Binding of Arsenic by Common Functional Groups: An Experimental and Quantum-Mechanical Study

Removal of cadmium and arsenic from water through biomineralization

Due to anthropogenic activities, heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are one of the most toxic xenobiotics contaminating water, thus affecting human health and the environment. The objective of the present investigation was to study the effect of ureolytic bacteria Bacillus paramycoides-MSR1 for the bioremediation of Cd and As from contaminated water. The B. paramycoides showed high resistance to heavy metals, Cd and As, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12.84 μM and 48.54 μM, respectively. The urease activity and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation were evaluated in artificial wastewater with different concentrations of Cd (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 μM) and As (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 μM). The maximum urease activity in Cd-contaminated artificial wastewater was observed after 96 hours, which showed a 76.1% decline in urease activity as the metal concentration increased from 0 to 60 μM. Similarly, 14.1% decline in urease activity was observed as the concentration of As was increased from 0 to 100 μM. The calcium carbonate precipitation at the minimum inhibitory concentration of Cd and As-contaminated artificial wastewater was 189 and 183 mg/100 ml, respectively. The percentage removal of metal from artificially contaminated wastewater with varied concentrations was analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). After 168 hours of incubation, 93.13% removal of Cd and 94.25% removal of As were observed. Microstructural analysis proved the presence of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite, confirming removal of cadmium and arsenic by microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICCP) to be promising technique for water decontamination.

A new pre-concentration procedure based on poly(styrene-co-maleamide and imide) copolymers modified with 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole prior to spectrophotometric monitoring of inorganic as (as As(III)) in edible vegetable oils

This study describes the development of 2-hydrazinobenzothiazole modified-amide/imide co-polymers for the extraction/pre-concentration of trace As(III), from edible vegetable oils. Their characterization was realized by help of instrumental techniques. The method is based on pH-dependent complexation between As(III) and co-polymeric chelators in presence of 35-fold excess As(V), their selective extraction into the mixed micellar phase, and detected at pH 2.0 and 6.0 by UV-vis spectrophotometer. The variables affecting extraction efficiency were optimized. From pre-concentration of 20-mL sample, the good linear relationships were obtained in range of 1-40 and 3-75 µg/L with DLs of 0.32 and 1.00 µg/L. The accuracy was verified by analysis of a certified sample without and with spiking. The method was applied into the analysis of iAs levels of samples. The results show that the functional co-polymers are efficient chelators, and exhibit great potential for the selective extraction of As(III) from edible vegetable oils.