Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic micropollutants which are resistant to environmental degradation due to their highly hydrophobic nature. Concerns over their adverse health effects have resulted in extensive studies on the remediation of soils contaminated with PAHs. This paper aims to provide a review of the remediation technologies specifically for PAH-contaminated soils. The technologies discussed here include solvent extraction, bioremediation, phytoremediation, chemical oxidation, photocatalytic degradation, electrokinetic remediation, thermal treatment and integrated remediation technologies. For each of these, the theories are discussed in conjunction with comparative evaluation of studies reported in the specialised literature.
The effects of polyethyleneimine (PEI) impregnation on the Pb(2+) adsorption kinetics of palm shell-activated carbon and pH profile of bulk solution were investigated. Adsorption data were fitted to four established adsorption kinetics models, namely, pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich equation and intraparticle diffusion. It was found that PEI impregnation at 16.68 and 29.82 wt% PEI/AC increased the Pb(2+) uptake rate while the opposite was observed for PEI impregnation at 4.76 and 8.41 wt% PEI/AC. The increased uptake rates were due to higher concentration of PEI molecules on the surface of clogged pores as well as varying pore volumes. The adsorption kinetics data fitted the pseudo-second-order model better than the pseudo-first-order model, implying chemisorption was the rate-controlling step. The bulk solution pH generally showed an increasing trend from the use of virgin to PEI-impregnated activated carbon.
The effects of three preparation variables: CO(2) activation temperature, CO(2) activation time and KOH:char impregnation ratio (IR) on the 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) uptake and carbon yield of the activated carbon prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) were investigated. Based on the central composite design, two quadratic models were developed to correlate the three preparation variables to the two responses. The activated carbon preparation conditions were optimized using response surface methodology by maximizing both the 2,4,6-TCP uptake and activated carbon yield within the ranges studied. The optimum conditions for preparing activated carbon from EFB for adsorption of 2,4,6-TCP were found as follows: CO(2) activation temperature of 814 degrees C, CO(2) activation time of 1.9h and IR of 2.8, which resulted in 168.89 mg/g of 2,4,6-TCP uptake and 17.96% of activated carbon yield. The experimental results obtained agreed satisfactorily with the model predictions. The activated carbon prepared under optimum conditions was mesoporous with BET surface area of 1141 m(2)/g, total pore volume of 0.6 cm(3)/g and average pore diameter of 2.5 nm. The surface morphology and functional groups of the activated carbon were respectively determined from the scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis.
The low concentration and high flow rate of air-borne butyl acetate (BA) could be effectively removed using combined adsorption-catalytic oxidation system. Ag-Y (Si/Al=80) dual-function adsorbent was investigated for the adsorption step of 1000 ppm of butyl acetate at gas hourly space velocity of 13,000 h(-1) at ambient temperature under dry and humid feeds. A central composite design (CCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to obtain the optimum process conditions and the interactions between process variables were demonstrated and elucidated. Humidity and increasing organic concentration shortened the adsorption service time. The effect of moisture was more pronounced at low BA concentration. The interactions between the BA concentration and humidity were statistically significant at 95% confidence level. The optimum conditions were found to be at 4500 ppm of BA with 37 min saturation time to give 58 mg BA/g as adsorption capacity. The simulated data fitted the experimental data satisfactorily. The simulated data also correctly demonstrated the overall behaviors of the adsorption process.
In this work, the adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on activated carbon derived from date stones (DSAC) was studied with respect to pH and initial 2,4-D concentration. The experimental data were analyzed by the Freundlich isotherm, the Langmuir isotherm, and the Temkin isotherm. Equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacity of 238.10 mg/g. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order kinetics models were tested with the experimental data, and pseudo-first-order kinetics was the best for the adsorption of 2,4-D by DSAC with coefficients of correlation R(2)>or=0.986 for all initial 2,4-D concentrations studied. The results indicated that the DSAC is very effective for the adsorption of 2,4-D from aqueous solutions.
This paper examines the effectiveness of 10 additives toward improving SO2 sorption capacities (SSC) of rice husk ash (RHA)/lime (CaO) sorbent. The additives examined are NaOH, CaCl2, LiCl, NaHCO3, NaBr, BaCl2, KOH, K2HPO4, FeCl3 and MgCl2. Most of the additives tested increased the SSC of RHA/CaO sorbent, whereby NaOH gave highest SSC (30mg SO2/g sorbent) at optimum concentration (0.25mol/l) compared to other additives examined. The SSC of RHA/CaO sorbent prepared with NaOH addition was also increases from 17.2 to 39.5mg SO2/g sorbent as the water vapor increases from 0% RH to 80% RH. This is probably due to the fact that most of additives tested act as deliquescent material, and its existence increases the amount of water collected on the surface of the sorbent, which played an important role in the reaction between the dry-type sorbent and SO2. Although most of the additives were shown to have positive effect on the SSC of the RHA/CaO sorbent, some were found to have negative or insignificant effect. Thus, this study demonstrates that proper selection of additives can improve the SSC of RHA/CaO sorbent significantly.
In this work, the adsorption of malachite green (MG) on rattan sawdust (RSD) was studied at 30 degrees C. The results indicated that RSD can be used as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of MG dye from aqueous solutions. Equilibrium data were analyzed by two isotherms, namely the Freundlich isotherm and the Langmuir isotherm. The best fit to the data was obtained with the Langmuir isotherm. The monolayer adsorption capacity of RSD was found to be 62.71 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics can be predicted by the pseudo-first-order model. The mechanism of adsorption was also studied. It was found that for a short time period the rate of adsorption is controlled by film diffusion. However, at longer adsorption times, pore-diffusion controls the rate of adsorption. The amount adsorbed on the outer surface was estimated from the time where film-diffusion stops controlling the adsorption rate.
Removal of arsenic from aqueous solution was carried out using electrocoagulation. Experiments were conducted using mild steel sacrificial anode covering wide range in operating conditions to assess the removal efficiency. The maximum arsenic removal efficiency was recorded as 94% under optimum condition. The electrocoagulation mechanism of arsenic removal has been developed to understand the effect of applied charge and electrolyte pH on arsenic removal efficiency. Further the experimental data were tested with different adsorption isotherm model to describe the electrocoagulation process.
The aim of the present work was to investigate the feasibility of grass waste (GW) for methylene blue (MB) adsorption. The adsorption of MB on GW material was studied as a function of GW dose (0.05-1.20 g), solution pH 3-10, contact time and initial concentration (70-380 mg/L). The influence of these parameters on the adsorption capacity was studied using the batch process. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption isotherm was found to follow the Langmuir model. The monolayer adsorption capacity was found to be 457.640 mg/g. The kinetic data were fitted to the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models, and were found to follow closely the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results revealed that GW adsorbent is potentially low-cost adsorbent for adsorption of MB.
The major limitation of direct application of tannery sludge compost in agriculture is the total heavy metal contents and their bioavailability to the soil-plant system. This study focused on the heavy metal characterization and the influence of changing the physicochemical properties of the medium throughout the composting on the concentrations, bioavailability or chemical forms of Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in tannery sludge. The study shows that throughout the 60 days of composting, physicochemical analysis and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic characterization show that all parameters elaborated and reached relatively stable levels reflecting the stability and maturity of the final product, and revealed the biodegradation of components that can be easily assimilated by microorganism. The C/N ratio reaches the optimal range of stable compost; inorganic nitrogen is transformed into stable organic forms. The total concentration of Cr, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd is very low rendering final compost acceptable for agricultural use. The germination index for both Chinese cabbage and lettuce was 97% after 60 days of composting, showing that the final compost was not phytotoxic. Furthermore, in using a sequential extraction method in sludge compost at different phases of treatment, a less than 2% of metals bound to bioavailable fractions X-(KNO(3)+H(2)O). A large proportion of the heavy metals were associated to the residual fraction (75-85%) and more resistant fractions to extraction X-NaOH, X-EDTA, X-HNO(3) (15-25%). Mobile fractions of metals are poorly predictable from the total content. Bioavailability of all fractions of elements tends to decrease.
The adsorption characteristics of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) on activated carbon prepared from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) were evaluated. The effects of TCP initial concentration, agitation time, solution pH and temperature on TCP adsorption were investigated. TCP adsorption uptake was found to increase with increase in initial concentration, agitation time and solution temperature whereas adsorption of TCP was more favourable at acidic pH. The adsorption equilibrium data were best represented by the Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson isotherms. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The mechanism of the adsorption process was determined from the intraparticle diffusion model. Boyd plot revealed that the adsorption of TCP on the activated carbon was mainly governed by particle diffusion. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), standard entropy (DeltaS degrees ), standard free energy (DeltaG degrees ) and activation energy were determined. The regeneration efficiency of the spent activated carbon was high, with TCP desorption of 99.6%.
The feasibility of using papaya seeds (PS), abundantly available waste in Malaysia, for the cationic dye (methylene blue) adsorption has been investigated. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to study the effects of contact time, initial concentration (50-360 mg/L), pH (3-10) and adsorbent dose (0.05-1.00 g) on the removal of methylene blue (MB) at temperature of 30 degrees C. The equilibrium data were analyzed by the Langmuir, the Freundlich and the Temkin isotherms. The data fitted well with the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 555.557 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order kinetics was the best for the adsorption of MB by PS with good correlation. The results demonstrated that the PS is very effective to remove methylene blue from aqueous solutions.
The liquid-phase adsorption of phenol onto coconut shell-based activated carbon, CS850A was investigated for its equilibrium studies and kinetic modeling. Coconut shell was converted into high quality activated carbon through physiochemical activation at 850 degrees C under the influence of CO(2) flow. Beforehand, the coconut shell was carbonized at 700 degrees C and the resulted char was impregnated with KOH at 1:1 weight ratio. In order to evaluate the performance of CS850A, a series of batch adsorption experiments were conducted with initial phenol concentrations ranging from 100 to 500 mg l(-1), adsorbent loading of 0.2g and the adsorption process was maintained at 30+/-1 degrees C. The adsorption isotherms were in conformation to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Chemical reaction was found to be a rate-controlling parameter to this phenol-CS850A batch adsorption system due to strong agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Adsorption capacity for CS850A was found to be 205.8 mg g(-1).
Oil palm fibre was used to prepare activated carbon using physiochemical activation method which consisted of potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment and carbon dioxide (CO(2)) gasification. The effects of three preparation variables: the activation temperature, activation time and chemical impregnation (KOH:char) ratio on methylene blue (MB) uptake from aqueous solutions and activated carbon yield were investigated. Based on the central composite design (CCD), a quadratic model and a two factor interaction (2FI) model were respectively developed to correlate the preparation variables to the MB uptake and carbon yield. From the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the significant factors on each experimental design response were identified. The optimum activated carbon prepared from oil palm fibre was obtained by using activation temperature of 862 degrees C, activation time of 1h and chemical impregnation ratio of 3.1. The optimum activated carbon showed MB uptake of 203.83 mg/g and activated carbon yield of 16.50%. The equilibrium data for adsorption of MB on the optimum activated carbon were well represented by the Langmuir isotherm, giving maximum monolayer adsorption capacity as high as 400mg/g at 30 degrees C.
Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) of methylene blue (MB) from industrial wastewater using benzoic acid (extractant) in xylene has been studied at 27 degrees C. The extraction of the dye increased with increasing extractant concentration. The extraction abilities have been studied on benzoic acid concentration in the range of 0.36-5.8x10(-2) M. The distribution ratio of the dye is reasonably high (D=49.5) even in the presence of inorganic salts. Irrespective of the concentration of dye, extraction under optimal conditions was 90-99% after 15 min of phase separation. The extracted dye in the organic phase can be back extracted into sulphuric acid solution. The resultant recovered organic phase can be reused in succeeding extraction of dye with the yield ranging from 99 to 87% after 15 times reused, depending on the concentration of the initial feed solution. Experimental parameters examined were benzoic acid concentration, effect of diluent, effect of pH, effect of initial dye concentration, effect of equilibration time, various stripping agents, aqueous to organic phase ratio in extraction, organic to aqueous phase ratio in stripping and reusability of solvent.
The synthesized zeolite NaY from rice husk ash (RHA) and the commercial zeolite NaY both modified with surfactants in amounts equal to 50%, 100% and 200% of their external cation exchange capacity (ECEC) were used to remove chromate and arsenate anions from aqueous solutions. While the unmodified zeolite Y had little or no affinity for the Cr(VI) and As(V) anionic species, the surfactant-modified zeolite Y (SMZY) showed significant ability to remove of these anions from the aqueous solutions. The highest chromates and arsenates adsorption efficiency was observed from solutions of pH values 3 and 8, respectively because of the dominance of the univalent species of both anions. The adsorption equilibrium data were best fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model with the highest removal capacities observed for the SMZY initially prepared considering the hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium (HDTMA) amount equal to the 100% of the ECEC of zeolite Y. Synthesized SMZY remove Cr(VI) and As(V) more than the corresponding commercial one due to its lower silica to alumina ratio. Thus, the HDTMA-covered modified zeolite Y synthesized using RHA can be used to remove Cr(VI) and As(V) from water.
Acclimation of autohydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria using inorganic carbon source (CO(2) and bicarbonate) and hydrogen gas as electron donor was performed in this study. In this regard, activated sludge was used as the seed source and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technique was applied for accomplishing the acclimatization. Three distinct strategies in feeding of carbon sources were applied: (I) continuous sparging of CO(2), (II) bicarbonate plus continuous sparging of CO(2), and (III) only bicarbonate. The pH-reducing nature of CO(2) showed an unfavorable impact on denitrification rate; however bicarbonate resulted in a buffered environment in the mixed liquor and provided a suitable mean to maintain the pH in the desirable range of 7-8.2. As a result, bicarbonate as the only carbon source showed a faster adaptation, while carbon dioxide as the only carbon source as well as a complementary carbon source added to bicarbonate resulted in longer acclimation period. Adapted hydrogenotrophic denitrifying bacteria, using bicarbonate and hydrogen gas in the aforementioned pH range, caused denitrification at a rate of 13.33 mg NO(3)(-)-N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 20 and 30 mg NO(3)(-)-N/L and 9.09 mg NO(3)(-)-N/g MLVSS/h for degrading 50mg NO(3)(-)-N/L.
In this paper, pineapple stem (PS) waste, an agricultural waste available in large quantity in Malaysia, was utilized as low-cost adsorbent to remove basic dye (methylene blue, MB) from aqueous solution by adsorption. Batch mode experiments were conducted at 30 degrees C to study the effects of initial concentration of methylene blue, contact time and pH on dye adsorption. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms and kinetic were investigated. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich models and the isotherm data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm with monolayer adsorption capacity of 119.05mg/g. The kinetic data obtained at different concentrations were analyzed using a pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equation and intraparticle diffusion equation. The experimental data fitted very well the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The PS was found to be very effective adsorbent for MB adsorption.
This study aimed at investigating the feasibility of using jackfruit peel (JFP), a solid waste, abundantly available in Malaysia, for the adsorption of methylene blue, a cationic dye. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of contact time, initial concentration (35-400mg/L), pH (2-11), and adsorbent dose (0.05-1.20g) on the removal of dye at temperature of 30 degrees C. The experimental data were analyzed by the four different types of linearized Langmuir isotherm, the Freundlich isotherm and the Temkin isotherm. The experimental data fitted well with the type 2 Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 285.713mg/g. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second-order kinetics models were tested with the experimental data, and pseudo-second-order kinetics was the best for the adsorption of MB by JFP with coefficients of correlation R(2)> or =0.9967 for all initial MB concentrations studied. The results demonstrated that the JFP is very effective for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions.
The ability of white-rot fungus, Pycnoporus sanguineus to adsorb copper (II) ions from aqueous solution is investigated in a batch system. The live fungus cells were immobilized into Ca-alginate gel to study the influence of pH, initial metal ions concentration, biomass loading and temperature on the biosorption capacity. The optimum uptake of Cu (II) ions was observed at pH 5 with a value of 2.76mg/g. Biosorption equilibrium data were best described by Langmuir isotherm model followed by Redlich-Peterson and Freundlich models, respectively. The biosorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion equations. The thermodynamic parameters enthalpy change (10.16kJ/mol) and entropy change (33.78J/molK) were determined from the biosorption equilibrium data. The FTIR analysis showed that OH, NH, CH, CO, COOH and CN groups were involved in the biosorption of Cu (II) ions onto immobilized cells of P. sanguineus. The immobilized cells of P. sanguineus were capable of removing Cu (II) ions from aqueous solution.