The researchers at the School of Biochemical Engineering, IIT (BHU) have synthesized an eco-friendly and cost-effective adsorbent, which can remove toxic heavy metal ions such as hexavalent chromium from contaminated water and wastewater.
Dr. Vishal Mishra, associate professor, School of Biochemical Engineering and his student Veer Singh's study on how mosambi peels can help prevent cancer, has already been published in the international journal 'Separation Science and Technology'.
Mishra said that hexavalent chromium is responsible for several types of health problems in humans like cancers, liver and kidney disease and livermalfunctioning, and skin problems. "This is a new eco-friendly product, synthesized from the Citrus limetta (mosambi) peels biomass. This adsorbent is very effective for removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewater compared to other conventional methods and takes less time to separate hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution."
According to Veer Singh, this adsorbent can be easily separated from the aqueous medium after the metal removal process. The researchers have tested the hexavalent chromium removal capacity of this adsorbent in synthetic simulated wastewater and have got satisfactory results. The heavy metal removal efficiency of this adsorbent was also tested for other heavy metal ions, such as lead, copper and cadmium, and found emerging heavy metal removal efficiency this adsorbent.
Heavy metals have carcinogenic properties which cause cancerof all types. Explaining the procedure, he said, "We collect the mosambi peels, dry them, grind them into granules and then modify it with chitosan, a biopolymer. After this, the peels are put in water and they begin to separate the heavy metals."