Water pollution is one of the global challenges that society must address in the 21st century aiming to improve water quality and reduce human and ecosystem health impacts. Industrialization, climate change, and expansion of urban areas produce a variety of water pollutants. In this work, we discuss some of the most recent and relevant findings related to the release of heavy metals, the possible risks for the environment and human health, the materials and technologies available for their removal. Anthropogenic activities are identified as the main source of the increasing amounts of heavy metals found in aquatic environments. Some of the health hazards derived from repeated exposure to traces of heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic, are outlined. We also give some perspectives about several techniques used to detect heavy metals, as well as about the factors that could affect the contaminant removal. The advantages and drawbacks of conventional and non-conventional heavy metal removal methods are critically discussed, given particular attention to those related to adsorption, nanostructured materials and plant-mediated remediation. Some of the commercial products currently used to eliminate heavy metals from water are also listed. Finally, we point out some the requirements and opportunities linked to developing efficient methods for heavy metal removal, such as the ones that exploit nanotechnologies.

Heavy metal water pollution: A fresh look about hazards, novel and conventional remediation methods

Olive stones have been widely used as a renewable energy biowaste source. As they are rich in elemental carbon (40–45 wt%), much research focussed on effectively converting olive stones, as precursors, into activated carbon adsorbents. However, only a few studies have concentrated on summarising the various techniques used to produce activated carbon from olive stone. This article reviews the research undertaken on the production and application of activated carbon as an adsorbent from olive stones for wastewater treatment. Various physical, chemical and physico-chemical treatments to remove heavy metals, organics and dyes are discussed, and the resultant adsorption capacities are reported. In several cases, very high adsorption capacities are recorded. Finally, the future prospects of these materials as adsorbents are discussed, and after further development work, olive stone-derived activated carbons have great potential especially in the area of organic polluted wastewaters.

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Production and applications of activated carbons as adsorbents from olive stones

Heavy metal contamination has been a serious threat to environment and human health Carbon-based materials, from biochar/activated carbon to modified materials (ie carbon nanotubes-based materials, and graphene-based materials), have been widely studied as efficient adsorbents for the heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions This review discussed the recent achievements in adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and adsorption mechanism according to the existing forms of heavy metals in water The effect of process conditions, such as temperature, pH value, and coexisting ions, on adsorption performance are combed, and the universal guidance law is obtained The physical adsorption, electrostatic interaction, ion exchange, surface complexation, and precipitation/coprecipitation play important roles in heavy metals adsorption process In addition to the common activated carbon(AC), biochar(BC) and the emerging carbon nanotubes(CNTs) and graphene(GN) adsorbent show good development potentials Meanwhile, though the modified carbonaceous materials can achieve high adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of heavy metals, the modification operation is complex, especially chemical modification Acid and alkali solution are often used to regenerate spent materials in desorption, however, further studies of other desorption reagent are really needed This review highlights the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution using carbon-based materials as adsorbents, and discusses the existing deficiencies and suggestions on further study

Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution using carbon-based adsorbents: A review

Wastewater contains many organic and inorganic pollutants and discharging them into received waters leads to serious environmental problems. The wastewater that is produced from various industries contains a noticeable amount of dyes; heavy metals and metalloids this has remained one of the major environmental problems facing public health. Unfortunately, the conventional wastewater remediation process is unable to remove dyes and heavy metals completely. One of the widely used water treatment technologies is biosorption, biosorbents are considered to be an emerging green, cost-effective, and efficient alternative. Therefore, the search for locally or regionally available biomasses for heavy metals/metalloids and dyes removal gained rapid attention. Methylene blue, Crystal violet, Reactive black 5, and Congo red; Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, and Zn; and As were selected as examples for dyes, heavy metals, and metalloids, respectively, In this regard, a comprehensive understanding of the biosorption capability of different biosorbents is necessary to know how they can remove inorganic and organic contaminants in wastewater. Biosorption is an ion exchange, complexation, and coordination process. Besides, the recent advances in various biomaterials-based biosorbents and different approaches of pollutants removal from wastewater with several examples to provide a backdrop for future research have been reviewed. This can be beneficial for developing more effective technologies to eliminate contaminants, thus bridging the gap between laboratory results and industrial use. crustacean shells, algae, chitosan are the most effective biosorbents. These biosorbents can serve as good alternatives to synthetic materials for pollutants removal from wastewater.

A critical review of biosorption of dyes, heavy metals and metalloids from wastewater as an efficient and green process

https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/190290035/water_treatment_revised_Review_Accepted_for_publication.pdf

Insight on water remediation application using magnetic nanomaterials and biosorbents

Typical chemical precipitation methods using lime (Ca(OH)2), soda ash (Na2CO3) and sodium sulfide (Na2S) for removals of heavy metals (i.e. Zn (II), Cu (II) and Pb (II)) from aqueous solutions were compared by jar tests. A focus was especially given to particle size differences and chemical phase conversion of precipitates. A removal of 99.99% from aqueous solutions with three precipitants was achieved for copper and zinc at an initial concentration of 100 mg/L. And lead was efficiently removed (99.75%) by sodium sulfide. In contrast, the maximal lead removals with lime or soda ash precipitation were only 76.14% and 97.78%. The mean particle size of precipitates was in the range of 55 nm–45 μm, depending on properties of precipitants and heavy metal to precipitant ratios. The settling performance of the sludge derived from precipitation was dominated by particle size and Zeta-potential of precipitates. It was observed that ultra-fine copper sulfide particles resulted from the precipitation were around 55 nm and did not settle in 12 h due to electrostatic repulsion force between particles. The main compounds in the sludge obtained from precipitation were metal hydroxides and metal sulfides. However, spontaneous dehydration of metal hydroxide, oxidation of sulfide and atmospheric carbonation were identified by means of XRD and thermal analyses, which is invaluable to the disposal and utilization of the sludge.

Comparison of heavy metal removals from aqueous solutions by chemical precipitation and characteristics of precipitates

Coupling effect of nitrogen-doped carbon black and carbon nanotube in assembly gas diffusion electrode for H2O2 electro-generation and recalcitrant pollutant degradation

Natural ferrous minerals are readily available and recyclable catalysts in photo-Fenton-like oxidation for wastewater treatment. In this work, typical ferrous oxide and sulfide minerals including magnetite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite were exploited as catalysts in heterogeneous photo-Fenton oxidation for purification of biological effluent of dyeing wastewater. In a wide initial pH range (3.0~7.5), ferrous mineral-based heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like reactions were proven to be effective on the oxidation of recalcitrant pollutants. COD removals achieved 60.57%, 58.83%, and 57.41% using pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and magnetite, respectively, as catalyst under ultraviolet irradiation of 220~275 nm at H2O2 concentration of 9.8 mM. The corresponding COD removals were 51.75% and 34.09% with or without ferrous sulfate additions in UV/H2O2 systems. Minerals exhibited excellent stability and reusability with photo-catalytic activity reduction of less than 10% in the reuse of 5 cycles. Dissolved iron concentrations were determined to be 1.86 mg L−1, 4.62 mg L−1, and 7.53 mg L−1 for magnetite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite, respectively, at pH 3 and decreased to zero in neutral pH environment, which were much lower than those required for homogenous Fenton reaction. It was deduced that oxidation of recalcitrant pollutants was mainly catalyzed by Fe(II) on the mineral surface. The more reactive oxygen species such as hydroxyl radicals were resulted from the reaction of surface Fe (II) with H2O2, H2O2 photolysis, and charge separation of minerals under UV irradiation.

Jun Lu

Papers

Comparison of heavy metal removals from aqueous solutions by chemical precipitation and characteristics of precipitates

Coupling effect of nitrogen-doped carbon black and carbon nanotube in assembly gas diffusion electrode for H2O2 electro-generation and recalcitrant pollutant degradation

Catalytic activity comparison of natural ferrous minerals in photo-Fenton oxidation for tertiary treatment of dyeing wastewater

Comparison of precipitation behavior of color biopolymer in cotton pulp black liquor with metal chlorides