BIOADSORPTION OF HEAVY METALS FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL EFFLUENTS, CONTAMINATED SOILS AND WATER BY FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL WASTE: A SHORT REVIEW

Abstract

Soil and water resources pollution by heavy metals, specially originated from anthropogenic sources, as a result of their toxicity ramification on human health, has been known as a major and serious environmental problem for last few decades. Particularly relevant is the problem of pharmaceutical wastewater, as this wastewater contains active pharmaceutical ingredients and a wide range of heavy metals. In the same time the food waste is commonly produced in all the steps of food life cycle, such as during agricultural production, industrial manufacturing, processing and distribution and even consumer-generated in the context of private households. Mostly they have high-value components such as phytochemicals, proteins, flavour compounds, polysaccharides, fibers, and which can be re-used as nutraceuticals and functional ingredients. The research aim is to study the potential of food and agricultural waste to remove heavy metals from contaminated water and soil. The study the potential of food and agricultural waste to remove heavy metals from contaminated water and soil was conducted on the basis of open scientific sources. Scientific sources were selected by keywords no later than 2003 or with high citation value. Bio-sorption is a relatively new process that has proven very promising for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Due to the higher affinity of the adsorbent for the adsorbate species, the latter is attracted and bound there by different mechanisms. The process continues till equilibrium is established between the amount of solid-bound adsorbate species and its portion remaining in the solution. The feasibility of using an adsorbent is based on the cost of the bio sorbent has to be optimum, as they often are made from abundant or waste material. Peel of citrus and pomegranate, vegetables peel, fruit pit shell, tea and herbal tea waste and agricultural waste mix demonstrate great potential as bio-adsorbent.