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Ion foam fractionation is a green and cost-effective technology where separation of molecules exploits the difference in surface affinity. In this work, a batch ion foam fractionation system was designed and optimized for the separation of trace hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions. The effect of surfactant head groups (collectors) on the adsorption dynamics was analyzed. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant showed high efficiency for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. An experimental investigation of the effect of different operational parameters on the separation characteristics is presented. The recovery of Cr(VI) increased with the increase in CTAB/Cr(VI) molar ratio and reached a maximum of 92.5% at optimum operating conditions. However, with CTAB concentrations close to the critical micelle concentration (CMC) wet foams were produced resulting in high liquid hold-up and poor enrichment ratio. The presence of Cr(VI) at the gas-liquid interface significantly improved the drainage characteristics of the foam decreasing the liquid hold-up. Further, a three-stage ion foam fractionation unit was developed with Cr(VI) removal efficiency of more than 99%. The concentration of Cr(VI) in the residue after the three-stage operation was less than 0.02 mg/L which is below the USEPA recommended standards for drinking water.

The frequent occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms has become a concern for drinking water safety. Common pre-oxidation, which was widely considered to enhance the followed coagulation, can cause the rupture of algae cell, leading to the undesirable release of intracellular organic matter. In this study, the Fe2+ activating sodium percarbonate (SPC/Fe2+) process for pre-oxidation and in situ coagulation was proved to effectively remove Microcystis aeruginosa without damaging cell integrity at optimal combined doses of SPC (0.2 mM) and Fe2+ (0.2 mM). Moreover, the SPC/Fe2+ process can not only control the release of MCs, but also reduce extracellular MCs from 5.22 μg/L to 1.50 μg/L, due to their moderate oxidation. Meanwhile, the SPC/Fe2+ treatment produces low levels of residual Fe after settling. During sludge ageing, owing to oxidation damage on cells arising from the SPC/Fe2+ treatment, cells continually suffered severe damage and lysed on day 4, leading to large release of intracellular organic matter and MCs, correspondingly. As a result, it is worth noting that the M. aeruginosa cells in stored sludge should be treated or disposed of early. These findings support the development of a green and cost-effective technology to handle cyanobacteria-containing water based on SPC/Fe2+ for ensuring water quality.

Dioxin compounds are persistent carcinogenic byproducts of anthropogenic activities such as waste combustion and other industrial activities. The ubiquitous distribution of dioxins is global concerns these days. Among of recent techniques, bioremediation, an eco-friendly and cost-effective technology, uses bacteria or fungi to detoxify in dioxins; however, not many bacteria can degrade the most toxic dioxin congener 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). In this study, the endophytic bacterium Burkholderia cenocapacia 869T2 was capable of TCDD degradation by nearly 95 % after one-week of an aerobic incubation. Through transcriptomic analysis of the strain 869T2 at 6 -h and 12 -h TCDD exposure, a number of catabolic genes involved in dioxin metabolism were detected with high gene expressions in the presence of TCDD. The transcriptome data also indicated that B. cenocepacia strain 869T2 metabolized the dioxin compounds from an early phase (at 6 h) of the incubation, and the initial outline for a general dioxin degradation pathway were proposed. One of the catabolic genes, l-2-haloacid dehalogenase (2-HAD) was cloned to investigate its contribution in dioxin dehalogenation. By detecting the increasing concentration of chloride ions released from TCDD, our results indicated that the dehalogenase played a crucial role in dehalogenation of dioxin in the aerobic condition.

Arsenic pollution in groundwater is a worldwide concern due to its chronic effects on human health. Numerous studies have been carried out to obtain cost-effective arsenic removal method. Adsorption using natural materials or its treated forms is found to be cost-effective technology. Raw laterite (RL) or its treated form (TL) is studied recently as arsenic adsorbent for aqueous system. Laterite composition varies with geographical location and extent of lateritization. The study on effects of arsenic adsorption with varying composition of laterite is not explored yet. Four laterite samples with different compositions are examined to remove arsenic from water. These laterite samples are activated using an optimized acid followed by base treatment method in order to determine the effects of RL composition on arsenic adsorption behavior of TL. Higher iron and aluminum containing RL samples show higher arsenic adsorption behavior. Similarly, TL obtained from higher iron and aluminum containing RL sample shows the higher specific surface area (130–180 m 2 g −1 ) and pore volume (0.28–0.35 mL g −1 ). Two household filters using TL are deployed in arsenic affected area of Barasat, 24 Parganas (N), West Bengal, India and their performance is monitored for about a year.

In situ bioremediation is an attractive and often cost-effective technology for the cleanup of organics-contaminated sites, but it often requires extended treatment time under field conditions. This study explored the feasibility of using non-uniform electrokinetic transport processes to enhance in situ bioremediation. A bench-scale non-uniform electrokinetic system with periodic polarity-reversal was developed for this purpose, and tested by using a sandy loam spiked with phenol as a model organic pollutant. The results demonstrated that non-uniform electrokinetic processes could accelerate the movement and in situ biodegradation of phenol in the soil. Bidirectional operation enhanced the phenol biodegradation more effectively than unidirectional operation. At the same time, a smaller polarity-reversing interval induced a higher and more uniform removal of phenol from the soil. The results also showed that reversing the polarity of electric field applied could maintain the soil pH and moisture, but it increased the consumption of electricity.

The remediation field is in need of a simple, safe, and cost-effective technology that directly treats contaminants sorbed to aquifer solids. In the absence of an indigenous microbial population competent to degrade the contaminants of concern, bioaugmentation, or injecting competent degradative bacteria into the subsurface has been investigated. A major problem encountered with bioaugmentation is the limited dispersion of bacteria injected into contaminated aquifers: bacteria often adhere strongly to solid surfaces. In the absence of a strong hydrogeological gradient the organisms remain localized at the origin of injection, resulting in fouling of wells and inadequate dispersion of degradative bacteria. The ability to directionally transport bacteria away from injection sites and into zones of contamination would be advantageous to bioaugmentation approaches used for in-situ remediation. Bench-scale model aquifers were used to test electrophoresis as a tool for bacterial dispersion in situ. Preliminary studies with several strains demonstrated that the net negative surface charge of bacteria in a solution at neutral pH caused electrokinetic transport of the cells through sand towards the anode in a dc electric field. Subsequent experiments were conducted in a variety of porous media with a trichloroethylene (TCE) degrading, adhesion-deficient variant of Burkholderia cepacia G4 (1CB). 1CB was directionally transported through sand, soil, and aquifer sediment at rates ranging from 1.6 to 6 cm h depending upon the porous media tested, over distances up to 0.4 m. Transport of the wild-type G4 through sand and sediment in response to a hydraulic gradient is severely retarded in relation to the adhesion-deficient 1CB, whereas electrokinetic transport rates are identical for the two strains. Experiments performed with TCE-contaminated sediment suggest that 1CB retains its ability to degrade TCE during electrokinetic transport.

Fluoride content in groundwater that is greater than the WHO limit of 1.5mg/L, causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. In India, several states are affected with excess fluoride in groundwater. The problem is aggravated due to the lack of appropriate and user friendly defluoridation technology. Several fluoride removal techniques are reported in the literature amongst which the Nalgonda technique and use of activated alumina have been studied extensively. However a simple, efficient and cost effective technology is not available for widespread use in many affected regions. In this paper, we present a novel cost effective defluoridation method that is based on surface modification of rice husk ash (RHA) by coating aluminum hydroxide. RHA is obtained by burning rice/paddy husk which is an abundantly available and is an inexpensive raw material. The results showed excellent fluoride removal efficiency and the adsorption capacity was found to be between 9 and 10mg/g.

Phytoremediation is a traditional technique that uses vegetation to remediate contaminants from water, soil and sediments. This is a solar-driven, aesthetically pleasing, and cost effective technology. In a former published article, Kalimeris integrifolia Turcz. ex DC. indicated some basic properties of hyperaccumulators for cadmium (Cd). In this study, concentration gradient experiment and sample-analyzing experiments were used to assess whether this plant is a Cd-hyperaccumulator. The results showed the Cd enrichment factor (concentration in plant/soil) and Cd translocation factor (concentration in shoot/root) of K. integrifolia was basically >1 in concentration gradient experiment. Shoot biomass was not reduced significantly (p

In situ bioremediation is a safe and cost-effective technology for the cleanup of organic-contaminated soil, but its remediation rate is usually very slow, which results primarily from limited mass transfer of pollutants to the degrading bacteria in soil media. This study investigated the feasibility of adopting 2D non-uniform electric field to enhance in situ bioremediation process by promoting the mass transfer of organics to degrading bacteria under in situ conditions. For this purpose, a 2D non-uniform electrokinetic system was designed and tested at bench-scale with a sandy loam as the model soil and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) as the model organic pollutant at two common operation modes (bidirectional and rotational). Periodically, the electric field reverses its direction at bidirectional mode and revolves a given angle at rotational mode. The results demonstrated that the non-uniform electric field could effectively stimulate the desorption and the movement of 2,4-DCP in the soil. The 2,4-DCP was mobilized through soil media towards the anode at a rate of about 1.0 cm d−1 V−1. The results also showed that in situ biodegradation of 2,4-DCP in the soil was greatly enhanced by the applied 2D electric field upon operational mode. At the bidirectional mode, an average 2,4-DCP removal of 73.4% was achieved in 15 days, and the in situ biodegradation of 2,4-DCP was increased by about three times as compared with that uncoupled with electric field, whereas, 34.8% of 2,4-DCP was removed on average in the same time period at the rotational mode. In terms of maintaining remediation uniformity in soil, the rotational operation remarkably excelled the bidirectional operation. In the hexagonal treatment area, the 2,4-DCP removal efficiency adversely increase with the distance to the central electrode at the bidirectional mode, while the rotational mode generated almost uniform removal in soil bed.

The waste disposal practices on land frequently lead to the deposition of hazardous waste at geologically/hydrogeologically unsuitable locations, resulting in surface and groundwater contamination. The movement of chemicals through soil is not only dependent on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the waste but also on the characteristics of the soil of the disposal site. In this paper the authors report their results on the influence of soil components on adsorption-desorption of certain industrially widely used hazardous organics like phenol, p-nitrophenol, 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol on typical soils of Patancheru industrial area (Hyderabad, AP, India). The data on nature of organics, soil organic matters, clay, free iron and aluminum oxides of soils are known to influence the adsorption-desorption process are presented. There was reduction up to 67.5% (organic matter removed), 53.8% (clay removed) and 24.2% (iron and aluminum oxides removed) in the adsorption capacity of the soils when compared to untreated soils indicating the role played by these soil components in adsorption process. Desorption isotherms of soil adsorbed hazardous organics exhibited hysteresis at higher initial concentration indicating the degree of irreversibility of adsorption-desorption process. Mixed microbial cultures were developed which can degrade the hazardous organics to complete mineralisation by utilizing them as sole source of carbon and their corresponding biokinetic constants were evaluated. Preparation of dumpsites with suitable soil surface having high holding capacity for organics and their in situ biodegradation by mixing with specific microbial cultures can be exploited as a cost effective technology for reclamation of hazardous waste dumpsites.