Arsenic removal from water using low-cost adsorbents: A comparative study

Inorganic arsenic removal from water using low-cost adsorbents is presented in this paper. Selective removal of As(III) and As(V) from water was performed with natural materials (zeolite, bentonite, sepiolite, pyrolusite and limonite) and industrial by-products (waste filter sand as a water treatment residual and blast furnace slag from steel production); all inexpensive and locally available. Kinetic and equilibrium studies were realized using batch system techniques under conditions that are likely to occur in real water treatment systems. The natural zeolite and the industrial by-products were found to be good and inexpensive sorbents for arsenic while bentonite and sepiolite clays showed little affinity towards arsenic. The highest maximum sorption capacities were obtained for natural zeolite, 4.07 mg As(V) g-1, and waste iron slag, 4.04 mg As(V) g-1

Pregled savremenih metoda za uklanjanje arsena iz vode

Inorganic arsenic removal from water using low-cost adsorbents is presented in this paper. Selective removal of As(III) and As(V) from water was performed with natural materials (zeolite, bentonite, sepiolite, pyrolusite and limonite) and industrial by-products (waste filter sand as a water treatment residual and blast furnace slag from steel production); all inexpensive and locally available. Kinetic and equilibrium studies were realized using batch system techniques under conditions that are likely to occur in real water treatment systems. The natural zeolite and the industrial by-products were found to be good and inexpensive sorbents for arsenic while bentonite and sepiolite clays showed little affinity towards arsenic. The highest maximum sorption capacities were obtained for natural zeolite, 4.07 mg As(V) g-1, and waste iron slag, 4.04 mg As(V) g-1.U ovom radu su prikazani rezultati ispitivanja efikasnosti prirodnih i otpadnih materijala za uklanjanje arsena iz vode. Efikasnost uklanjanja arsena, As(III,V) ispitana je u šaržnom sistemu. Kao sorbenti korišćeni su prirodni materijali (zeolit, bentonit, sepiolit, piroluzit i limonit) i otpadni materijali (otpadni filtarski pesak sa postrojenja za prečišćavanje voda i otpadna šljaka iz proizvodnje čelika). Ispitivanja su pokazala da otpadni materijali mogu efikasno ukloniti i As(III) i As(V) iz vode, ali da se efikasnost razlikuje i zavisi od valentnog stanja arsena, početne koncentracije i pH vrednosti vode. Eksperimenti na osnovu kojih su dobijene krive kinetike sorpcije i sorpcione izoterme su rađeni u uslovima kakvi vladaju u realnim sistemima za prečišćavanje vode. Prirodni zeolit o otpadni materijali su se pokazali kao relativno dobri materijali za uklanjanje arsena iz vode dok su bentonit, sepiolit, limonit i piroluzit pokazali slab afinitet prema arsenu. Najveći maksimalni sorpcioni kapacitet su pokazali prirodni zeolit (4,07 mgAs(V) g-1), i otpadna šljaka (4,04 mgAs(V) g-1)

The Rivers of Montenegro: From Conflicts to Science-Based Management

This concluding chapter briefly describes the main conclusions presented in the book The Rivers of Montenegro which has 12 chapters aimed at providing an extensive overview of the various hydrological and environmental aspects of the rivers and their basins in Montenegro. The book emphasizes the current gaps, recent advances, and future prospects of our knowledge of aquatic ecosystems in Montenegro which in the last decade has become the focus of ecological, social, and economic changes. This has led to an increase in potential conflicts over the management of water resources. Conflict between biodiversity conservation on the one hand and general human activity on the other is most commonly recognized in the public. However, recent emerging lessons from the development of small hydropower plants in Montenegro revealed that conflicts are much more complex and can severely affect both socioeconomic and ecological parameters.This book gives an ecologist’s perspective on these conflicts through a consensus approach that could expedite water resource protection taking into account the interests of all involved parties including the aims of governments and local communities, as well as environmental and flood control concerns.Pešić V, Paunović M, Kostianoy AG, editors. The Rivers of Montenegro. Cham: Springer; 2019. p. 287-301. (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry)

Impact of pollution on rivers in Montenegro: Ecotoxicological perspective

Montenegrin surface water and groundwater are important for the Balkan Peninsula since they are connected by the transboundary Dinaric Karst Aquifer System with the waters of additional five countries. The pollution from the surface water can rapidly infiltrate in aquifer and endanger this sensible ecosystem and the health of humans through drinking water supply. This chapter gives insights in the pressures of pollution on Montenegrin waters and in a limited literature data regarding freshwater ecotoxicological studies in Montenegro. Also, this chapter provides new ecotoxicological data obtained during survey in 2019, with a focus on the sites which are identified as hotspots of fecal pollution. The highest responses of biomarkers which indicate embryotoxic, genotoxic, and phytotoxic effects in zebrafish embryo test and in roots of Allium cepa were obtained at Ćehotina – downstream of Pljevlja. Similar results were detected at the site downstream Mojkovac at Tara, yet this site is affected by different type of pollution. Genotoxic endpoints in zebrafish stressed out sites on Morača and Lim rivers which are under pressures of fecal pollution. The data in this chapter provides an insight into current status obtained by the ex situ bioassays and indicates need for more comprehensive in situ assessment

Content of the potentially harmful elements in soil around the major coal-fired power plant in Serbia: relation to soil characteristics, evaluation of spatial distribution and source apportionment

The concentrations and spatial distribution of nine potentially harmful elements (PHEs), namely Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and their relation to soil properties were investigated in thirty soil profiles (0-50 cm depth) sampled around the largest Serbian coal-fired power plant (CFPP) "Nikola Tesla A." Soil properties were determined following standard procedures, and total contents of PHEs were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometer. Concentrations of Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were the highest in soil profiles sampled 1 km away from the CFPP, concentrations of Ni and Cu gradually increased up to 4 km, and the highest Cr concentrations were measured in samples taken 6 km away from the CFPP. The highest concentration of PHEs analyzed, except Mn, corresponded with predominant wind directions. Depth did not show significant impact on distribution of any PHEs investigated. Among soil properties, the total organic carbon showed the closest relationship with the PHEs. Data were processed by a principal component analysis which enabled distinguishing anthropogenic from natural influences on soil properties and PHE contents. Although the impact of CFPP operations is obvious, assets of principal component analysis did not allow clear distinction of CFPP's contribution from parent material in enrichment of PHE contents in the soil in the study area