Low-cost and eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles using coconut (Cocos nucifera) oil cake extract and its antibacterial activity.

The present study reports the simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using coconut oil cake extract. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy peak at 3 keV confirmed the presence of silver. Transmission electron micrograph showed that nanoparticles are mostly circular with an average size of 10-70 nm. The results of the X-ray powder diffraction analysis (2θ = 46.2, 67.4 and 76.8) indicated the crystal nature of the AgNPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicates that proteins present in the oilcake extract could be responsible for the reduction of silver ions. The synthesized AgNPs (1-4 mm) reduced the growth rate of multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Aeromonas sp., Acinetobacter sp. and Citrobacter sp. isolated from livestock wastewater.

Assessment of zero-valent iron as a permeable reactive barrier for long-term removal of arsenic compounds from synthetic water.

Zero-valent iron (ZVI) has great potential to be used as a remediation material for the removal of a wide range of pollutants from groundwater. The present study assessed the potential of ZVI for arsenic remediation by investigating (i) the removal kinetics of arsenic by ZVI in a batch reactor and (ii) the longevity of ZVI to remove arsenic in a flow-through column system which mimics the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology. Results of the batch experiments showed an effective removal (99.5%) of arsenic compounds from the synthetic water samples. Based on our kinetic study, the arsenic removals are expected to occur in a timescale of less than a few hours in typical PRB treatment conditions using ZVI (e.g. [ZVI] > 20 g/L and [As] < 1 mg/L). The flow-through columns were continuously operated for 360 days at a flow rate of 2 mL/h. Samples were taken at regular intervals (90, 150, 230 and 360 days) and analysed for total arsenic concentration. The removal rates decreased by (45% in aerobic and 39% in anoxic) after 360 days of operation indicate that the regular replacement of the reactive material would be required for efficient removal of arsenic.

Assessment of heavy metals (Cd, Cr and Pb) in water, sediment and seaweed (Ulva lactuca) in the Pulicat Lake, South East India.

The concentrations of three heavy metals chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were examined in water, sediment and green algae (Ulva lactuca); collected from six different stations at Pulicat Lake, which receives effluents from industries located in North Chennai Coastal region. Concentrations of Cd (64.21 microg g(-1)) and Cr (28.51 microg g(-1)) were found to be high in sediment, whereas in green algae concentration of Pb (8.32 microg g(-1)) was higher than water and sediment samples. The relative abundance of these heavy metals in U. lactuca and sediment were found to be in the order Cd>Cr>Pb, whereas in water the ratio was found to be Cr>Pb>Cd. The seasonal variations in Cd and Pb followed a similar pattern in both seaweeds and sediments, but not in water samples. Spearman correlation coefficient study showed no significant correlation in the concentration of metals in U. lactuca, water and sediment samples.