Studies on solvent extraction of iron(III) as a step for conversion of a waste effluent to a value added product

Solvent extraction of iron(III) from actual sulphate waste pickle liquor was investigated using trialkylphosphine oxide diluted with kerosene. The waste pickle liquor was procured from a local company which deals with the manufacturing of pipes and tubes made of iron and steel. Various parameters were studied to optimise a suitable condition for the maximum extraction of iron. The composition of the aqueous feed used in the experiment was 60.88 g/L Fe(III), 53 g/L acid with traces of Cu, Ni and Co. An ambient extraction at 30 °C yielded acceptable kinetics and loading efficiency for 40% trialkylphosphine oxide with a saturated loading capacity of 51.85 g/L in four contacts at O/A ratio of 1/1 in a multiple contact mode. Iron from the loaded organic was stripped using various strippants such as distilled water, H₂SO₄ and oxalic acid. Since only 32% of loaded Fe could be stripped with 2 M H₂SO₄ in five contacts, further stripping was done with 5% oxalic acid which showed a very promising result. It was found that almost 100% of Fe(III) could be stripped out with 5% oxalic acid at O/A of 1/1 in five contacts.     

Cardioprotective effects of Commiphora mukul against isoprenaline-induced cardiotoxicity: a biochemical and histopathological evaluation

Commiphora mukul commonly known as Guggul is one of the oldest and commonly consumed herb for promoting heart and vascular health. Present study was undertaken to evaluate cardioprotective potential of Commiphora mukul against isoprenaline-induced myocardial necrosis in rats. Wistar albino rats were divided into three main groups: sham (saline only), isoprenaline control (saline and isoprenaline) and Commiphora mukul treated (Commiphora mukul and isoprenaline) groups. Commiphora mukul was administered in three doses 100, 200 and 400 mg kg(-1) p.o. for 30 days. On 29th and 30th day, the animals of isoprenaline control and Commiphora mukulpretreatment groups were administered isoprenaline (85 mg kg(-1); s.c.), consecutively at an interval of 24 hr. Isoprenaline administration produced a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in myocardial antioxidants; superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), reduced glutathione (GSH), and myocyte injury marker enzymes creatine-phosphokinase-MB (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) along with enhanced lipid peroxidation; malondialdehyde (MDA) in heart. Commiphora mukul pretreatment reversed the isoprenaline-induced oxidative changes in rat myocardium by significant (p < 0.05) increase in SOD, CAT, GSHPx, GSH and reduction of MDA. In addition to improving myocardial antioxidant status, Commiphora mukul also prevented the leakage of LDH and CK-MB from heart. Further, histopathological examination showed the reduction of necrosis, edema and inflammation following Commiphora mukul pretreatment. Based on present findings, it is concluded that Commiphora mukul may be a potential preventive and therapeutic agent against the oxidative stress associated ischemic heart disease owing to antioxidant and antiperoxidative activity.     

Correction to: Effect of feed slurry dilution and total solids on specific biogas production by anaerobic digestion in batch and semi-batch reactors

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management -     

Non-thermal plasmas for disease control and abiotic stress management in plants

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Climate change is predicted to cause severe loss in agricultural production by increasing disease epidemics and intensifying&nbsp;abiotic stresses. Therefore,...     

Fabrication of glutathione functionalized self-assembled magnetite nanochains for effective removal of crystal violet and phenol red dye from aqueous matrix

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A novel fabrication of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanochains, surface functionalized with glutathione (GSH), has been attempted through a basic wet reduction...     

A systematic review on iron-based nanoparticle-mediated clean-up of textile dyes: challenges and prospects of scale-up technologies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The projected increase of the global textile industry to USD1002.84 billion in 2027 indicates a simultaneous increase in water pollution due to...     

Nanomaterials photocatalytic activities for waste water treatment: a review

Water is necessary for the survival of life on Earth. A wide range of pollutants has contaminated water resources in the last few decades. The presence of contaminants incredibly different dyes in waste, potable, and surface water is hazardous to environmental and human health. Different types of dyes are the principal contaminants in water that need sudden attention because of their widespread domestic and industrial use. The toxic effects of these dyes and their ability to resist traditional water treatment procedures have inspired the researcher to develop an eco-friendly method that could effectively and efficiently degrade these toxic contaminants. Here, in this review, we explored the effective and economical methods of metal-based nanomaterials photocatalytic degradation for successfully removing dyes from wastewater. This study provides a tool for protecting the environment and human health. In addition, the insights into the transformation of solar energy for photocatalytic reduction of toxic metal ions and photocatalytic degradation of dyes contaminated wastewater will open a gate for water treatment research. The mechanism of photocatalytic degradation and the parameters that affect the photocatalytic activities of various photocatalysts have also been reported.

     

A comparative study on the physicochemical and bacterial analysis of drinking, borewell and sewage water in the three different places of Sivakasi

The drinking, borewell and sewage water in the Sanmugasikamani Nadar (S.N) street, Naivatti Nadar (N.N) street and Thiruthangal area of Sivakasi has been studied. The various constituents monitored include the physicochemical characters like pH, total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids; chemical parameters like total alkalinity acidity free CO2, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, chloride, salinity and bacterial parameters like standard plate count (SPC), total coliform count (TCC), faecal coliform count (FCC), faecal streptococcal count (FSC). Most of the physicochemical characters of drinking and borewell water were within the ISI permissible level. However in water samples from all the sites, bacterial count exceeded the recommended permissible level of WHO. Introduction of sewage into the drinking and borewell water was the main reason for the bacterial contamination. The boiling of water is therefore advisable before consumption. The physicochemical and bacterial characters of the sewage water were unworthy. The sewage water recycling was necessary to minimize the water born diseases.     

Dissipation of Endosulfan and Dichlorvos Residues In/On Cauliflower Curds

Dissipation behaviour of endosulfan and dichlorvos in/on cauliflower, variety Snowball-16, was studied during rabi season (Sep.–March) 2003–2004. Endosulfan and dichlorvos were sprayed @ 350 and 110g a.i. with 115 g a.i., respectively, 80 days after transplanting. Samples were taken at the interval of 0 (1h after spray), 3, 5, 7, and 10 days after spray (DAS) in triplicate and residues were estimated on GC-ECD system equipped with capillary column. The initial deposits of 3.452 and 0.295μgg⁻¹ of endosulfan and dichlorvos dissipated to 0.084 (97.56%) and 0.009 (96.95%), respectively after 10 DAS. Residues of endosulfan reached below maximum residue limit of 2μgg⁻¹ one day after spray and of dichlorvos were below MRL value of 0.5μgg⁻¹ even on 0 day. Dissipation pattern followed first order kinetics for both the insecticides with half life periods of 1.81 and 2.08 days for endosulfan and dichlorvos, respectively.     

Characterization of major pollution events (dust, haze, and two festival events) at Agra, India

Total suspended particulate (TSP) samples were collected during dust, haze, and two festival events (Holi and Diwali) from February 2009 to June 2010. Pollutant gases (NO₂, SO₂, and O₃) along with the meteorological parameters were also measured during the four pollution events at Agra. The concentration of pollutant gases decreases during dust events (DEs), but the levels of the gases increase during other pollution events indicating the impact of anthropogenic emissions. The mass concentrations were about two times higher during pollution events than normal days (NDs). High TSP concentrations during Holi and Diwali events may be attributed to anthropogenic activities while increased combustion sources in addition to stagnant meteorological conditions contributed to high TSP mass during haze events. On the other hand, long-range transport of atmospheric particles plays a major role during DEs. In the dust samples, Ca²⁺, Cl^?, NO₃ ^?, and SO₄ ^2? were the most abundant ions and Ca²⁺ alone accounted for 22 % of the total ionic mass, while during haze event, the concentrations of secondary aerosols species, viz., NO₃ ^?, SO₄ ^2?, and NH₄ ⁺, were 3.6, 3.3, and 5.1 times higher than the normal days. During Diwali, SO₄ ^2? concentration (17.8 μg?m^?3) was highest followed by NO₃ ^?, K⁺, and Cl^? while the Holi samples were strongly enriched with Cl^? and K⁺ which together made up 32.7 % of the total water-soluble ions. The ion balances indicate that the haze samples were acidic. On the other hand, Holi, Diwali, and DE samples were enriched with cations. The carbonaceous aerosol shows strong variation with the highest concentration during Holi followed by haze, Diwali, DEs, and NDs. However, the secondary organic carbon concentration follows the order haze > DEs > Diwali > Holi > NDs. The scanning electron microscope/EDX results indicate that KCl and carbon-rich particles were more dominant during Holi and haze events while DE samples were enriched with particles of crustal origin.