Shaik Basha

Occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater process streams in Dublin, Ireland

The aim of this work is to establish baseline levels of pharmaceuticals in three wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) streams in the greater Dublin region to assess the removal efficiency of the selected WWTPs and to investigate the existence of any seasonal variability. Twenty compounds including several classes of antibiotics, acidic and basic pharmaceuticals, and prescribed medications were selected for investigation using a combination of membrane filtration, solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup, and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Fourteen of the selected compounds were found in the samples. Increased effluent concentrations, compared to influent concentrations, for a number of compounds (carbamazepine, clotrimazole, propranolol, nimesulide, furosemide, mefenamic acid, diclofenac, metoprolol, and gemfibrozil) were observed. The detected concentrations were generally below toxicity levels and based on current knowledge are unlikely to pose any threat to aquatic species. Mefenamic acid concentrations detected in both Leixlip and Swords effluents may potentially exert ecotoxicological effects with maximum risk quotients (i.e., ratio of predicted exposure concentration to predicted no effect concentration) of 4.04 and 1.33, respectively.

Quantification and classification of ship scraping waste at Alang–Sosiya, India

Alang-Sosiya located on the Western Coast of Gulf of Cambay, is the largest ship recycling yard in the world. Every year on average 365 ships having a mean weight (2.10x10(6)+/-7.82x10(5) LDT) are scrapped. This industry generates a huge quantity of solid waste in the form of broken wood, rubber, insulation materials, paper, metals, glass and ceramics, plastics, leather, textiles, food waste, chemicals, paints, thermocol, sponge, ash, oil mixed sponges, miscellaneous combustible and non-combustible. The quantity and composition of solid waste was collected for a period of three months and the average values are presented in this work. Sosiya had the most waste 15.63 kg/m(2) compared to Alang 10.19 kg/m(2). The combustible solid waste quantity was around 83.0% of the total solid waste available at the yard, which represents an average weight of 9.807 kg/m(2); whereas, non-combustible waste is 1.933 kg/m(2). There is not much difference between the average of total solid waste calculated from the sampling data (96.71 MT/day) and the data provided by the port authorities (96.8 MT/day).

Hg(II) Removal from Aqueous Solution by Dead Fungal Biomass of Marine Aspergillus niger: Kinetic Studies

Abstract Mercury removal from wastewater is a recognized pollution control challenge today. In the present investigation, the biosorption of Hg(II) onto the dead biomass of four different species of marine Aspergillus, prepared by alkaline treatment, was studied. Among the cultures studied, A. niger was found to be the most efficient for Hg(II) removal. The effects of initial Hg(II) concentration, contact time, pH, temperature, and biosorbent dosage on biosorption were also investigated. It was observed that biosorption equilibriums were established in about 2 h. Under the optimum conditions (pH: 3.0, Hg(II) concentration: 250 mg/L, biomass dose: 0.8 g/L, temperature: 40°C and contact time: 2 h), 40.53 mg Hg(II) was biosorbed per gram of dead biomass of A. niger. Kinetic studies based on fractional power, zero order, first order, pseudo first order, Elovich, second order, and second order rate expressions have also been carried out where the pseudo second order model exhibited best fit to experimental data. The intra‐particle diffusion study revealed that film diffusion is the rate‐limiting sorption process for Hg(II) on A. niger. The nature of the possible cell–metal ion interactions was evaluated by FTIR, SEM, and EDAX analysis. These examinations indicated the involvement of ‐OH and ‐NH2 + groups in the biosorption process present on the surface of the dead fungal biomass. Here, Hg(II) ions were deposited on the surface of the biomass as a film like structure.

Occurrence and distribution of selected heavy metals and boron in groundwater of the Gulf of Khambhat region, Gujarat, India

The concentration of selected heavy metals, like As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn as well as B, was measured by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP–OES) in groundwater samples from various locations in the Gulf of Khambhat (GoK), an inlet of the Arabian Sea in the state of Gujarat, India, during post-monsoon, winter, and pre-monsoon seasons in a year. Most heavy elements are characterized by low mobility under slightly alkaline and reducing conditions; concentrations in confined aquifers are smaller than the maximum permissible values for drinking water. The temporal changes indicate that a majority of metals is entering the aquifer during monsoon. Principle component analysis of the heavy metal data suggests that Co, Cu, Cd, and Zn are interrelated with each other and derived significantly from anthropogenic route, while input of Pb and Cr may be due to atmospheric deposition in the study area. Both weathering of rocks and anthropogenic input were found to be main sources of elements in the groundwater. The heavy metal levels in groundwaters of the GoK region in comparison with some of the European and Asian sites were higher; however, these metal levels were found to be comparable with few urban sites in the world.

Kinetics, Isotherms, and Thermodynamics of Hg(II) Biosorption onto Carica papaya

ABSTRACT Carica papaya, a novel sorbent, was evaluated for sorption of Hg(II) from synthetic aqueous solutions using various pseudo-second order kinetic models as well as equilibrium sorption models. Batch kinetic and equilibrium experiments were carried out for the sorption of Hg(II) onto C. papaya at pH 6.5 and solid to liquid ratio (s/l) 1.0 g L−1. The kinetic data were fitted to second order models of Sobkowsk and Czerwinski, Ritchie, Blanchard, Ho and McKay, whereas Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich-Peterson models were used for the equilibrium data. A comparative study on both linear and nonlinear regression showed that the Sobkowsk and Czerwinski and Ritchies second order model were the same. Ho and McKays pseudo-second order model fitted well to the experimental data when compared with the other second order kinetic expressions. Langmuir isotherm parameters obtained from the four Langmuir linear equations by using linear method were dissimilar, but were the same when nonlinear method was used. Additionally, various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG 0, ΔH 0, and ΔS 0, were calculated. The negative values of Gibbs free energy (ΔG 0) and ΔH 0 confirmed the intrinsic nature of biosorption process and exothermic, respectively. The negative value of ΔS 0 showed the decreased randomness at the solid-solution interface during biosorption.

SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION AND CONTAMINATION LEVELS OF TOTAL PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS AND POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN MARINE ENVIRONMENT AT ALANG[-]SOSIYA SHIP SCRAPPING YARD, GULF OF CAMBAY, INDIA

ABSTRACT The present study assesses the distribution and contamination levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHCs) in surface seawaters during three successive seasons, (summer, monsoon and wint...