Effects Of Heavy Metals Essay

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INTRODUCTION Rapid industrialization has led to increased disposal of heavy metals into the environment and hence effluent treatment is one of the most important targets for industry. Heavy metals found in wastewater are harmful to environment and their effects on biological systems are very severe. Lead, mercury, zinc, aluminum, arsenic, nickel, chromium and cobalt are common metals present in the environment.Unlike organic pollutants, the majority of which are susceptible to biological degradation, heavy metal ions do not degrade into harmless end products [1]. These metals have been extensively studied and their effects on human health are regularly reviewed by international bodies such as the WHO. Heavy metals may enter the human body through food, water, air, or absorption through the skin when they come in contact with humans in agriculture and in manufacturing, pharmaceutical, industrial, or residential settings. Industrial exposure accounts for a common route of exposure for adults. Ingestion is the most common route of exposure in children[3].The heavy metals hazardous to humans include lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, copper, zinc, and chromium. Such metals are found naturally in the soil in trace amounts, which pose few…show more content…
Hence there is a strong need to reconsider our consumption patterns especially the concentration level and the way we use our water resources. Different alternatives for treating effluents are described in literature, including chemical precipitation, carbon adsorption, ion exchange and membrane separation process [2]. The search for new technologies to remove toxic metals from wastewaters has directed attention to biosorption especially using agro waste biomass, which is based on metal binding to various biological materials. Biosorption is a fast and reversible reaction of the heavy metals with

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