Removal of metoprolol from aqueous solutions by the activated carbon prepared from pine cones

Background: Metoprolol (MTP) with its low biodegradability is one of the most dominant micropollutant in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the removal of metoprolol from aqueous solutions by the activated carbon prepared from pine cones. Methods: The pine cones were activated using thermal activation method. Characteristics of the adsorbent were determined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this study, the influent of different parameters such as pH, contact time, initial concentrations of metoprolol, adsorbent dose, temperature, adsorption isotherms, and kinetics were investigated. Results: The maximum removal efficiency of MTP (89.2%) was obtained at pH=8.5, adsorbent dose=1.5 g, contact time=60 min, and initial concentration=50 mg/L. By increasing the adsorbent dose, the removal efficiency also increased, but the adsorption capacity decreased, however, by increasing the initial concentration, the removal efficiency decreased, but the adsorption capacity increased. The isotherm experimental data for metoprolol was best fitted using the Langmuir model, and kinetic data were better described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic study indicated that the adsorption of MTP by the adsorbent was feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic. Conclusion: MTP removal by the activated carbon prepared from pine cones showed that this natural adsorbent is appropriate for removal of metoprolol from aqueous solutions regarding cost, efficiency, and production method. Keywords: Metoprolol, Adsorption, Pine cones, Isotherm, Kinetics, Thermodynamic

Evaluation of heavy metal concentrations in Rutilus frisii kutum on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea (northern Iran)

Background: Marine products, especially fish, play an increasingly significant role in human diets and health. This research evaluated the concentrations of cadmium, lead, chromium, and nickel in liver and muscle tissues of Rutilus frisii kutum along the Caspian Sea coasts of northern Iran. Methods: Thirty samples of fishes were taken from five stations (Astara, Rezvanshahr, Anazali, Ramsar, and Tonekabon) during fishing season. An ICP-OES spectrophotometer was used to determine concentrations of the studied metals. Data was analyzed by SPSS 19 using descriptive statistical index, t test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test; P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean concentrations of cadmium, lead, chromium and nickel in the livers were 0.06, 1.1, 2.1 and 1.5 µg/g respectively and in the muscles were 0.05, 0.8, 1.7 and 1.1 µg/g, respectively. In liver: cadmium= 0.01-0.13; lead= 0.3-2.7; chromium = 0.9-4.5; nickel = 0.1-2.8. In muscle: cadmium = 0.01-0.08; lead = 0.2- 1.5; chromium = 0.7-2.7; nickel = 0.5-1.5. Mean contents of these heavy metals were higher in the liver than in muscle. The order of heavy metal concentrations in the liver and muscle tissues were: Cr>Ni>Pb>Cd. The results showed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of these metals in liver and muscle tissues (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed between males and females. Conclusion: Based on calculations, the estimated permissible tolerable weekly intakes (PTWIs) of cadmium (0.042 and 0.567 mg) and lead (0.0021 and 0.027 mg) in this study are lower than the levels established by the World Health Organization (WHO) (0.455 mg for cadmium and 1.625 mg for lead)

Data of heavy metals in soil and groundwater at Kiwi gardens of Amlash in Guilan Province, Iran

Data on this paper describe the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in the surface soils and groundwater's of Kiwi gardens and its relation to chemical fertilizers in Amlash city, Guilan Province, in Iran. The results of this study showed that the average concentration of heavy metals in groundwater and soils of the studied areas was less than the national standards of Iran for irrigation water, Dutch MPA for soils (except Cu and Ni) and Canadian MAC for inorganic fertilizers. Considering that after fertilizing to soils used in gardening, the concentration of heavy metals in groundwater and soil can be increased significantly, so that chemical fertilizers can be considered as an effective factor in increasing the amount of heavy metals in water and soil. The results of this research can be used by who concern about water and soil quality related to fertilizing and also can be used by Rural Water and Wastewater Company and Ministry of Jahad Agriculture of Iran. Keywords: Heavy metals, Chemical fertilizer, Soil & groundwater pollution, Amlas

Survey and mapping of heavy metals in groundwater resources around the region of the Anzali International Wetland; a dataset

The purpose of this study is zoning and determining the concentration of heavy metals including Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), Lead (Pb), and Cadmium (Cd) in the groundwater resources of villages located around the Anzali International Wetland. The amount of heavy metals (As, Hg, Pb, and Cd) in the collected samples were determined by the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. The maximum concentrations of As, Hg, Pb and Cd were 0.216, 0.059, 0.090 and 0.006 mg/L, respectively. Keywords: Heavy metal, Groundwater, Anzali wetland, GI

Characterization, kinetic, thermodynamic and isotherm data for diclofenac removal from aqueous solution by activated carbon derived from pine tree

The usage of low cost material as adsorbent would be admirable from environmental point of view. Thus, herein, this data set present a simple method for providing an adsorbent from activated carbon derived from pine tree. The prepared adsorbent was applied to remove diclofenac from aqueous solution. The characterization data of the adsorbent was analyzed using FTIR method. The FTIR test results showed that adsorbent has a functional group that is useful in adsorption process. It was conducted in laboratory scale and the adsorption technique was batch technique. The information regarding isotherms of diclofenac adsorption were listed. The Langmuir isotherm was suitable for correlation of equilibrium data with correlation coefficient value of 0.999. Adsorption of diclofenac by adsorbent from activated carbon follows pseudo second order model with correlation coefficient value (R2) of 0.9997. The data implied that the maximum adsorption capacity of adsorbent to uptake diclofenac from aqueous solution was obtained 54.67 mg/g. The acquired data indicated that the adsorption of diclofenac by the adsorbent prepared from activated carbon derived from pine tree is a promising technique for treating diclofenac bearing wastewaters. Keywords: Adsorption, Diclofenac removal, Kinetic, Thermodynamic, Isotherm dat

Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction among the Faculty Members at Guilan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Job satisfaction plays a pivotal role in the performance of university faculty members. Identification of the factors influencing job satisfaction can be useful in advancing the educational and research objectives of the university. The aim of the present study was to analyze the factors influencing job satisfaction among the faculty members of Guilan University of medical sciences. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional research that was conducted in 2012. The statistical population of the research included 139 faculty members at faculties of Guilan University of Medical Sciences selected using stratified random sampling. The instrument of data collection was a questionnaire consisting of two sections; the first section contained 10 questions about demographic information and the second section comprised of 19 questions which was designed based on Herzberg's two-factor theory. The questionnaire was scored according to 5-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18 software and descriptive statistics indices of frequency, mean, standard deviation and Pearson correlation coefficient reported.Results: 66.2% of the faculty members were male, 62.6% were clinical faculty members and 37.4% basic sciences faculty members. The most important factors affecting the faculty members’ job satisfaction were job security (4.14±0.96), friendly relationship with colleagues (4.01±0.81), and technology and technical knowledge (3.99±0.87). The most important motivational factors influencing job satisfaction were interest in job (4.24+0.71), achievement (3.99±0.87) and equal opportunities for career promotion (3.95±0.99).Conclusion: stability and job satisfaction, creating friendly working environment, proper environmental conditions, professor’s welfare and providing spiritual and material incentives are factors that influence the professor’s job satisfaction

The concentration data of heavy metals in vegetables of Guilan province, Iran

Food safety is a major problem currently facing the world and food consumption has been identified as the major pathway for human exposure to hazardous pollutants such as heavy metals. These datasets include the concentration of heavy metals like Cd, Pb, Cu, Ba, Co and Sn in selected vegetables in Guilan province and estimate daily intake of metals. The results of this dataset showed that the average concentration of heavy metals including Cd, Pb, Cu, Ba, Co and Sn in total vegetables were 0.55, 1.098, 4.095, 5.98, 0.69, and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. The mint showed higher levels of Pb, Cu and Co contamination compared to other vegetables. The estimated daily intakes of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ba, Co and Sn for children were 0.311, 0.622, 2.320, 3.388, 0.391, 0.119 µg/day, whereas for adults were 0.182, 0.363, 1.357, 1.98, 0.228, 0.069 mg/kg, respectively. The present data highlights that both adults and children consuming vegetables ingest significant amount of these metals. Keywords: Vegetables, Heavy metals, Daily intak

The Bacteriological Quality of Drinking Water of Water Coolers Located in Some hospitals in Rasht

Objectives: Research background and objective: Having access to safe drinking water has an essential role in ensuring public health. Ignoring damages caused by failures in water distribution system leads to water contamination. This study intended to investigate the bacteriological quality of drinking water of water coolers in four hospitals of Razi, Heshmat, Al-Zahra and Aria in Rasht Township. Methods: In order to meet the objective of the study, 13 water coolers located in these hospitals were randomly selected. The values of total coliforms, heterotrophic bacteria, residual chlorine, pH, and turbidity were measured. The data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS.  Results: The findings showed a strong relationship existed between pH values of input and output water (R=0.55), but that for turbidity was insignificant (R=0.13) (p=0.42). In two cases, coliform bacteria were observed, too. The value of HPC in tested samples was less than 15 cfu/ml before entering and after leaving water coolers. Conclusion The results indicated absence of coliform bacteria. The reduction of residual chlorine after the water filtration system in water coolers indicated low-level of contamination in water coolers. Therefore, regular servicing and monitoring water coolers and their connections would ensure health of staff members, patients and all who enter hospitals

Phytoremediation of heavy metals (Ni, Cd, Pb) by Azolla filiculoides from aqueous solution: A dataset

In this article, the data of heavy metals phytoremediation efficiency were provided. The Azolla was collected from the lake around the Rasht city and washed in tap water, then weighed (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 g), and kept for 15 days in the 100 ml disposable container in the presence 5, 10 and 25 mg/L of lead, nickel and cadmium ions. The samples were stored in polyethylene containers for analysis of the metal concentration with ICP-OES. According to the results, removal efficiency was increased from 40% to 70% at 10 days along with the increasing of the biomass from 2.0 to 8.0 g. The removal efficiency of Ni (II), Cd (II), and Pb (II) were increased by increasing the contact time up to 10 days. The removal efficiency decreased by increasing of the metals concentration from 5 to 25 mg/L. The highest removal efficiency was observed at heavy metals concentrations of 5 mg/L and contact time of 10 days. Results showed that Azolla had a high potential for the removal of heavy metals from water resources and it can be used in phytoremediation of heavy metals in environmental refinement projects. Keywords: Phytoremediation, Azolla filiculoides, Aqueous solution, Heavy metal