An efficient of Sansevieriatrifasciataplantas biosorbent for the treatment of metal contaminated industrial effluents

Sansevieriatrifasciata was studied as a potential biosorbent for chromium, copper and nickel removal in batch process from electroplating and tannery effluents. Different parameters influencing the biosorption process such as pH, contact time, and amount of biosorbent were optimized while using the 80 mm sized particles of the biosorbent. As high as 91.3 % Ni and 92.7 % Cu were removed at pH of 6 and 4.5 respectively, while optimum Cr removal of 91.34 % from electroplating and 94.6 % from tannery effluents was found at pH 6.0 and 4.0 respectively. Pseudo second order model was found to best fit the kinetic data for all the metals as evidenced by their greater R2 values. FTIR characterization of biosorbent revealed the presence of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups on its surface that were responsible for metal uptake. The data for Cr removal from both the effluents was best explained by Langmuir model, while data for Ni and Cu removal was best fitted to Freundlich isotherm. Moreover, 84% biosorbent was recovered on desorptio

Comparative evaluation of phytoremediation of metal contaminated soil of firing range by four different plant species

The phytoremediation potential of Helianthus annuus, Zea maize, Brassica campestris and Pisum sativum was studied for the soil of firing range contaminated with selected metals i.e. Cd, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr and Pb. The seedlings of the selected plants germinated in a mixture of sand and alluvial soil were transferred to the pots containing the soil of firing ranges and allowed to grow to the stage of reproductive growth. Subsequently they were harvested and then analyzed for selected metals by using AAS. Among the studied plants, P. sativum exhibited highest removal efficiency (i.e. 96.23%) and bioconcentration factor for Pb thereby evidencing it to be Pb hyperaccumulator from the soil of firing ranges. Z. maize appreciably reduced the levels of all the selected metals in the soil but the highest phytoextraction capacity was shown for Pb i.e. 66.36%, which was enhanced to approximately 74% on EDTA application. H. annuus represented the highest removal potential for Cd i.e. 56.03% which was further increased on EDTA application. Thus it proved to be an accumulator of Cd after EDTA application. It was therefore concluded that different plants possess different phytoremediation potentials under given set of conditions

Multivariate Analysis of Metal Levels in Paddy Soil, Rice Plants, and Rice Grains: A Case Study from Shakargarh, Pakistan

The present study aims at determining the relationship between trace metal levels in paddy soils, rice plants, and rice grains obtained from these plants. The levels of selected metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Cr) were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in the soil, rice plants, and rice grain samples collected from paddy fields. All the metals were present at enhanced levels in paddy soil. Among the selected metals, Fe, Ni, Cd, and Cr were predominantly associated with oxidizable fraction. The metals such as Cr, Ni, Co, and Fe were significantly positively correlated in soil and plants, but no such correlation was observed in soil-grain matrix evidencing that these metals have a soil-based origin in the plants, but they were not translocated to grains. The Pb content of soil was strongly positively correlated with plants as well as the grains. The principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used to depict the origin of enhanced metal levels in rice plants. Under the given field conditions, different metals possess different translocation behaviours from soil to roots to shoots to grains. There is a dire need to implement the strategies for wise and optimum use of agrochemicals

Reversible Diels-Alder and Michael Addition Reactions Enable the Facile Postsynthetic Modification of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Functionalization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is critical in exploring their structural and chemical diversity for numerous potential applications. Herein, we report multiple approaches for the tandem postsynthetic modification (PSM) of various MOFs derived from Zr(IV), Al(III), and Zn(II). Our current work is based on our efforts to develop a wide range of MOF platforms with a dynamic functional nature that can be chemically switched via thermally triggered reversible Diels-Alder (DA) and hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) ligations. Furan-tagged MOFs (furan-UiO-66-Zr) were conjugated with maleimide groups bearing dienophiles to prepare MOFs with a chemically switchable nature. As HDA pairs, phosphoryl dithioester-based moieties and cyclopentadiene (Cp)-grafted MOF (Cp-MIL-53-Al) were utilized to demonstrate the cleavage and rebonding of the linkages as a function of temperature. In addition to these strategies, the Michael addition reaction was also applied for the tandem PSM of IRMOF-3-Zn. Maleimide groups were postsynthetically introduced in the MOF lattice, which were further ligated with cysteine-based biomolecules via the thiol-maleimide Michael addition reaction. On the basis of the versatility of the herein presented chemistry, we expect that these approaches will help in designing a variety of sophisticated functional MOF materials addressing diverse applications. </p