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A rapidly growing problem for life on earth is contamination of fresh water which is addressed in this article. By taking a glimpse on the causes of contaminations, persistent organic pollutants, especially synthetic dyes got prominent role. Here, out of commonly used techniques, adsorption using plant wastes was chosen for phytofiltration of such dyes. A natural adsorbent from plant source was selected and processed with acid, characterized with FTIR and SEM and then checked the efficacy on cationic dye brilliant green. Phytofiltration of dye was done to check the effectivity of both untreated (OA) and acid treated (OA-AC) form of Acacia concinna biowaste. Results were obtained, evaluated and presented here, giving maximum adsorption capacities (Qm) of AC and OA-AC 95.24 and 909.09 mg.g−1, respectively following Langmuir, pseudo second order kinetics and spontaneous exothermic nature, indicating their suitability to adopt on larger scale wastewater treatment effectively using green technology. NOVELTY STATEMENT: In this work, Acacia concinna both in untreated and acid treated form is used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Brilliant green dye from waste water, as not reported earlier, which proves its novelty. The values of adsorption capacities of both the adsorbent types are compared with different natural and synthetic adsorbents reported earlier, this comparison elaborate the efficacy of AC to be used as adsorbent and consider it as one of the efficient adsorbent materials naturally available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is an agricultural country producing plenty of fruits, like: mango, banana, apple, peaches, grapes, plums, variety of citrus fruits including lemon, grapefruit, and oranges. So far the peels of most of the fruits are usually wasted and not properly utilized anywhere. In this work, the peels of banana and grapefruit are converted into biochar by slow pyrolysis under controlled supply of air and used for sequestering cyanide ions from aqueous medium after chemical modification with ZnCl2 and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The modified biochar was characterized by various instrumental techniques, like: SEM, FTIR, TGA, and CHNS. Different parameters, like: time, temperature, pH, and dose of adsorbent affecting the adsorption of cyanide ions, onto prepared biochar were optimized and to understand the adsorption phenomenon, kinetic and thermodynamic studies were performed. Concentration of cyanide ions was estimated by employing standard ion selective electrode system and it is found that Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate treated biochar of banana peels shown more adsorption capacity, i.e.,: 17.080 mg/g as compared to all samples. Present work revealed that the biochar produced from the fruit waste has sufficient potential to eliminate trace quantities of cyanide from water, especially after treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate. An industrial area in Asian and African countries where mining is done using traditional techniques is the major cause of cyanide toxicity in wastewater streams. So, here chemically fabricated biochar made by peels of banana and grape fruit is employed for removal of cyanide ion for controlling aquatic pollution using local resources in green way. Favorable results indicated the feasibility of this process, which is cost effective, convenient, ecofriendly, and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piroxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to relieve pain or inflammation due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Assay of piroxicam in pharmaceutical formulations can be performed by using a number of analytical techniques. This work estimates the drug in commercial samples using a novel method, Computational Image Scanning Densitometry (CISD). Micro-volumes of the aqueous solution of piroxicam were reacted with iron(III) sulfate solution under optimum conditions on a white Teflon well plate to form a pink-colored mononuclear complex. By using a smartphone, the picture of the colored complex in the well plate was taken and transferred to an attached computer. The overall optical density resulting from red, green, and blue (RGB) components from a specific area of the colored image was measured and digitalized with the help of custom-made software. A standard curve was prepared by plotting optical density against piroxicam concentration. The method was simple, fast, adequately precise, and accurate for the assay of the drug in commercial samples. The validity of the new method was checked by comparing the results with those obtained by a standard spectrophotometric method of Piroxicam estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics are considered as one of the most widespread environmental pollutants. The undertaken study presents an analysis of microplastics polymer in tea, powder milk and tea whitener in Wah Cantt Pakistan. Twenty-three samples of local and branded tea, powder milk and tea whitener were analyzed. Samples were examined via FTIR and SEM-EDX to detect presence of microplastics polymer. FTIR spectra of all samples revealed presence of various microplastic such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, nylon, along with other toxic contaminants such as chromium hydroxide, phosphorus, polyamide. Moreover, SEM images show irregular, rod shape, fragments, thread like structure which were commonly observed in microplastics. The EDX spectra have further authenticated SEM results as it has shown carbon dominant peaks which are common attributes of microplastics polymers. Comparatively, local samples are more contaminated compared to branded samples. The microplastics polymers found in tea ingredients are reportedly highly toxic and capable of damaging nervous system, immune system, hormonal imbalances and causing cancer. The study recommends that use of plastic should be minimized particularly for packaging of tea, powder milk and tea whitener. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The six most abundant ions present in seawater are chloride (Cl-), sodium (Na+), sulfate (SO42-), magnesium (Mg2+), calcium (Ca2+), and potassium (K+). By weight these ions make up almost 99 percent of the salinity of sea water. Removal of these ions or desalination makes the sea water useable. In the present work migration of these common and abundantly found ions in sea water has been studied when the water samples were subjected to directional freezing vertically as well as horizontally. Water samples collected from Arabian Sea were frozen in two partially insulated devices under different modes. The samples were placed in a freezer at different temperature conditions and all the six ions present in sea water were estimated in different fractions of ice extracted from various locations of frozen mass obtained after freezing. The fractions collected from the top of vertical device and from the periphery of the horizontal device were found to be completely decontaminated and free from the ions. Most of the ions were found concentrated at the bottom of the vertical device and in the center of horizontal device. The directional freezing method was found simple, inexpensive and free of chemicals method which can be effectively employed for the desalination of sea water particularly in the regions where cold energy is naturally available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cost effective and greener approach for water decontamination is the need of the time. Present work deals with the batch mode removal of anionic dye (Alizarin Red S) from water using biological materials Acacia nilotica leaves (KL), Terminalia arjuna nuts (AN) and Berri ptta capsule (BPC). Various parameters like pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, time were optimized to further conduct the isothermal, kinetics and thermodynamic studies. Isothermal studies revealed that qmax values were in the order. AN nuts (52.95 mg/g) > KL (42.546 mg/g) > BPC (40.60 mg/g) following pseudo second order kinetics model. The process of anionic dye removal is spontaneous and exothermic in nature. These biological materials proved very useful for water decontamination and therefore can be used on large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effluents from industries directly pollute water bodies as a result the drinking water sources are contaminated. In present study, removal of methylene blue from aqueous medium by using raw bengal gram husk (RBGH) and microwave assisted urea modified Bengal gram husk (UMBGH) was done. Effect of different parameters such as contact time, shaking speed, adsorbent dose, temperature, pH were studied. Mechanism of adsorption was revealed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin adsorption model. Experimental data followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm that is revealed from the R2 values and adsorption capacity (qmax) 7.915 mg g-1 and 111.178 mg g-1 for both RBGH and UMBGH, respectively. The value of "n" was 1.001 and 0.979 for RBGH and UMBGH which indicated that adsorption was favorable. BT value of RBGH and UMBGH was 5.784 and 4.093, respectively which revealed that adsorption was physical in nature. Present study proved that microwave assisted urea modification of Bengal gram husk greatly increased the removal efficiency of the adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alizarin Red S is an industrial dye commonly used for dyeing the fabric in textile industry. In present work the parameters to remove this dye from aqueous media by adsorption on raw as well as chemically modified chickpea husk have been investigated. Besides checking the effects of concerned parameters like time of contact, dose of adsorbent, pH, speed of agitation and temperature, for both raw and zinc modified chickpea husk were characterized for functional groups by FTIR spectroscopy. To investigate the adsorption mechanism, Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were plotted. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies were also performed to understand the nature of adsorption process. Chickpea husk proved itself as an effective and cheap bio-adsorbent, which is easily available in abundance at indigenous level. When treated with zinc chloride the removal efficiency of chickpea increased more than two folds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoride is an important parameter as far as water quality is concerned. In lower concentrations fluoride is beneficial for teeth and bones but at higher concentrations it causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. Present studies deal with the removal of fluoride from aqueous media using plant materials, clays and polymers in batch mode. Results showed that clays are more efficient in removing fluoride followed by polymers and then plant materials. Langmuir adsorption isotherm best explained the adsorption mechanism with higher correlation coefficient (R2) values in all the cases. Maximum removal of fluoride, 88.543mg/g, was attained in case of clays (GC). Kinetics study favored the pseudo second order kinetics. Thermodynamics parameters ΔG, ΔH and ΔS revealed that adsorption is spontaneous and exothermic in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles of three different biogenic materials Multani mitti (Fullers earth), Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seeds, Rice Husk (Oryza sativa) was carried out. The possible presence and variability of comprehensive biomolecules in these materials turned as capping and reducing agents which optimize the reduction rate and stabilization of silver nanoparticles. Characterizations were determined by using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Stable silver nanoparticles of average size 4.6, 41.1 and 10.6 nm were obtained for Multani mitti, tomato seeds and rice husk respectively. Phenolic and carboxylic biomolecules were identified as active reducing agents of Ag+2 to Ag0. The antimicrobial activity was carried out against Klebsiella pneumonia, Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coliand Staphylococcus aureus strains by using well diffusion method. Maximum zone of inhibition (ZOI) was found against Staphylococcus aureus by all of the three biogenic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption is an environmental friendly process for removal and/or recovery of heavy metals from wastewater. In recent years, it has been substantiated as a popular technique to treat industrial waste effluents, with significant advantages. In this work, batchwise removal of chromium (III) ions from water by Polyalthia longifolia leaves was studied as a function of adsorbent dose, pH, contact time, and agitation speed. Surface characteristics of the leaves were evaluated by recording IR spectra. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin adsorption isotherms were employed to explain the sorption process. It was found that one gram of leaves can remove 1.87 mg of trivalent chromium when working at pH 3.0. It has been concluded that Polyalthia longifolia leaves can be used as cost-effective and benign adsorbents for removal of Cr(III) ions from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new, simple, accurate, and economical methods to find out sulfide (S2-) at low levels (10-9 g) in aqueous samples have been proposed. The first method involved the generation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in a specially designed small cell by interacting sulfide solution with hydrochloric acid. The resulting H2S is passed through a filter paper pre-dipped in lead acetate solution that made dark brown lead sulfide spots on the paper. In the second method, micro-liter drops of sulfide solution are applied on silica gel TLC pre-moistened with the lead acetate solution that developed lead sulfide spots. The color densities of the spots were calculated by scanning the spotted paper and TLC and analyzing the image using a specially developed software. The TLC method was more effective at trace levels having a linear response in the range 5-100 ng in comparison to 100-900 ng of the H2S method. Statistical examination of the calibration line validated the pertinence of these methods for the analysis of reduced form of sulfur in aqueous samples, particularly when dealing with small sample volumes. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn this work, the biowaste of Musa paradisiaca (Banana) was used for removing contaminants from water by adsorption on a batch scale using Congo red (CR) dye as a test case. Although banana peel adsorbents have been the subject of much research for a range of applications, including the removal of colors from wastewater, our study differs from others in that we treated the banana peel adsorbent with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which significantly enhanced its performance when compared to untreated banana peel powder. By eliminating organic contaminants, discoloring the sample, inhibiting the growth of bacteria or fungi, and raising the quantity of active sites accessible for dye adsorption, the H2O2 treatment increases efficiency. The results indicated that optimal conditions for CR dye removal with physio-chemically processed Musa paradisiaca biowaste were: pH 3, adsorbent dose 0.4 g, temperature 30 °C, and contact time 25 min. Equilibrium data were evaluated with isothermal and kinetic models, indicating that the data followed second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.995 with a maximum dye removal of 8.577 mg/g. Furthermore, the study found that CR dye removal was physiochemical and exothermic process, as confirmed by the experimental data, with a ΔGo of −6.992 kJ/mol. The results of this study suggest that this fabricated material of Musa paradisiaca biowaste could be a potential alternative for large-scale Congo red dye elimination from industrial effluents. This is both a sustainable and cost-effective solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractAntibiotics, posing a major threat to life on earth and water causing propagation of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistant mutant genes. Traces of these antibiotic toxins are found both in aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystem. Various techniques, that is, ozonation, membrane filtration, Fenton process, etc., are applied for their removal but have many shortcomings, so adsorption is picked as efficient, simple and relatively safe removal technique. This review article discusses the classification of antibiotics, effect of their unnecessary application and removal methods of their remnants from water sources. Also, compares adsorptive removal of antibiotics remnant with other primitive and advance techniques, suggesting adsorption as one of the effective techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe use of biopolymers and synthetic adsorbents for wastewater treatment is gaining more importance due to their ease of preparation and nontoxic nature. This study focuses on developing a new biopolymeric composite using Polyaniline and a leafy mulch of mango plants (PANI/ML) and applied to remove an anionic dye, i.e.: Direct Red-28 from water on a lab scale. Samples were characterized by various spectrochemical methods, like FT-IR, UV–Vis, and SEM analysis, and then used for adsorption studies. Results indicated that PANI/ML nanomaterial removed 203.25 ± 0.57 mg/g of Direct Red-28 dye, following chemisorption and pseudo-2nd order kinetic model with inter-layer diffusion mode. Desorption studies indicated that it can be recycled three times effectively. So, this composite can be used for adsorptive bioremediation of synthetic anionic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe impregnation of titania causes to generate and activate more points on surface of bentonite which is usually slightly basic in nature. That helps in the removal of cationic impurities effectively. So, their composite (TBC) is prepared and used to remove brilliant green (BG) dye as a test case here in cost-effective and ecofriendly manner by green methodology. The surface modification was analyzed by FTIR and SEM/EDX. Adsorption parameters were investigated and found that 4.54 mg/g ± 0.73 S.D of dye was removed by this composite using optimized condition. In kinetic study, pseudo-second order model justified the data. Thermodynamic value is −10.33 kJ/mol ± 0.067 indicating its exothermic and spontaneous nature of process. Desorption of BG and regeneration of titania–bentonite composite with HCl helps in its recycling and affirms that these nanocomposites are prolific, high-yielding and resourceful material for dye removal during wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to be a major public health problem in Ethiopia. Previous studies have described risky sexual behavior and associated factors among HIV-positive people. These studies, however, did not use a model of unsafe sexual behavior that could address both subjective and objective factors of sexual activity, and there is no study that examines the distal aspects of risky sexual behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the risky sexual behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS using a model of unsafe sexual behavior., Methods: An institutional-based study was conducted from March to April 2022. The sample size was determined by using Sloven's formula. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Study participants were selected using systematic sampling method. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics and correlation tests were computed to analyze the data. The qualitative data was analyzed thematically., Results: This study included a total of 181 PLWHA clients. The average score for participants' perception regarding the facts of HIV/AIDS was 48.7% (95% CI: 38.9, 58.4). Three months prior to the study, 46.3% of study participants had engaged in at least one risky sexual activity (95% CI: 33.8, 65.4). The correlation model revealed a positive correlation between living in a rural area and risky sexual behavior ( p- value = 0.001). Furthermore, a poor perception of HIV risks was associated with risky sexual behavior ( p- value = 0.003). Economic issues, stigma and discrimination, and usage of substances were also identified as contributing factors to unsafe sexual activity in the qualitative data., Conclusions: A high proportion of PLWHA clients had engaged in at least one risky sexual activity in the 3 months prior to the study. It is not enough to be on ART; additional educational interventions that shape the sexual behavior of PLWHA clients must be considered., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Worede, Mekonnen, Aynalem and Amare.)