A SEQUEL DEVELOPMENT IN TRAPPING DIVALENT METAL SPECIES BY AGRONOMIAL PRODUCTS OR DERIVATIVES WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF PROTOTYPE DEVICE FOR INDUSTRIAL SCALE UP

Abstract

Metal pollution of water and its sources has been receiving considerable attention in recent times due to the increasing amounts of industrial effluents discharged into the environment. Metals like lead, cadmium, nickel, copper, chromium and zinc in their common oxidation states are declared toxicants and reported to cause several physiological disorders while exceeding their permissible limits. Several reclamation technologies have been developed to reduce their concentrations. A number of low-cost and indigenous materials are identified as successful adsorbents, to remove metal ions through the process of adsorption. In this context, treated adsorbents prepared from Prosopis juliflora Bark (TPJB), Tamarindus indica Hull (TTIH) and Goat Hoofs (TGH) are employed to reduce the concentrations of three selected metal ions, since they pose better chelating nature than their respective bare ones. Adsorption of Pb(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) ions by TPJB, TTIH, TGH have been investigated through batch and column operations. The characteristics of treated materials are examined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and the adsorption processes are confirmed by BET/ BJH, SEM, EDAX and FT-IR analyses. The optimum conditions for achieving maximum adsorption of metal ions are established. The factors which influence the reaction rates and the dynamics of adsorption are studied in order to verify the sorption behavior. The nature of adsorption and kinetic behaviour are explained by different isotherm and kinetic models. Nano materials and magnetic nanocomposites are synthesized, characterized using AFM, XRD, TG- DTA, VSM, Zeta-Potential and Particle size analyzer and tested for their sorption nature. An assessment of the comparative ability of the three adsorbents along with the order of preferential adsorption among the metal ions is made on the basis of the valid conclusions drawn from the experimental results. The exhausted material is used as fertilizer to grow seeds. The efficiencies of the adsorbents are scaled up to industrial effluents, treatment and extended to field levels through installation of a prototype device.