Phytoremediation: using plants as biopumps to improve degraded environments

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett Robinson ◽  
Steve Green ◽  
Tessa Mills ◽  
Brent Clothier ◽  
Marijn van der Velde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Plant Physiology ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Water ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Basic Plant ◽  
Potential Use

Plants pump large amounts of water, solutes, and organic matter as part of their normal physiological processes. This pumping action can be exploited to improve degraded environments by stabilising, removing, or breaking-down contaminants in the substrates. In addition, soil amendments such as fertilisers and microbes may also be added to enhance the efficacy of the operation. Basic plant physiology sets limits on the capacity of phytoremediation. However, combining this technology with the production of saleable products may render the extra time needed for clean-up relatively unimportant. Phytoremediation is still poorly developed, particularly the phytoextraction of heavy metals. Continual innovation will greatly expand the scope and efficacy of phytoremediation. The greatest potential use for this technology may be in developing countries that have the highest levels of environmental degradation, and scant funds for remediation. Phytoremediation could provide a low-cost and sustainable way to improve local economies. Here a case study is reported on the phytoremediation of a 3.6 ha sawdust pile that was leaching unacceptable amounts of boron (B) into local waterways. High water-use poplars were used to control leaching and potentially remove B from the site via phytoextraction. Selected trees that are coppiced before leaf-fall could be mulched and used to provide 'organic' B on nearby orchards that are deficient in this element.

Potential use of waste from tree pruning and recovered plastic to obtain a building material: Case study of Merida, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (11) ◽  
pp. 1222-1230
Author(s):  
Ricardo Herbé Cruz-Estrada ◽  
Javier Guillén-Mallette ◽  
Carlos Vidal Cupul-Manzano ◽  
Josué Iván Balam-Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Building Material ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Plastic Composite ◽  
Trees And Shrubs ◽  
Tree Pruning ◽  
Potential Use ◽  
Better Than

This work presents a study on the use of wood and plastic wastes generated in abundance in Merida, Mexico, to help to reduce them in order to mitigate environmental deterioration. The use of these wastes is proposed to obtain a low-cost building material. So, the escalation process (i.e., extrusion) at the pilot level to obtain a prototype of a wood–plastic composite (WPC) corrugated sheet to evaluate the technical feasibility to make a low-cost product is reported. A corrugated sheet with recycled high-density polyethylene (R-HDPE) was produced. The R-HDPE was collected from Merida’s Separation Plant. The wood came from the trimmings of different varieties of trees and shrubs that are periodically pruned. WPC sheets with virgin HDPE were prepared to assess its effect on the materials’ mechanical performance. The wood/HDPE weight ratio was 40/60. The performance of the WPC sheets was compared with that of commercial products with similar characteristics, namely acrylic and polyester sheets reinforced with fibreglass, and black asphalt-saturated cardboard sheets. Thus, the effect of natural weathering on the maximum tensile tearing force and on the maximum flexural load of the different types of sheets was evaluated. Although the mechanical performance of the WPC sheets was lower than that of the acrylic and polyacrylic sheets, their performance was much better than that of the cheap black asphalt-saturated cardboard sheets. So, they are a good option to be used as low-cost temporary roofing.

scholarly journals TEMPO-Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers: A Potential Bio-Based Superabsorbent for Diaper Production

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefina Patiño-Masó ◽  
Ferran Serra-Parareda ◽  
Quim Tarrés ◽  
Pere Mutjé ◽  
F. Xavier Espinach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cellulose Nanofibers ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Swelling Capacity ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Potential Use

Single-use plastics are expected to disappear, mainly due to the rise of stricter regulations to combat their impact on the environment. As an example, the recent European Directive on Single-Use-Plastics (SUP) will be implemented between 2021 and 2024 and will directly prohibit the use of some SUP. Baby diapers are one of the most used single-used products in our daily lives, and it is estimated that most of the ~4000 diapers that each baby uses in their life go to landfill. Such diapers usually contain superabsorbent polymers (SAP) that are based on acrylic acid-acrylamide mixtures with high water retention capacity, but they are neither bio-based nor biodegradable. In this work, we have developed bio-based superabsorbent aerogels made of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and propose their potential use in baby diapers. TEMPO-oxidized CNF at different oxidation degrees were prepared and tested. The obtained CNF exhibited higher free swelling capacity (FSC) than the commercial fluff pulp (ranging from 117.62% to 245.21% higher) and also than the diaper absorbent, except for CNF-5 (ranging from 31.56% to 54.55%), even under compression. Overall, the present work shows a case study where CNF could have a potential application with market opportunities.

Simple mass balance approach for assessment of flood control sumps in an urban watershed: case study of heavy metal loading

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 87-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Smith ◽  
R. J. Abumaizar ◽  
A. H. Halff ◽  
W. E. Skipwith
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
Urban Watershed ◽  
Total Runoff ◽  
Balance Approach ◽  
Mass Balance Approach

Levee sump systems are used by many riverine communities for temporary storage of urban wet weather flows. The complex hydraulics and transport of stormwater pollutants in sump systems, however, have not been systematically studied. The objective of this work is to present a case study, utilizing a relatively simple and low-cost methodology, for assessing the hydraulic performance of flood control sumps in an urban watershed. Two sumps of highly variable physical and hydraulic characteristics were selected for analysis. HEC-1 software was used to estimate the flow hydrograph for each outfall to a sump as part of the overall flow balance, resulting in a total runoff hydrograph for a precipitation event. To validate HEC-1 results, a water balance was used to estimate the total runoff using sump operational data. The results suggest that HEC-1 calculation provide a satisfactory estimate of the total runoff and its time-distribution to the sump. The hydraulic model was then used to estimate nonpoint loads of selected heavy metals to the sump and to the river. Although flow of stormwater through a sump system is regulated solely by flood-control requirements, these sumps may function as sedimentation basins that provide purification of stormwater. An example calculation of removal of heavy metals in a sump using a mass balance approach is presented.

Parameters Affecting Dye Adsorption - Using Graphene Coated Sand (GSC)

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seroor Atalah Khaleefa Alia ◽  
Dr. Mohammed Ibrahimb ◽  
Hussein Ali Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Contact Time ◽  
Organic Dyes ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Dye Adsorption ◽  
Contaminated Water ◽  
Maximum Adsorption Capacity ◽  
Engineering Designs ◽  
Heavy Metals Ions ◽  
Coated Sand

Adsorption is most commonly applied process for the removal of pollutants such as dyes and heavy metals ions from wastewater. The present work talks about preparing graphenic material attached sand grains called graphene sand composite (GSC) by using ordinary sugar as a carbon source. Physical morphology and chemical composition of GSC was examined by using (FTIR, SEM, EDAX and XRD). Efficiency of GSC in the adsorption of organic dyes from water was investigated using reactive green dye with different parameters such as (ph, temperature, contact time and dose). Adsorption isotherm was also studied and the results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of dye is 28.98 mg/g. This fast, low-cost process can be used to manufacture commercial filters to treat contaminated water using appropriate engineering designs.

Study of the Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption on titania

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-247
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Ionic Strength ◽  
Toxic Metals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Lateral Interaction ◽  
Tio2 Surface ◽  
High Toxicity ◽  
Removal Of Heavy Metals ◽  
Solution Parameters ◽  
Kinetics Of

The removal of heavy metals from wastewaters is a matter of paramount importance due to the fact that their high toxicity causes major environmental pollution problems. One of the most efficient, applicable and low cost methods for the removal of toxic metals from aqueous solutions is that of their adsorption on an inorganic adsorbent. In order to achieve high efficiency, it is important to understand the influence of the solution parameters on the extent of the adsorption, as well as the kinetics of the adsorption. In the present work, the adsorption of Cu(II) species onto TiO2 surface was studied. It was found that the adsorption is a rapid process and it is not affected by the value of ionic strength. In addition, it was found that by increasing the pH, the adsorbed amount of Cu2+ ions and the value of the adsorption constant increase, whereas the value of the lateral interaction energy decreases.

Low Temperature Fault Isolation Using Soft Defect Localization

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristopher D. Staller
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Fault Isolation ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Cold Temperature ◽  
Multiple Point ◽  
Defect Localization ◽  
Low Levels

Abstract Cold temperature failures are often difficult to resolve, especially those at extreme low levels (< -40°C). Momentary application of chill spray can confirm the failure mode, but is impractical during photoemission microscopy (PEM), laser scanning microscopy (LSM), and multiple point microprobing. This paper will examine relatively low-cost cold temperature systems that can hold samples at steady state extreme low temperatures and describe a case study where a cold temperature stage was combined with LSM soft defect localization (SDL) to rapidly identify the cause of a complex cold temperature failure mechanism.

Treadle pump: A low cost irrigation option for marginal farmers

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
ATIQUR RAHMAN ◽  
ASHUTOSH UPADHYAYA ◽  
BP BHATT
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Productivity ◽  
High Water ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Human Power ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Supplementary Irrigation ◽  
Land Holdings

The population of marginal farmers in India is bound to increase due to continued division of farm holdings. Characteristically, marginal farmers are having more family labours but the production and productivity of their land holdings is low. The foremost reason behind this is the erratic rainfall and lack of assure supplementary irrigation during long dry spells. This paper presents the scope and applicability of a diaphragm based treadle pump in Bihar where groundwater is abundant and available at shallow depths round the year. Therefore, this pump could be very useful for marginal farmers in improving production and productivity of their tiny piece of land, as it uses human power and can be operated by male and female of age group 32- 45 years and lifts water from a depth ranging from 0- 30 feet. The water saving technologies such as bucket kit drum kit etc. could be used with this pump to irrigate the crops with high water productivity.

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