Assessment and Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Jawaharlal Nehru Autonagar Industrial Effluents, Vijayawada, India: An Adsorption Study of CSM Activated Carbon.

Abstract

Global industrialization has led to a significant increase in the release of hazardous and toxic metals into water bodies. These heavy metals pose a serious threat to human health and the environment (Vardhan et al., 2019). In particular, the Jawaharlal Nehru Autonagar Industrial Effluents in Vijayawada, India, have been identified as a major source of heavy metal pollution. The assessment and removal of heavy metal ions from these industrial effluents is crucial in order to minimize their detrimental effects on the surrounding ecosystem and protect the health of the local population (Jain & Reddy, 2022). Several studies have been conducted to examine the impact of heavy metal pollution in industrial effluents in Vijayawada. These studies have identified high levels of heavy metals such as Cadmium, Nickel, Lead, and Arsenic in the effluents, highlighting the need for effective assessment and removal strategies. Various methods have been proposed for the assessment and removal of heavy metal ions from industrial effluents in Vijayawada, India (Kumar & Dwivedi, 2021). Membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, chemical reduction, and adsorption are some of the conventional methods that have been used for the removal of heavy metals (Verma et al., 2021). While these conventional methods have been effective in removing heavy metal ions from aqueous industrial effluents but often generate secondary pollutants and can be costly (Singh et al., 2023). To address these limitations and provide low-cost solutions, innovative technologies such as hydrogel adsorption, activated carbon adsorption, and biological treatment methods have emerged as promising alternatives. These alternative methods offer cost-effective removal of heavy metal ions, especially from dilute solutions, and have shown high efficiency in treating contaminated industrial wastewater. The aim of this study was the assessment of the heavy metal ions contaminants of JNA industrial effluents and the adsorptive removal of ions present in high concentrations following the Error! Bookmark not defined. for the industrial effluents of India. 210 samples were collected from various outlets of the effluent stream flow from the JNA, Vijayawada, in three seasons during summer (April), rainy (August), and winter (December) 2022. The analysis results obtained indicate that some of the contaminants were above the acceptable limit of industrial wastewater as per Error! Bookmark not defined. India. However, heavy metals like Chromium ions (2.63 mg/L), lead (0.16 mg/L) and Nickel (1.75 mg/L) were found to be higher than the allowable level of Environmental pollutants (Environment protection rules, 1986) for industrial effluents for India. A novel biosorbent synthesized indigenously from Citrus Sinensis and Musa was used for the removal of Chromium, lead and Nickel from the wastewater effluent samples. This biosorbent successfully reduced the Chromium ion concentration in the wastewater sample from 2.093 to 1.252 mg/L at pH 6 in 1 h. Similarly, the concentration of lead reduced to 0.108 from 0.069 mg/L at pH 4, whereas Nickel ions were removed from 1.671 to 1.164 mg/L at pH 10 in 1 h. Treatment of wastewater through the synthesized biosorbent efficiently removed the high concentration ions and could potentially be applied to reduce the toxic effects of these contaminants on local public health.