Thank you for Subscribing to Environmental Business Review Weekly Brief
Environmental Business Review | Wednesday, March 01, 2023
Microorganisms are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to remediate Chromium contamination.
FREMONT, CA: There is controversy surrounding heavy metal pollution in the current environmental situation, which is a global issue. A heavy metal such as chrome is widely used in industrial activities such as tanning leather, preserving wood, and finishing metal. Air, soil, building materials, household products, and even food contain chromium. Those industries that pollute the atmosphere and water bodies the most with chromium include tanneries, textiles, printing, and dyeing. Packaging and equipment used in food processing also contain chrome. The environmental toxicity of this heavy metal needs to be clearly understood and comprehensively assessed.
Industrial contaminants containing Cr(VI) can be remedied efficiently by combining biological and chemical techniques.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
Physical remediation: Adsorption, coagulation, and nanotechnology are the physical technologies that separate and transform harmful substances from the soil into non-toxic or less toxic ones. Adsorption through physical means is an effective technique, but the cost of the adsorbent restricts it. Chromium contamination increases the rate of physical adsorption, and generally, adsorption efficiency ranges from 80.00 percent to 99.00 percent for high concentrations.
Chemical reduction: Redox reactions are used in chemical reduction to convert harmful substances in soil and wastewater into non-toxic or less toxic ones. It is common to use oxidation-reduction reactions to convert Cr(VI) to Cr(III). For Cr(VI), the chemical reduction method has the advantage of low cost, short cycle time, and is generally not limited by pollutant concentrations. The reduction efficiency of Cr(VI) can reach 100.00 percent, and its tendency to cause secondary pollution limits its use. It is possible to combine this technology with bioremediation technology to compensate for the shortcomings of the long bioremediation cycle and reduce secondary pollution.
Bioreduction: The bioreduction process uses microorganisms, plants, and other organisms to remove contaminated Cr(VI). The bioreduction process is both environmentally friendly and economical, and this method can effectively remediate environments contaminated with heavy metals. Bioremediation has many advantages over traditional remediation techniques but has some drawbacks, such as being time-consuming, limited to moderately polluted sites, and susceptible to external environmental interference.
More in News