scholarly journals Experimental study and parameters optimization of microalgae based heavy metals removal process using a hybrid response surface methodology-crow search algorithm

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Sultana ◽  
S. M. Zakir Hossain ◽  
M. Ezzudin Mohammed ◽  
M. F. Irfan ◽  
B. Haq ◽  
...  

Abstract This study investigates the use of microalgae as a biosorbent to eliminate heavy metals ions from wastewater. The Chlorella kessleri microalgae species was employed to biosorb heavy metals from synthetic wastewater specimens. FTIR, and SEM/XRD analyses were utilized to characterize the microalgal biomass (the adsorbent). The experiments were conducted with several process parameters, including initial solution pH, temperature, and microalgae biomass dose. In order to secure the best experimental conditions, the optimum parameters were estimated using an integrated response surface methodology (RSM), desirability function (DF), and crow search algorithm (CSA) modeling approach. A maximum lead(II) removal efficiency of 99.54% was identified by the RSM–DF platform with the following optimal set of parameters: pH of 6.34, temperature of 27.71 °C, and biomass dosage of 1.5 g L−1. The hybrid RSM–CSA approach provided a globally optimal solution that was similar to the results obtained by the RSM–DF approach. The consistency of the model-predicted optimum conditions was confirmed by conducting experiments under those conditions. It was found that the experimental removal efficiency (97.1%) under optimum conditions was very close (less than a 5% error) to the model-predicted value. The lead(II) biosorption process was better demonstrated by the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Finally, simultaneous removal of metals from wastewater samples containing a mixture of multiple heavy metals was investigated. The removal efficiency of each heavy metal was found to be in the following order: Pb(II) > Co(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II) > Cr(II).

2019 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Dolatabadi ◽  
Saeid Ahmadzadeh

Abstract Presence of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceutical products in aquatic environments has received high concern due to their undesirable effect on wildlife and human health. Current work deals with developing a treatment model based on the electro- Fenton (EF) process for efficient removal of metformin (MET) from an aqueous medium. The obtained experimental results revealed that over the reaction time of 10 min and solution pH of 3, the maximum removal efficiency of 98.57% is achieved where the value of MET initial concentration, current density, and H2O2 dosage is set at 10 mg.L−1, 6 mA.cm−2, and 250 μL.L−1, respectively, which is in satisfactory agreement with the predicted removal efficiency of 98.6% with the desirability of 0.99. The presence of radical scavengers throughout the mineralization of MET under the EF process revealed that the generation of •OH radicals, as the main oxidative species, controlled the degradation mechanism. The obtained kinetics data best fitted to the first order kinetic model with the rate constant of 0.4224 min−1 (R2 = 0.9940). The developed treatment process under response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for modeling the obtained experimental data and successfully applied for efficient removal of the MET contaminant from pharmaceutical wastewater as an adequate and cost-effective approach.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liwei He ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Ping Ning ◽  
Xiao Gong

This research presents the optimization of soil washing conditions in the removal of multiple heavy metals (Cu-Pb-Zn-Cd) under the using of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The optimum combination of washing parameters in a bench-scale soil washing experiments is determined by response surface methodology (RSM). Central composite design is applied after single factor experiment, EDTA concentration, solid-to-liquid ratio and washing time are evaluated variables for the removal processes, and the regression models of HMs are constructed. The results show that, EDTA concentration and solid-to-liquid ratio are significant factors for this process. Subsequently, 50% of Cu removal was set as the optimum target to optimize the combined conditions, through the building of multiple quadratic regression models, the optimal condition combination is determined that EDTA concentration is 0.0026 mol·L-1, solid-to-liquid ratio is 1:22, washing time is 3.89 h, the extraction rate of Pb, Zn, Cd is predicted to be 78%, 75% and 71%, respectively.


Author(s):  
R. Kanimozhi ◽  
D. Arvind Prasath ◽  
R. Dhandapani ◽  
Santhosh Sigamani

Microalgae is gaining popularity as a major ingredient in nutrition supplements. To mass cultivate, it is imperative to improve the biomass yield hence optimization of cultures conditions becomes paramount. In this work, an attempt has been made to optimize the microalgal production using response surface methodology (RSM) and validate further the optimized parameters. The optimum conditions for the cultivation of Chlorella sp. KPU016 under optimized nutrient conditions were pH 8.2, the light intensity of 3100 lx, glycerol 1.44 g.L-1 (under pre-set conditions of 12 h lighting, the temperature at 27±1°C. With these RSM-driven optimum conditions, the yield of microalgal biomass achieved was 282.50 mg.L-1. For larger-scale microalgal harvesting, the validated optimal conditions can be inferred as the best for enhanced microalgal production. The isolate was partially sequenced and submitted to the NCBI database and the GenBank accession number is MZ348364.


Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2707
Author(s):  
Najaa Syuhada Mohamad Thani ◽  
Rozidaini Mohd Ghazi ◽  
Ikarastika Rahayu Abdul Wahab ◽  
Mohamad Faiz Mohd Amin ◽  
Zulhazman Hamzah ◽  
...  

The contamination of water by heavy metals is a worldwide environmental problem. Phytoremediation and constructed wetlands have become increasingly popular as more sustainable and environmentally friendly techniques of removing heavy metals from the wastewater. This study, therefore, investigated the phytoremediation of nickel by Alocasia puber (A. puber) in a constructed wetlands (CW) microcosm. This study identified the optimum conditions for nickel (Ni) removal from wastewater using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD). Two operational variables were assessed: exposure time and initial Ni concentration. The optimum conditions for the maximum removal of Ni from water were an exposure time of 10 days and 99.76 mg/L initial Ni concentration. The results indicated that 95.6% removal was achieved under the optimized conditions, with a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.97) between the statistical model and the experimental data. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed anatomical changes in the A. puber samples due to Ni exposure, and transmission electron microscopy images revealed some internal damages in the A. puber, but visual Ni toxicity symptoms, such as necrosis and chlorosis, were not observed in the A. puber. This study demonstrated that A. puber planted in a constructed wetland microcosm was able to remediate wastewater contaminated with Ni.


Author(s):  
Joshua O. Ighalo ◽  
Lois T. Arowoyele ◽  
Samuel Ogunniyi ◽  
Comfort A. Adeyanju ◽  
Folasade M. Oladipo-Emmanuel ◽  
...  

Background: The presence of pollutants in polluted water is not singularized hence pollutant species are constantly in competition for active sites during the adsorption process. A key advantage of competitive adsorption studies is that it informs on the adsorbent performance in real water treatment applications. Objective: This study aims to investigate the competitive adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), Fe(II) and Zn(II) using elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) biochar and hybrid biochar from LDPE. Method: The produced biochar was characterised by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The effect of adsorption parameters, equilibrium isotherm modelling and parametric studies were conducted based on data from the batch adsorption experiments. Results: For both adsorbents, the removal efficiency was >99% over the domain of the entire investigation for dosage and contact time suggesting that they are very efficient for removing multiple heavy metals from aqueous media. It was observed that removal efficiency was optimal at 2 g/l dosage and contact time of 20 minutes for both adsorbent types. The Elovich isotherm and the pseudo-second order kinetic models were best-fit for the competitive adsorption process. Conclusion: The study was able to successfully reveal that biomass biochar from elephant grass and hybrid biochar from LDPE can be used as effective adsorbent material for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous media. This study bears a positive implication for environmental protection and solid waste management.


2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 776-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mijia Zhu ◽  
Jun Yao ◽  
Zhonghai Qin ◽  
Luning Lian ◽  
Chi Zhang

Wastewater produced from polymer flooding in oil production features high viscosity and chemical oxygen demand because of the residue of high-concentration polymer hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM). In this study, steel slag, a waste from steel manufacturing, was studied as a low-cost adsorbent for HPAM in wastewater. Optimisation of HPAM adsorption by steel slag was performed with a central composite design under response surface methodology (RSM). Results showed that the maximum removal efficiency of 89.31% was obtained at an adsorbent dosage of 105.2 g/L, contact time of 95.4 min and pH of 5.6. These data were strongly correlated with the experimental values of the RSM model. Single and interactive effect analysis showed that HPAM removal efficiency increased with increasing adsorbent dosage and contact time. Efficiency increased when pH was increased from 2.6 to 5.6 and subsequently decreased from 5.6 to 9.3. It was observed that removal efficiency significantly increased (from 0% to 86.1%) at the initial stage (from 0 min to 60 min) and increased gradually after 60 min with an adsorbent dosage of 105.2 g/L, pH of 5.6. The adsorption kinetics was well correlated with the pseudo-second-order equation. Removal of HPAM from the studied water samples indicated that steel slag can be utilised for the pre-treatment of polymer-flooding wastewater.


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 564-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceyhun Akarsu ◽  
Yasin Ozay ◽  
Nadir Dizge ◽  
H. Elif Gulsen ◽  
Hasan Ates ◽  
...  

Marine pollution has been considered an increasing problem because of the increase in sea transportation day by day. Therefore, a large volume of bilge water which contains petroleum, oil and hydrocarbons in high concentrations is generated from all types of ships. In this study, treatment of bilge water by electrocoagulation/electroflotation and nanofiltration integrated process is investigated as a function of voltage, time, and initial pH with aluminum electrode as both anode and cathode. Moreover, a commercial NF270 flat-sheet membrane was also used for further purification. Box–Behnken design combined with response surface methodology was used to study the response pattern and determine the optimum conditions for maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and minimum metal ion contents of bilge water. Three independent variables, namely voltage (5–15 V), initial pH (4.5–8.0) and time (30–90 min) were transformed to coded values. The COD removal percent, UV absorbance at 254 nm, pH value (after treatment), and concentration of metal ions (Ti, As, Cu, Cr, Zn, Sr, Mo) were obtained as responses. Analysis of variance results showed that all the models were significant except for Zn (P > 0.05), because the calculated F values for these models were less than the critical F value for the considered probability (P = 0.05). The obtained R2 and Radj2 values signified the correlation between the experimental data and predicted responses: except for the model of Zn concentration after treatment, the high R2 values showed the goodness of fit of the model. While the increase in the applied voltage showed negative effects, the increases in time and pH showed a positive effect on COD removal efficiency; also the most effective linear term was found as time. A positive sign of the interactive coefficients of the voltage–time and pH–time systems indicated synergistic effect on COD removal efficiency, whereas interaction between voltage and pH showed an antagonistic effect.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Schmitz Ongaratto ◽  
Luiz Antonio Viotto

Summary The aim of this work was to separately evaluate the effects of pectinase and cellulase on the viscosity of pitanga juice, and determine the optimum conditions for their use employing response surface methodology. The independent variables were pectinase concentration (0-2.0 mg.g–1) and cellulase concentration (0-1.0 mg.g–1), activity time (10-110 min) and incubation temperature (23.2-56.8 °C). The use of pectinase and cellulase reduced the viscosity by about 15% and 25%, respectively. The results showed that enzyme concentration was the most important factor followed by activity time, and for the application of cellulase the incubation temperature had a significant effect too. The regression models showed correlation coefficients (R2) near to 0.90. The pectinase application conditions that led to the lowest viscosity were: concentration of 1.7 mg.g–1, incubation temperature of 37.6 °C and incubation time of 80 minutes, while for cellulase the values were: concentration of 1.0 mg.g-1, temperature range of 25 °C to 35 °C and incubation time of 110 minutes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1805-1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Guangxu Qin ◽  
Jianbing Zhang ◽  
Yancheng Li ◽  
Qiang He ◽  
...  

The coping strategy of a CANON (completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite) reactor working at room temperature was investigated using response surface methodology. The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was taken as a dependent variable. The temperature (X), dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (Y), and influent nitrogen loading rate (Z) were taken as independent variables. Results showed that the relation of these three independent variables can be described by the TN removal efficiency expressed as −5.03 + 1.51X + 45.16Y + 30.13Z + 0.26XY + 1.84XZ − 0.04X2 − 9.06Y2 − 99.00Z2. The analysis of variance proved that the equation is applicable. The response surface demonstrated that the temperature significantly interacts with the DO concentration and influent N loading rate. A coping strategy for the CANON reactor working at room temperature is thus proposed: altering the DO concentration and the N loading rate to counterbalance the impact of low temperature. The verification test proved the strategy is viable. The TN removal efficiency was 91.3% when the reactor was operated under a temperature of 35.0 °C, a DO of 3.0 mg/L, and a N loading rate of 0.70 kgN/(m³ d). When the temperature dropped from 35.0 to 19.2 °C, the TN removal efficiency was kept at 88.7% by regulating the influent N loading rate from 0.7 kgN/(m³ d) to 0.35 kgN/(m³ d) and the DO concentration from 3.0 to 2.6 mg/L.


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