Biosorption for Wastewater Contaminants

Rangabhashiyam Selvasembian, Pardeep Singh, Rangabhashiyam Selvasembian, Pardeep Singh

• Editore: Wiley-Blackwell
• Anno: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781119737612
• Edizione: 1
• Argomento: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Categoria: Gestione ambientale

Pollution due to various anthropogenic activities continues to increase. In terms of water pollutants, organic and inorganic pollutants are the most problematic. Although several measures have been proposed and implemented to prevent or reduce contamination, their increased concentration in water bodies has created serious concerns. Over the years, the problem has been aggravated by industrialization, urbanization and the exploitation of natural resources. The direct discharge of wastewater contaminants and their geographical mobilization have caused an increase in concentration in ground, surface, fluvial and residual waters. Extensive information about detection and disposal methods is needed in order to develop technological solutions for a ­variety of environments, both urban and rural.

This book provides up-to-date information on wastewater contaminants, aimed at researchers, engineers and technologists working in this field. Conventional physicochemical techniques used to remove contaminants from wastewater include ion exchange, precipitation, degradation, coagulation, coating, membrane processes and adsorption. However, these applications have technological and economic limitations, and involve the release of large amounts of chemical reagents and by-products that are themselves difficult to remove. Biosorption - the use of organically generated material as an adsorbent – is attracting new research and scholarship. Thermally-treated calcined biomaterials may be treated to remove heavy metals from wastewater. To ensure the elimination of these contaminants, existing solutions must be integrated with intelligent biosorption functions.

Biosorption for Wastewater Contaminants will find an appreciative audience among academics and postgraduates working in the fields of environmental biotechnology, environmental engineering, wastewater treatment technology and environmental chemistry.

1
Industrial Wastewater Contaminants and Their Hazardous Impacts

Camila Pesci Pereira¹, João Pedro Neves Goldenstein², and João Paulo Bassin^1,2

¹ Chemical Engineering Program, COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

² Civil Engineering Program, COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

List of Abbreviations

AOP:

Advanced oxidation process

ASW:

Artificial sweetener

BIT:

Benzisothiazolinone

BOD:

Biochemical oxygen demand

BPA:

Bisphenol A

BPD:

Biocidal Products Directive

CD:

Carbendazim

CEC:

Contaminant of emerging concern

CO:

Carbon monoxide

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DBD:

Dielectric barrier discharge

DCOIT:

Dichloroctylisothiazolinone

DDT:

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane

DEET:

N, N‐Diethyl‐meta‐toluamide

DR:

Diuron

EDC:

Endocrine disrupting compound

EPA:

US Environmental Protection Agency

FR:

Flame retardant

HCB:

Hexachlorobenzene

IARC:

International Agency for Research on Cancer

IPBC:

Iodocarb

IP:

Isoproturon

IRG:

Cybutryn, Irgarol 1051

MBR:

Membrane bioreactor

MCI:

Methyl chloroisothiazolinone

MCPP:

Mecoprop

MI:

Methylisothiazolinone

NO_x:

Nitrogen oxides

OIT:

Octylisothiazolone

PAH:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

PBB:

Polybrominated biphenyl

PCB:

Polychlorinated biphenyl

PCP:

Pentachlorophenol

PeCB:

Pentachlorobenzene

PFOS:

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid

POP:

Persistent organic pollutant

PPCPs:

Pharmaceutical and personal care products

PPZ:

Propiconazole

PT:

Product type

SBR:

Sequencing batch reactor

SVOC:

Semi volatile organic compound

TB:

Terbutryn

TBU:

Tebuconazole

TOC:

Total organic carbon

TOD:

Total oxygen demand

VOC:

Volatile organic compound

VVOC:

Very volatile organic compound

WWTP:

Wastewater treatment plant

Introduction

Industrial and technological development and population growth have provided countless advances in society and improved quality of life. However, the increase in production and consumption capacity also negatively impacts the planet due to emission of harmful gases and the increasing production and consequent disposal of solid wastes and wastewaters from domestic and industrial sources. The volume and concentration of contaminants present in waste streams depend on several factors such as population density, level of technological development in the country or region, climate, seasonality, etc.

Contamination of water and soil by industrial waste is a global concern. For most industries, providing access to clean, affordable water is one of the biggest challenges. In addition, industrial wastewater contains several polluting compounds (Hashemi et al., 2018; Barak et al., 2020). Thus, there is a need to establish the management of and industrial wastewaters based on strict environmental protocols, with the objective of eliminating these contaminants from the environment as much as possible. As a result, through the use of recent technologies, research has been carried out to provide intelligent solutions not only from an environmental point of view but also from an economic standpoint. Therefore, several technologies based on physical, chemical, and biological methods are investigated (Hashemi et al., 2018).

This chapter describes some of the contaminants present in industrial wastewaters, their environmental impacts, and their risks to human health. In addition, the efforts made to evaluate and define the best ways to control their dissemination in the environment are presented, as well as the treatment processes used and studied for eliminating contaminants.

Toxic Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are a classic group of metallic elements that cannot be overlooked as industrial wastewater contaminants due to their toxicity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some of these pollutants (e.g. arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium) are included in the top 10 issues of primary concern (air pollution, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, cadmium, dioxin and dioxin‐like substances, inadequate or excess fluoride, lead, mercury, and highly hazardous pesticides) because they are widely spread worldwide, they are highly hazardous, and negatively affect human health and natural ecosystems (WHO, 2020). Moreover, such substances are significantly dense and persistent and have shown toxicity even at part per billion (ppb) levels (Yadav et al., 2019). Compared to other contaminants, heavy metals can be neither degraded nor destroyed and can easily accumulate along the food chain. This phenomenon, known as bioaccumulation, increases the concern about suitable methods to treat industrial wastewaters.

Heavy metals are natural constituents of the Earth's crust, and heavy metal contamination in the environment results from natural and anthropogenic sources. Human activities are the leading causes of pollution. First, these metals are found in the form of chemical compounds or elemental state in rocks as ore deposits, which are explored through mining techniques. Environmental contamination by these compounds is not only a result of the business of mining – the largest contributor to heavy metal pollution – but may also be caused by improperly treated industrial wastewaters that reach natural ecosystems. The most common heavy metals found in industrial wastewaters are lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, copper, zinc, nickel, and chromium, which come from the paint, mining, metal manufacturing (electroplating, smelting, finishing, etc.), and textile industries (Akpor et al., 2014). From natural sources, the main contributions come from volcanic activity, soil erosion, and run‐off. These hazardous waters deteriorate aquatic systems and terrestrial environments and retard biota growth (i.e., seed germination, chlorophyll production, and enzyme activity), with reported cases of carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic, and neurotoxic effects.

There are multiple criteria to define an element as a heavy metal; however, one of the most frequently adopted classifications is based on the eleme...