Application of Pistacia atlantica Leaves Powder as Natural Material To Remove Nitrate and Phosphate Ions From Domestic Wastewater by Characterization, Bio-removal, and Phytotoxicity Studies

Abstract

Application of Pistacia atlantica Leaves Powder as Natural Material To Remove Nitrate and Phosphate Ions From Domestic Wastewater by Characterization, Bio-removal, and Phytotoxicity StudiesObaida Alhajali1* , Adnan Ali-Nizam1 , Rasha Almostafa2 1Damascus University, Department of Plant Biology, Damascus, Syria.2International University for Science and Technology, Department of General and Analytical Chemistry, Syria. Abstract: Description of Pistacia leaves powder using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), specific surface area according to nitrogen adsorption (SBET) and methylene Blue (MB), and point of zero charge determination (pHpzc). A series of batch adsorption tests were conducted to study effect of various factors (plant powders dose, contact time, temperature, pH) on the percentage of nitrate and phosphate removal from domestic wastewater. The adsorption kinetics, regeneration ability test of plant powder, and phytotoxicity tests for treated water and spent powder on germination were studied. Results of SBET analysis showed that Pistacia leaves powders have a low surface area and microscopic pores, SEM images revealed rough surfaces with uneven cavities, EDX analysis showed that there are high percentages of carbon and oxygen, good percentages for nitrogen, and few percentages of potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur and chlorine, and FTIR analysis showed that there are more than five distinct absorption peaks. The maximum value of nitrate and phosphate removal was 76.47% and 52.20%, respectively, at powder dose of 2 g/L, temperature 25 °C, and pH 5, and the percentage of nitrate and phosphate removal increased with increasing contact time until equilibrium was reached after 120 min for nitrate and 180 min for phosphate, and It was found that adsorption of ions follows kinetics of reaction from pseudo-second-order model, and powders can be Regeneration and used for two successive cycles with a slight decrease in removal efficiency. Germination tests on Lepidium sativum indicate no phytotoxicity. That is, Pistacia leaves powder is one of the natural products that are effective in removing nitrate and phosphate from domestic wastewater.