Selective removal of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from aqueous solution by triolein-embedded composite adsorbent

Evaluation and remediation protocol of selected organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in industrial wastewater using nanoparticles (NPs) in Nigeria

Limited knowledge of the level of contaminants in industrial wastewater within the Nigerian states together with the global challenge of water supply have compelled our investigation into the analyses and removal of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and heavy metal contents in industrial wastewater. Wastewater samples were collected from 13 industries across five states in Nigeria. The OCPs content of the samples was extracted, cleaned up and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the mean concentrations of the OCPs in the effluent samples ranged from 1.76 ng L^-1 (Dieldrin) to 0.89 ng L^-1 (endrin). Cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) were evaluated in all the effluent water samples. The results show that the average concentrations of the heavy metal ions in the effluent samples ranged from 0.008 ± 0.003 mg L^-1 (Cd) to 2.215 ± 0.841 mg L^-1 (Pb). For the removal of the identified contaminants, biomagnetite nanoparticles (BioMag), magnetite nanoparticles (MagNPs), biomagnetite-CMC nanocomposite (BioMag-CMC) and magnetite-CMC nanocomposite (MagNPs-CMC) were synthesised and characterised using Braunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). This study demonstrates the successful application of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites in the removal of OCPs and heavy metal ions in industrial effluents. The routine assessment and continuous removal become important to attain a state of clean and healthy aquatic ecosystem due to rapid industrial and technological advances.

Removal of pesticides from water and wastewater by different adsorbents: a review

In this review article, the use of various low-cost adsorbents for the removal of pesticides from water and wastewater has been reviewed. Pesticides may appear as pollutants in water sources, having undesirable impacts to human health because of their toxicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity or causing aesthetic problems such as taste and odors. These pesticides pollute the water stream and it can be removed very effectively using different low-cost adsorbents. It is evident from a literature survey of about 191 recently published papers that low-cost adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for pesticides.