Selection of Mass Transfer Models for Competitive Adsorption of Antibiotics Mixture from Aqueous Solution on Delonix regia Pod Activated Carbon

The selection of suitable mass transfer models that fit the adsorption of a mixture of antibiotics in aqueous solution onto activated carbon derived from Delonix Regia Pods (DRPs) was examined in this study. The ripe DRPs were cleaned, activated with KOH and then carbonised at 350 °C. The surface chemistry of the raw and the modified DRPs were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), before being subjected to batch adsorption of a mixture of Amoxicillin (AMO), Tetracycline (TETRA) and Ampicillin (AMP)  under the effect of time (0-240 mins), and concentration (20-100 mg/l). The adsorption diffusion mechanisms of the process were analyzed. The spectra of the raw and modified DRP indicate the existence of hydroxyl groups alkanes, unconjugated ketone, carbonyl, and ester groups.  McKay has the highest  (0.9445) for the mass transfer diffusion model. This indicates that the adsorption rate of the selected antibiotics in the wastewater is regulated and monitored by the internal mass transport processes in accordance with a pore diffusion mechanism

Assessment of extracellular activities of novel microorganisms for biodegradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME)

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) constitutes 60% of the wastes generated in typical palm oil mill and its environmental impact has been identified to be harmful to aquatic lives. This project examined the potential of degrading POME with microorganisms that are indigenous to POME. Thus, two microorganisms were isolated from POME using serial dilution (10−1 to 10−10) procedure on solid plates containing Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), Sabouround Dextrose Agar (SDA) and Malt Extract Agar (MEA), respectively. The two microorganisms (TRQ1 and TRQ2) that consistently appeared on the three media plates were quantified and subjected to extracellular enzymatic activities such as amylolytic, gelatinolytic, cellulolytic and lipolytic. The two isolates, TRQ1 and TRQ2, showed negative response to amylolytic test and this confirmed that they are not fungi; however they are Gelatinolytic and Cellulolytic. TRQ1 showed low lipolytic activity while TRQ2 did not show any. The diameter covered by TRQ1 and TRQ2 on gelatin media were 8.5 and 8.0cm respectively, while the spread on cellulose media were 3.5 and 3.25 cm, respectively, on the seventh day. Furthermore, TRQ1 covered a diameter of 1.65cm while TRQ2 retained its initial diameter. These results show that TRQ1 and TRQ2 contain gelatinolytic and cellulolytic enzymes and can be utilized for the degradation of cellulosic substrates present in POME, in particular. The cheap and wide availability of the material (POME) used as source for the production of these microorganisms indicates their economic importance for industrial applications and environmental sustainability, particularly in converting waste to wealth. Keywords: Biodegradation; Cellulolytic; Gelatinolytic; Lipolytic; Microorganisms; POM

Effect of biodegradation on the physical properties of palm oil mill effluent (POME) using mixed culture of fungi

This study investigated the effects of biodegradation by the mixed culture of fungi (Pithomyces sacchari and Pestalotiopsis maculans) on selected physical properties of palm oil mill effluent (POME). Mixed culture innoculum (4% v/v) was added to autoclaved and raw POME samples, which were subjected to biodegradation at 120rpm and 35 ?C for six days. The pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolve solids and biosolids of the digested samples were quantified at 24 h intervals. These parameters for the autoclaved sample, at the end of the digestion period, were 6.88, 4.38mS/cm, 2.28 g/L and 25.6 g/L, respectively. These values were higher than 6.34, 4.24mS/cm, 2.22 g/L and 22.87g/L obtained for the raw POME sample, respectively. The kinetic studies of the degradation of POME, based on the concentration of the biosolids, were also investigated. The kinetic studies show that the degradation of the raw POME sample best fits the zero order kinetic model (R2 = 0.96), while the degradation of the autoclaved POME sample best fits the first order kinetic model (R2 = 0.83). However, the digested POME may require further treatment in order to meet standard suitable for discharge into the water body

Optimization and Isothermal Studies of Antibiotics Mixture Biosorption From Wastewater Using Palm Kernel, Chrysophyllum albidum, and Coconut Shells Biocomposite

The presence of persistent pharmaceutical products in water bodies is a significant problem that obstructs wastewater reuse. This study investigated the adsorption process for removing the recalcitrant antibiotics, including tetracycline (TC), ampicillin (AMP), and amoxicillin (AMOX) from an aqueous solution using a composite biosorbent made from a mixture of palm kernel shell (PKS), Chrysophyllum albidum (CAS), and coconut shell (CS). Simplex centroid design in the Design of Expert (12.0.1.0) was applied to optimize the percentage composition (20-55%) of the composite biosorbent precursor and to remove TC-AMP-AMOX mixtures from the aqueous solution in a batch study. The equilibrium data were fitted to 12 isotherm models and analyzed statistically. The maximum adsorption capacity of 9.12 mg/g, 8.66 mg/g, and 7.11 mg/g was achieved for TC, AMP, and AMOX, respectively, using the biocomposite biosorbent with an optimal mixture of 55% PKS, 20% CAS, and 25% CS. The adsorption behavior of TC, AMP, and AMOX was well-described by the Langmuir/Elovich isotherm (R2=1.000), Hill-DeBoer (R2=0.9953), and Freundlich/ Halsey (R2=0.9898) models, respectively. The obtained results showed that the biocomposite PKS-CAS-CS leverages the individual adsorptive capacity of each constituent to enhance the adsorption process. Moreover, the composite biosorbent demonstrated excellent potential for removing recalcitrant pharmaceuticals from wastewater effectively

Disinfection in Waste Water Treatment

© 2012 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. Despite the treatment processes that a typical wastewater is subjected to, microorganisms present in the wastewater are not effectively removed. These pathogenic organisms play important roles in the spread of waterborne diseases.Important treatment process employed to destroy or inactivate these pathogenic microorganisms is called disinfection. Disinfection is an important application under chemical treatment process ofwastewater, which includes the use of chemical agents, such as compounds of chlorine, and/or nonchemical agents, such as heat, UV light, radiation, and mechanical means

Application of semifluidized bed bioreactor as novel bioreactor system for the treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME)

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a high strength organic wastewater, which adversely affects aquatic life as well as human life directly or indirectly. This has attracted concern due to the rapid expansion of the oil palm industries in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, which currently contribute about 80% of the world palm oil. The conventional bioreactors such as pond digester, anaerobic filtration, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), up-flow anaerobic sludge fixed-film (UASFF), continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), anaerobic contact digestion and fluidized bed, used over the past decades are largely operated anaerobically. They have been reported to be less effective for the treatment of the increasing volume of POME as well as meeting the new stringent wastewater treatment standards. Therefore, treatment method such as aerobic under a continuous system is anticipated to be effective alternative to the defects observed in the previously employed bioreactors. The use of semifluidized bed bioreactor containing immobilized cells for the biodegradation of various high strength organic wastewater have been reported as highly efficient treatment method. Thus, to address the increasing environmental impact of POME in the producing nations, the application of semifluidized bed bioreactor as a novel technology in the palm oil industry will be of immense benefit, economically and environmentally