Pentachlorophenol sorption in nylon fiber and removal by immobilized Rhizopus oryzae ENHE

A review on pesticide degradation from irrigation water and techno-economic feasibility of treatment technologies

The present study focuses and assures the need for pesticide degradation from various water bodies used for irrigation and the available technologies to treat them effectively. A thorough review of the literature is done on pesticide residues present in various irrigation water sources like rivers, groundwater, river sediments, and soil which signifies the existence of pesticides in the ecosystem. This indicates the severity of water pollution due to various sources around and their adverse effect on the ecosystem. However, several technologies are available to treat these pesticides based on the classification. A Cross comparison between the technologies is done to determine the efficient technology for the treatment of irrigation water.

Adsorption-photocatalytic processes for removal of pentachlorophenol contaminant using FeNi3/SiO2/ZnO magnetic nanocomposite under simulated solar light irradiation

The adsorption followed by photocatalytic degradation process was examined for the pentachlorophenol (PCP) removal from aqueous solution. These processes were accomplished by using FeNi₃/SiO₂/ZnO magnetic nanocomposite as an adsorbent-photocatalytic agent and under the irradiation of solar light. The magnetic nanocomposite used was first synthesized and then was characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The PCP removal efficiency was tested for various factors, including pH, PCP concentration, and nanocomposite dose at different contact times. The characterization results of TEM, FE-SEM, and VSM analysis showed that the synthesized nanoparticles are amorphous and tend to agglomerate due to their high super-paramagnetic property. In addition, the EDX technique showed that the Zn and O elements had the highest weight percent in the synthesized nanocomposite, respectively. On the other hand, XRD analysis revealed that the crystalline size of the nanoparticles was about 42 nm. The kinetic of PCP degradation followed the pseudo-first-order model with R² = 0.978. According to the results of the isotherm study, the adsorption of PCP onto the nanoparticles followed the Freundlich model. The results of adsorption-photocatalytic degradation experiments showed that 100% removal of PCP was obtained at optimum conditions of pH = 3, nanocomposite dose = 0.5 g/L, contact time = 180 min, and initial PCP concentration of 10 mg/L. Through the results obtained from this study, the adsorption process followed by solar light photocatalytic degradation process using FeNi₃/SiO₂/ZnO magnetic nanocomposite is found to be an efficacious treatment method for the removal of PCP contaminant from water and wastewater.

Immobilization of horseradish peroxidase by electrospun fibrous membranes for adsorption and degradation of pentachlorophenol in water

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is successfully in situ encapsulated into the poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)/PEO-PPO-PEO (F108) electrospun fibrous membranes (EFMs) by emulsion electrospinning. The adsorption and degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by HRP-EFMs are investigated. The experimental results show that the sorption kinetic of PCP on EFMs follows the pseudo-second-order model, and the sorption capacity is as high as 44.69 mg g(-1). The sorption mechanisms of EFMs for PCP can be explained by hydrogen bonding interactions, hydrophobic interactions and π-π bonding interactions. Profiting from the strong adsorption, the removal of PCP can be dramatically enhanced by the interaction of adsorbed PCP and HRP on the surface of EFMs. For PCP degradation, the optimal pH values for free HRP and immobilized HRP are 4 and 2-4, respectively. As pH>4.7, no adsorption and degradation are observed due to the deprotonation of PCP. The removal percentages reach 83% and 47% for immobilized HRP and free HRP, respectively, at 25 ± 1°C. The presence of humic acid can inhibit the activity of HRP and decreases the adsorption capacity of PCP because of competitive adsorption. The operational and storage stability of immobilized HRP are highly improved through emulsion electrospinning.

Lindane removal by pure and mixed cultures of immobilized actinobacteria

Lindane (γ-HCH) is an organochlorine insecticide that has been widely used in developing countries. It is known to persist in the environment and can cause serious health problems. One of the strategies adopted to remove lindane from the environment is bioremediation using microorganisms. Immobilized cells present advantages over free suspended cells, like their high degradation efficiency and protection against toxins. The aims of this work were: (1) To evaluate the ability of Streptomyces strains immobilized in four different matrices to remove lindane, (2) To select the support with optimum lindane removal by pure cultures, (3) To assay the selected support with consortia and (4) To evaluate the reusability of the immobilized cells. Four Streptomyces sp. strains had previously shown their ability to grow in the presence of lindane. Lindane removal by microorganisms immobilized was significantly higher than in free cells. Specifically immobilized cells in cloth sachets showed an improvement of around 25% in lindane removal compared to the abiotic control. Three strains showed significantly higher microbial growth when they were entrapped in silicone tubes. Strains immobilized in PVA-alginate demonstrated lowest growth. Mixed cultures immobilized inside cloth sachets showed no significant enhancement compared to pure cultures, reaching a maximum removal of 81% after 96 h for consortium I, consisting of the four immobilized strains together. Nevertheless, the cells could be reused for two additional cycles of 96 h each, obtaining a maximum removal efficiency of 71.5% when each of the four strains was immobilized in a separate bag (consortium III).