RESUMEN
Exposure to hazardous wastes, especially petroleum wastes hydrocarbon (PWHCs), can damage human health and biological diversity. A huge amount of petroleum waste along with persistent organic pollutants is being generated during exploration and processing of crude oil. The dumping of petroleum waste hydrocarbons in an open pit contaminates the soil which can cause severe threats to human health and agro-geo-environmental ecosystem. The current study aimed to evaluate the mode of occurrence, composition, environmental, and health impacts of petroleum waste by using recent literature. The extracted results show that oil emulsion contains 48% oil, suspension 23%, settled emulsion 42%, and sludge emulsion 36%. The study discusses the possible biological techniques for rehabilitation of petroleum waste-contaminated areas. Several physical and chemical techniques are available for remediation of petroleum waste, but they are either costly or environmentally not feasible. Whereas, biological remediation namely, Bioremediation (Biostimulation and Bioaugmentation), Phytoremediation (Phytodegradation, Rhizoremediation, Phytovolatilization, and Rhizo-filtration) is a cheap and environmentally friendly way to remove petroleum waste hydrocarbons from contaminated soil and water. Some important enzymes (i.e., peroxidase, nitrilase, nitroreductase, phosphatase) and plant species i.e., Acacia and Chloris species are prominent methods to remediate the PWHCs. The knowledge assembled in this review is expected to create new doors for researchers to develop more efficient techniques to control the harmful impacts of PWHCs on the environment and health.
RESUMEN
In this study, we developed a nanoparticle-based mesoporous composite that consisted of silicate-titanate nanotubes (STNTs) supported in hydrogel chitosan beads (STNTs-Ch beads) and was studied for Cd2+ adsorption. By using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy coupled to an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, we could determine that the hollow STNTs were highly dispersed in the walls of the hollow beads. The dispersion was attributed to the effect of pH when the composite was prepared and we observed a non-interaction between STNTs and chitosan. The adsorption studies of Cd2+ showed that the kinetic rate (k 2) increased 3-fold and that the diffusion rate (K d) increased 2-fold after the embedment. Moreover, the maximum capacity of adsorption of STNTs-Ch beads was 2.3 times higher than that of STNTs alone. The treatment of a synthetic Cd2+ solution and a real leachate in continuous mode showed two phases in which it was observed higher removed fractions of transition metal ions (Cd2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+) and the post-transition metal ion Pb2+, in comparison to the removed fractions of alkali and alkali-earth metal ions (Ca2+, K+, Mg2+). The composite was successfully reused four times when adsorbing Cd2+, saving three times the needed amounts of TiO2, SiO2 and chitosan for the production of the material. This composite was produced in a simple way and shows the potential for wastewater treatment.