/g and 0.09–9 μg/g for Fe and Ti, respectively), quantification limits (0.73 μg/g for Fe and 0.09 μg/g for Ti), repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD) % equal to 10% for Fe and 20% in a wheat matrix as an example), and extraction recoveries (93 ± 2–101 ± 2%). Validation of the scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) measurements was performed working in a dimensional range from 1 to 100 μm with an estimated error in the size determination equal to 0.5 μm. ICP-MS data as well as SEM measurements showed a decrease in the concentration of metal particles from wheat to flour and from durum wheat to semolina samples, thus indicating an external contamination of grains by metal particles. These findings were confirmed by environmental SEM analysis, which allowed investigation of particles of lower dimensions. Generally, the largest number of particles was found in the case of iron and titanium, whereas particles of copper and zinc were only occasionally found without any possibility of quantifying their number.