Comparative Assessment of Pollution Status of Liquid Wastewater from Hair Dressing Saloon and Local Pharmaceutical Shops in Aduhanhan Community, Edo State (Published)
The pollution status of the pharmaceutical and salon wastewater within Aduhanhan Community, Edo State was comparatively evaluated. The wastewaters were collected from different pharmaceutical and salon shops which were then subjected to different standards laboratory procedures to evaluate the various quality parameters. Pharmaceutical wastewater average temperature was 30.05°C, pH 5.74, conductivity 183.69 mg/L, turbidity at 18.56 mg/L while salon wastewater recorded a lower temperature of 29.25°C, pH 5.50, conductivity 328.99 mg/L. The pharmaceutical TDS was 3848 mg/L, while salon had lower value of 1094 mg/L. Pharmaceutical wastewater recorded TSS value of 10.65 mg/L while 3.92 mg/L was observed for salon wastewater. The level of metal concentrations in the pharmaceutical wastewater was Fe (0.471 mg/L), Cd (0.13 mg/L), Pb (0.75 mg/L) against Fe (0.692 mg/L), Cd (0.087 mg/L) and Pb (0.518 mg/L). Salon wastewater contained higher amount of Mg and Ca than the pharmaceutical wastewater. Salon had COD value of 55.82 mg/L with BOD of 26.99 mg/L while pharmaceutical wastewater contained COD of 59.65 mg/L with BOD value of 25.54 mg/L. The nitrates, phosphates, and chlorides values in both the pharmaceutical and salon wastewater were below their respective threshold limits. Total bacterial count for pharmaceutical was 136,900 FU/mL while salon recoded 99,300 FU/mL, indicative of higher biological contamination in pharmaceutical wastewater. A strong positive correlation was found between temperature and total dissolved solids (TDS) (0.87), while conductivity and temperature had an almost perfect positive correlation (0.977). Conversely, a moderate negative correlation between pH and temperature (-0.45) suggested that as temperature rises, pH tends to decrease. Heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) showed a strong positive correlation (0.978), indicating they may originate from the same industrial sources. The analysis also revealed low correlations among some parameters, such as nitrates and phosphates (-0.15), suggesting they do not vary together significantly. In conclusion results indicated that pharmaceutical wastewater was more polluted both in terms of physicochemical parameters and microbial content compared to hair dressing salon wastewater. Both wastewater sources exceed permissible limits for certain parameters (Lead, Cadmium, TSS, COD, BOD), suggesting a need for treatment before discharge.
Keywords: Correlation, Parameter, pharmaceutical waste, salon, turbidity, wastewater
Investigation of the Mechanochemical Synthesis of Iron (III) Oxide Nanoparticles as a Potential Treatment Technology for Pharmaceutical Wastewaster Discharge (Published)
The synthesis, characterization and analysis of Fe2O3 nanoparticles and their efficiency in treating pharmaceutical wastewater were investigated. The Fe2O3 nanoparticles, produced through mechanochemical synthesis, had a rough surface texture with numerous small depressions and protrusions, increasing their adsorption capacity. EDX analysis identified 12 elements, with carbon and iron being the most prominent at 33. 83% and 25.74%, respectively. The particles varied in size from approximately 50 nm to 200 nm and displayed mostly spherical shapes, with some agglomeration that contributed to high surface area and attractive forces. FTIR Analysis identified various functional groups such as aldehydes, carboxylic acids, alkynes, benzene structures, amines, and alcohols groups. The Fe2O3 nanoparticles showed a high efficiency in decontaminating PAHs, with observed efficiency trend: Dibenzo(a,h)anthracene (99.60%) > Anthracene (99.12%) > Benzo(g,h,i)perylene (98.78%) > Pyrene (98.68%) > Phenanthrene (98.66%) > Acenaphthene (98.53%) > Fluoranthene (97.52%) > Benzo(a)pyrene (97.01%) > Acenaphthylene (94.92%) > Fluorene (90.69%) > Chrysene (84.96%) > Indeno(1,2,3)pyrene (82.56%) > Benzo(a)anthracene (73.22%) > Benzo(b)fluoranthene (64.66%) > Benzo(b)anthracene (39.84%) > Benzo(k)fluoranthene (31.80%). The untreated and treated wastewater recorded values of 426 mg/l and 108 mg/l respectively for COD, with a percentage removal efficiency of 75%. The trend in the percentage removal efficiencies of the Fe2O3 nanoparticles was Sulphates (96%), Cl (92%), COD (75%), DO (67%), and BOD (47%). However, there was an increase in nitrate levels after treatment, suggesting that Fe2O3 nanoparticle may not be suitable for treating pharmaceutical wastewater with high levels of Nitrates ions. The nanoparticle showed high capacity for treating pharmaceutical wastewater with high levels metals. The removal efficiency of Cu concentrations was 51%, while Ni recorded the least removal efficiency. The strength of the removal efficiency for the Fe2O3 nanoparticle was Cu > Zn > Cr > Pb > Ni. Initial characterization showed significant bacterial colonies, total bacterial count, and E. coli, which were greatly reduced after treatment with Fe2O3 nanoparticles. No evidence of coliform growth indicated no faecal contamination in the effluent. The research highlights the effectiveness of Fe2O3 nanoparticles in treating pharmaceutical wastewater by significantly reducing various contaminants and. improving the quality of the effluent
Keywords: Contaminants, Nanoparticle, mechanochemical, porous, synthesis, wastewater