Assessment and Removal of Heavy Metals and Other Ions from the Industrial Wastewater of Faisalabad, Pakistan

Abstract

The contamination of surface and groundwater is of major concern around the globe due to the fast industrialization and urbanization. The groundwater and water quality of rivers, Ravi and Chenab in Faisalabad, Pakistan are contaminated due to the industrial wastewater. The aim of this study was the assessment of the physiochemical contaminants of Faisalabad’s industrial wastewater area and the adsorptive removal of ions present in high concentrations following the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) for the municipal and industrial liquid effluents of Pakistan. One of the two samples was collected from a drain carrying wastewater from different industries and other from the outlet of a drain discharging wastewater into river Chenab. The analysis results obtained indicate that most of the contaminants were below the acceptable limit of industrial wastewater NEQS, Pakistan. However, contaminants like sulfate ions (714 mg/L), total dissolved solids (33,951–34,620 mg/L) and barium ions (11–15 mg/L) were found to be higher than the allowable level of NEQS for the municipal and industrial liquid effluents for Pakistan. A novel biosorbent synthesized indigenously from Monotheca buxifolia seeds was used for the removal of sulfate, barium and TDS from the wastewater effluent samples. This biosorbent successfully reduced the sulfate ion concentration in the wastewater sample from 714 to 420 mg/L at pH 6 in 1 h. Similarly, the concentration of TDS reduced to 33,951 from 6295 mg/L at pH 4, whereas barium ions were removed from 15 to 1 mg/L at pH 10 in 1 h. Treatment of wastewater through the synthesized biosorbent efficiently removed the high concentration ions and could potentially be applied to reduce the toxic effects of these contaminants on local public health.