Heavy metal contamination in wastewater has been an issue for the environment and human health nowadays. If these wastewaters are exposed directly to the environment, it will be hazardous for the environment and personal health. So, it is very necessary to treat these ground and surface wastewater before exposing into environment. For this, an effective technique were developed which removed heavy metals from wastewater easily, economically and effectively. The cellulose nano-crystals (CNC) were isolated from banana rachis fibres by a series of chemical treatments as well as 50% H2SO4 hydrolysis successively. On the other hand, raw Indonesian type’s bituminous coal was collected from Noapara industrial area, Jashore, Khulna and was pyrolysed at 700°C, activated by 2M HCl at 700°C and also carbonised at 500°C followed by activation with 30% H3PO4 acid. In this process, adsorbent of modified charcoal-CNC composites was used for the removal of methyl orange dye and five heavy metals, such as Ni(II), Pb(II), Cr(III), Cd(II) and Co(II)), from wastewater and the uptake capacity, selectivity and removal efficiency were also discussed. The filtering efficiency of wastewater purifications were characterised by FTIR, X-RD, TGA, SEM analysis. Finally, wastewater solution and the filtrates solutions were characterised by UV-Vis, and AAS techniques.
21 September 2011 in Journal of Composite Materials
Raw pineapple leaf fibers (PALFs) were chemically modified by scouring, NaOH treatment, and bleaching (NaClO2). The graft copolymerization of synthetic acrylonitrile monomer onto bleached PALFs was carried out in aqueous medium using potassium persulfate (K2S2O8/FeSO4) as a redox initiator. The maximum grafting level at optimum conditions, namely, monomer concentration, initiator concentration, catalyst concentration, reaction time, and temperature have been determined. The main objective of this study is to decrease the amorphous region of lignocellulose in PALFs and improve its hydrophobic nature by incorporation of synthetic polymer of polyacrylonitrile and mechanical properties. The modified and grafted fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction study techniques. The moisture content and tensile strength properties were also evaluated for their environmental and mechanical performances.
Water pollution by contaminants such as toxic metals and dyes is now a major concern due to their high toxicity and persistence in the environment. Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the use of micro/nanomaterials to treat and purify water in various industries. In this study, Bijoypur clay was modified with ethyldiamine and incorporated into an okra fiber (Abelmoschus esculentus) micro-cellulose crystal (MCC) to produce a composite that could absorb copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and dyes like basic yellow (II) from industrial wastewater. Composites were prepared using different percentages of MCC and clay. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine the concentrations of Cu and Ni whereas a UV–Visible spectrophotometer measured the absorbance of basic yellow (II). The synthesized composites were extensively characterized using a range of techniques including thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results show that both the MCC and clay could absorb Cu, Ni, and basic yellow (II) from the contaminated wastewater. The MCC and clay composite showed the maximum efficiency of metals removal, which was up to 95% (24 mg/g) for Cu at pH 6, 20 min contact time, 2 g/L adsorbent dose, and 100% (31 mg/g) for Ni at pH 8, 60 min contact time, and 2 g/L adsorbent dose, respectively, at the initial concentration of 50 mg/L. The maximum dye uptake capacity of 85% (19 mg/g) was observed by the MCC and clay composite under optimized conditions at the initial concentration of 50 mg/L, pH 8, 30 min contact time, and 1 g/L adsorbent dose compared to the pure clay, which had an efficiency up to 26% for Cu and 24% for dye removal. All of the results indicate that incorporating clay into MCC increases the absorption capacity of contaminants from wastewater, which could be more effective for environmental applications compared to untreated cellulose.