Harmful Impacts of Heavy Metals and Utility of Biosorption Technique for Their Removal from Wastewater: A Review

2021-10-16T12:15:34+00:00

The increasing number of efluents discharged from the source of water (urban, industrial, agricultural etc.), is resulting in a higher concentration of heavy metals in the source. Heavy metals have a density of over 5g/cm3 to the metals. These are toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic and resistant in watery and non-aquatic environments and impact water and non-water bodies seriously by substituting the basic metals of the same function. The extraction from the wastewater can be done in numerous techniques for example using an ion replacement, membrane filtration, osmosis, etc. This study discusses the adverse effects of heavy metals on the human body, the benefits of biosorption over traditional approaches for removal of heavy metals, the different biosorbents used to extract heavy metals and concerning issues regarding its commercial use, offering a wider viewpoint for the diversity of biosorbents and utilization of biosorption technique. It is evident from the profound literature survey that pH, biosorbent particle size, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, presence of chelating ligands etc. are some factors that affect the rate and extent of biosorption.

Sustainable Practices Improving the University Campus: Feasibility of A Photovoltaic System

2021-05-05T13:13:40+00:00

This article aimed to discuss the principles of sustainability applied to the built environment, highlighting the importance of universities as replicators of these practices. To respond to a demand from the campus for more security in the energy supply, the work proposes the implementation of a solar photovoltaic energy system. For this, it carried out an economic viability analysis through bibliographic review activities, characterization of the study area, dimensioning of photovoltaic systems, budgets, cost analysis and payback calculation. The research evaluated the system’s implementation considering two energy demands, for the entire campus and for a smaller building. It was found that the CSL-UFSJ consumes, on average, 27,300.38 kWh, at a cost of US$ 2,736. Thus, an annual savings of US$ 32,833 is calculated. The cost estimate analyzes showed a value of US$ 139,784 for the implementation of the system. The return on investment time was calculated for 4.3 and 4.9 years considering simple and discounted Payback respectively.It is estimated that the consumption of the DECEB building is 13,187.1 kWh with a cost of US$ 1,322 per month, which results in an annual savings of US$ 15,860. The cost estimate analyzes showed a value of US$ 40.601 for the implementation of the system and values of 4.3 and 4.9 years were obtained as return on investment time considering the calculations for simple and discounted Payback, respectively. The research demonstrates that the implementation of the photovoltaic solar energy generation system is feasible for both cases analyzed.

Journal of Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and its Applications

Harmful Impacts of Heavy Metals and Utility of Biosorption Technique for Their Removal from Wastewater: A Review

Sustainable Practices Improving the University Campus: Feasibility of A Photovoltaic System