Bhaskar Sen Gupta

Contemporary Environmental Issues of Landfill Leachate: Assessment & Remedies

Landfills are the primary option for waste disposal all over the world. Most of the landfill sites across the world are old and are not engineered to prevent contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater by the toxic leachate. The pollutants from landfill leachate have accumulative and detrimental effect on the ecology and food chains leading to carcinogenic effects, acute toxicity, and genotoxicity among human beings. Management of this highly toxic leachate presents a challenging problem to the regulatory authorities who have set specific regulations regarding maximum limits of contaminants in treated leachate prior to disposal into the environment to ensure minimal environmental impact. There are different stages of leachate management such as monitoring of its formation and flow into the environment, identification of hazards associated with it, and its treatment prior to disposal into the environment. This article focuses on: (i) leachate composition, (ii) plume migration, (iii) contaminant fate, (iv) leachate plume monitoring techniques, (v) risk assessment techniques, hazard-rating methods, mathematical modeling, and (vi) recent innovations in leachate treatment technologies. However, due to seasonal fluctuations in leachate composition, flow rate, and leachate volume, the management approaches cannot be stereotyped. Every scenario is unique and the strategy will vary accordingly. This article lays out the choices for making an educated guess leading to the best management option.

A comparative study of biopolymers and alum in the separation and recovery of pulp fibres from paper mill effluent by flocculation

Recovery of cellulose fibres from paper mill effluent has been studied using common polysaccharides or biopolymers such as Guar gum, Xanthan gum and Locust bean gum as flocculent. Guar gum is commonly used in sizing paper and routinely used in paper making. The results have been compared with the performance of alum, which is a common coagulant and a key ingredient of the paper industry. Guar gum recovered about 3.86mg/L of fibre and was most effective among the biopolymers. Settling velocity distribution curves demonstrated that Guar gum was able to settle the fibres faster than the other biopolymers; however, alum displayed the highest particle removal rate than all the biopolymers at any of the settling velocities. Alum, Guar gum, Xanthan gum and Locust bean gum removed 97.46%, 94.68%, 92.39% and 92.46% turbidity of raw effluent at a settling velocity of 0.5cm/min, respectively. The conditions for obtaining the lowest sludge volume index such as pH, dose and mixing speed were optimised for guar gum which was the most effective among the biopolymers. Response surface methodology was used to design all experiments, and an optimum operational setting was proposed. The test results indicate similar performance of alum and Guar gum in terms of floc settling velocities and sludge volume index. Since Guar gum is a plant derived natural substance, it is environmentally benign and offers a green treatment option to the paper mills for pulp recycling.

Comparison of a plant based natural surfactant with SDS for washing of As（V） from Fe rich soil

This study explores the possible application of a biodegradable plant based surfactant, obtained from Sapindus mukorossi, for washing low levels of arsenic (As) from an iron (Fe) rich soil. Natural association of As(V) with Fe(III) makes the process difficult. Soapnut solution was compared to anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in down-flow and a newly introduced suction mode for soil column washing. It was observed that soapnut attained up to 86% efficiency with respect to SDS in removing As. Full factorial design of experiment revealed a very good fit of data. The suction mode generated up to 83 kPa pressure inside column whilst down-flow mode generated a much higher pressure of 214 kPa, thus making the suction mode more efficient. Micellar solubilisation was found to be responsible for As desorption from the soil and it followed 1st order kinetics. Desorption rate coefficient of suction mode was found to be in the range of 0.005 to 0.01, much higher than down-flow mode values. Analysis of the FT-IR data suggested that the soapnut solution did not interact chemically with As, offering an option for reusing the surfactant. Soapnut can be considered as a soil washing agent for removing As even from soil with high Fe content.

Application of Colloidal Gas Aphron Suspensions Produced from Sapindus Mukorossi for Arsenic Removal from Contaminated Soil

Colloidal gas aphron dispersions (CGAs) can be described as a system of microbubbles suspended homogenously in a liquid matrix. This work examines the performance of CGAs in comparison to surfactant solutions for washing low levels of arsenic from an iron rich soil. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and saponin, a biodegradable surfactant, obtained from Sapindus mukorossi or soapnut fruit were used for generating CGAs and solutions for soil washing. Column washing experiments were performed in down-flow and up flow modes at a soil pH of 5 and 6 using varying concentration of SDS and soapnut solutions as well as CGAs. Soapnut CGAs removed more than 70% arsenic while SDS CGAs removed up to 55% arsenic from the soil columns in the soil pH range of 5-6. CGAs and solutions showed comparable performances in all the cases. CGAs were more economical since it contains 35% of air by volume, thereby requiring less surfactant. Micellar solubilization and low pH of soapnut facilitated arsenic desorption from soil column. FT-IR analysis of effluent suggested that soapnut solution did not interact chemically with arsenic thereby facilitating the recovery of soapnut solution by precipitating the arsenic. Damage to soil was minimal arsenic confirmed by metal dissolution from soil surface and SEM micrograph.

Optimisation of the process variables in production of activated carbon by microwave heating

This study aims to investigate the optimal operating conditions in order to obtain cost effective production of activated carbon (AC) from palm kernel shell (PKS) by microwave heating. Interactions among the independent variables, namely irradiation time (T), microwave power (W), impregnation ratio between impregnating substances and PKS, and the concentration of impregnating substance (sulphuric acid) were considered for optimising the process parameters during the production of AC, aided by Central Composite Design. The optimum conditions for the independent process variables were 11.02 minutes of irradiation time, microwave power of 676 W and impregnation ratio of 0.68. The AC produced in this work had a surface area of 1011 m2 g−1 with high porosity as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Zinc was used to verify the potential of AC as an adsorbent. Zinc removal at the optimum conditions was found to be 13.72 mg g−1. Such a Zn removal value is comparable with the earlier work of other researchers who used a conventional way of producing the AC. It is believed that microwave technology can be used for the production of AC in a short time with high energy efficiency, e.g., 11 minutes against 2–5 hours of reactivation for conventional methods.

Utilization of iron sulfides for wastewater treatment: a critical review

Acid mine drainage due to weathering of iron sulfide minerals is one of the biggest global environmental issues. However, due to the unique physicochemical properties of natural and synthesized iron sulfides (i.e. pyrite, pyrrhotite, and mackinawite), they can be effectively used for wastewater treatment. These properties, such as ≡SH functional groups as Lewis bases, reducibility of surface Fe and S species, dissolved Fe2+ as a catalyst, and dissolved S2− as an electron donor, are extensively reviewed in this article. The target water pollutants include toxic metals (i.e. lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium) and metalloid (i.e. arsenic), radionuclides (i.e. uranium and selenium), organic contaminants (i.e. chlorinated organic pollutants, benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and nutrients (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorus). The dominant interaction mechanisms between iron sulfides and these contaminants, and the removal efficiencies are elucidated. This article focuses on the role of iron sulfides as functional materials for wastewater treatment. A recent development of nanostructured pyrrhotite with a high specific surface area for wastewater treatment is also highlighted.

Enhanced removal of lead from contaminated soil by polyol-based deep eutectic solvents and saponin

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a class of green solvents analogous to ionic liquids, but less costly and easier to prepare. The objective of this study is to remove lead (Pb) from a contaminated soil by using polyol based DESs mixed with a natural surfactant saponin for the first time. The DESs used in this study were prepared by mixing a quaternary ammonium salt choline chloride with polyols e.g. glycerol and ethylene glycol. A natural surfactant saponin obtained from soapnut fruit pericarp, was mixed with DESs to boost their efficiency. The DESs on their own did not perform satisfactory due to higher pH; however, they improved the performance of soapnut by up to 100%. Pb removal from contaminated soil using mixture of 40% DES-Gly and 1% saponin and mixture of 10% DES-Gly and 2% saponin were above 72% XRD and SEM studies did not detect any major corrosion in the soil texture. The environmental friendliness of both DESs and saponin and their affordable costs merit thorough investigation of their potential as soil washing agents.

Lovastatin biosynthesis depends on the carbon-nitrogen proportion: model development and controller design

Lovastatin biosynthesis depends on the relative concentrations of dissolved oxygen and the carbon and nitrogen resources. An elucidation of the underlying relationship would facilitate the derivation of a controller for the improvement of lovastatin yield in bioprocesses. To achieve this goal, batch submerged cultivation experiments of lovastatin production by Aspergillus flavipus BICC 5174, using both lactose and glucose as carbon sources, were performed in a 7‐L bioreactor and the data used to determine how the relative concentrations of lactose, glucose, glutamine, and oxygen affected lovastatin yield. A model was developed based on these results and its prediction was validated using an independent set of batch data obtained from a 15‐L bioreactor using five statistical measures, including the Willmott index of agreement. A non‐linear controller was designed considering that dissolved oxygen and lactose concentrations could be measured online, and using the lactose feed rate and airflow rate as process inputs. Simulation experiments were performed to demonstrate that a practical implementation of the non‐linear controller would result in satisfactory outcomes. This is the first model that correlates lovastatin biosynthesis to carbon–nitrogen proportion and possesses a structure suitable for implementing a strategy for controlling lovastatin production.

Arsenic and fluoride removal from contaminated drinking water with Haix-Fe-Zr and Haix-Zr resin beads

The objective of the study was to carry-out batch tests to examine the effectiveness of Haix-Fe-Zr and Haix-Zr resin beads in the removal of As(III), As(V) and F- from groundwater with a similar geochemistry to a site where a community-based drinking water plant has been installed in West Bengal, India. The groundwater was spiked separately with ∼200 μg/L As(III) and As(V) and 5 mg/L F-. Haix-Zr resin beads were more effective than Haix-Fe-Zr resin beads in removing As(III) and As(V). Haix-Zr resin beads showed higher removal of As(V) compared to As(III). Haix-Zr resin beads removed As(V) below the WHO (10 μg/L) drinking water standards at 8.79 μg/L after 4 h of shaking, while As(III) was reduced to 7.72 μg/L after 8 h of shaking. Haix-Fe-Zr resin beads were more effective in removing F- from the spiked groundwater compared to Haix-Zr resin beads. Concentrations of F- decreased from 6.27 mg/L to 1.26 mg/L, which is below the WHO drinking water standards (1.5 mg/L) for F-, after 15 min of shaking with Haix-Fe-Zr resin beads. After 20 min of shaking in groundwater treated with Haix-Zr resin beads, F- concentrations decreased from 6.27 mg/L to 1.43 mg/L. In the removal of As(III), As(V), and F- from the groundwater, Haix-Fe-Zr and Haix-Zr resin beads fit the parabolic diffusion equation (PDE) suggesting that adsorption of these contaminants was consistent with inter-particle diffusion.

Distribution of Arsenic and Risk Assessment of Activities on Soccer Pitches Irrigated with Arsenic-Contaminated Water

The aim of this research was to estimate the risk of human exposure to arsenic due to sporting activities in a private soccer club in Mexico, where arsenic-contaminated water was regularly used for irrigation. For this purpose, the total concentration in the topsoil was considered for risk assessment. This was accomplished through three main objectives: (1) measuring arsenic concentrations in irrigation water and irrigated soils, (2) determining arsenic spatial distribution in shallow soils with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) using geostatistical analysis, and (3) collecting field and survey data to develop a risk assessment calculation for soccer activities in the soccer club. The results showed that the average arsenic concentrations in shallow soils (138.1 mg/kg) were 6.2 times higher than the Mexican threshold for domestic soils (22 mg/kg). Furthermore, dermal contact between exposed users and contaminated soils accounted for a maximum carcinogenic risk value of 1.8 × 10−5, which is one order of magnitude higher than the recommended risk value, while arsenic concentrations in the irrigation water were higher (6 mg/L) than the WHO’s permissible threshold in drinking water, explaining the contamination of soils after irrigation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first risk study regarding dermal contact with arsenic following regular grass irrigation with contaminated water in soccer pitches.