Removal of organic pollutants from textile mill effluent using Azadirachta indica powder

Abstract

Due to stringent environmental regulations and increased awareness about the environment, effluent treatment has always been a key aspect of research. Textile industry is one of the oldest and technologically advanced complex industrial sectors employing variety of chemicals and large amount of fresh water consumption. These effluents contain substantial amount of organic pollutants and suspended impurities in varying compositions and hence cannot be discharged directly into the environment. The current research work focused on the utilization of Azadirachta Indica powder as a natural adsorbent for the effective removal of organic and suspended pollutants from textile mill effluent. A series of batch experimental studies were performed by varying the pH of textile mill effluent, stirring time, stirring speed and dosage of Azadirachta Indica powder. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), conductivity, and turbidity were estimated to study the performance of Azadirachta Indica powder in the removal of pollutants. The characterizations of Azadirachta Indica powder before and after treatment are performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The best processing conditions for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent was obtained at an effluent solution pH 4.0, stirring time 90 min, stirring speed 150 rpm with 1.0 g of Azadirachta Indica powder. The surface morphological structure of Azadirachta Indica powder after batch treatment using scanning electron microscopy indicated that the pollutants are accumulated in the form of clusters on the adsorbent surface. The FTIR spectral analysis indicates the chemical interaction between adsorbent powder and organic pollutants illustrate the characteristic peaks. The study demonstrates that the Azadirachta indica is a promising type of biomass for the effective removal of pollutants from textile mill effluent.