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Nile BK, Faris AM, Alesary HF, Jafar NNA, Ismail HK, Abdulredha M, Al Juboury MF, Hassan WH, Ahmed LM, Abid HR, Barton S. Simulation study of a practical approach to enhance cadmium removal via biological treatment by controlling the concentration of MLSS. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1714. [PMID: 38242994 PMCID: PMC10799035 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50843-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The fate of cadmium at the Muharram Aisha wastewater treatment plant in Karbala governorate, Iraq was studied using the TOXCHEM model. Cadmium, a known carcinogen, and is considered one of the most dangerous heavy metals and high concentrations, greater than permissible limits, were found in the treated wastewater. The plant operates using an activated sludge system and this was modeled via TOXCHEM with a sensitivity analysis carried out on the extended aeration system. Prior to analysis, the model was calibrated and validated for cadmium, with the adjustments leading to a mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) of 0.0001 and 0.81, respectively. The mass balance of cadmium in the Muharram Aisha treatment plant was found to be 4832.44 g/day (37.1726%) in the treated wastewater and 8164.52 g/day (62.804%) in the sludge, which indicated that the mix liquor suspended solid (MLSS) was the most sensitive factor. The sensitivity to cadmium was analyzed via MLSS in the extended aeration system and the results o indicated that the higher the MLSS concentration (mg/L), the greater the removal of cadmium in the treated wastewater. It was found that increasing the MLSS through a biological treatment method reduced the concentration of cadmium without the need for additional of any (potentially harmful) chemical treatments. The plant was subsequently operated for a period of 5 months with the MLSS increased from 1500 to 4500 mg/L, and this reduced the concentration of cadmium in the wastewater from 0.36 to 0.01 mg/L as a consequence. This research demonstrates how the novel application of TOXCHEM can be a useful tool in the reduction of heavy metal contamination in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basim K Nile
- Engineering College, University of Kerbala, Karbala, 56001, Iraq
| | | | - Hasan F Alesary
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kerbala, Karbala, 56001, Iraq.
| | - Nadhir N A Jafar
- Al-Zharaa University for Women/Al-Zharaa Center for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research Sciences, Karbala, Iraq
| | - Hani K Ismail
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Health, Koya University, Koya, KOY45, Kurdistan Region-F.R., Iraq
| | - Muhammad Abdulredha
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, 56001, Iraq
| | - Maad F Al Juboury
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, 56001, Iraq
| | - Waqed H Hassan
- Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Kerbala, Kerbala, 56001, Iraq
- University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Kerbala, 56001, Iraq
| | - Luma M Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Kerbala, Karbala, 56001, Iraq
| | - Hussein Rasool Abid
- Environment Health, Applied Medical Sciences College, University of Kerbala, Karbala, Iraq
| | - Stephen Barton
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, UK
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