Experimental use of plant based polymers as effective removal agents of solid and ionic contaminants from water

Document Type:Thesis

Subject Area:Other

Document 1

Contaminating such sources has a resultant health effects on the lives of both aquatic animals and human beings. Contaminated water has been found to cause diseases such as gastrointestinal illnesses in children resulting to adverse effects such as slow learning in kids, endocrine disruptions and other chronic illnesses such as cancer (Polasek, and Muti). These contaminants may include microorganisms such as noroviruses, coli and Giardia. Research has indicated that Coli is the main cause of stomach illnesses especially in young children. There is therefore an urgent need to ensure that drinking water has been purified and disinfected to eliminate any form of contaminants that might be harmful to human health. They are themselves not considered toxic. However, the greatest concern is their ability to produce acrylamide (Polasek, and Muti).

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These acrylamides can potentially be carcinogenic leading to cancerous effects on organs such as uterus, testes and the pituitary glands. In industries male workers have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer resulting from exposure to high amounts of acrylamides. Moreover, these acrylamides have been scientifically proven to be toxic to developmental growth especially in children (Polasek, and Muti). The most common is the chemical degradation of the polyacrylamides. These mainly occurs through activation of the acrylamides polymers by freely occurring radicals in the environment (Wang, and Li). Reactions between dissolved Fenton and oxygen form hydroxyl radicals that form a toxic reaction when they react with acrylamides. The objective of the study is to find more environmentally friendly ways of removing contaminants in water.

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The study involves use of more plant-based polymers to remove solid and ionic contaminants from water. The seeds are grinded and mucilage extracted to form the polymer. The entire process of water treatment and the removal of contaminants involves extraction of polymers, jar testing and ion chromatography processes Materials and methods Extraction of polymers Taking an example of okra seeds, the extraction process involves several procedures such as grinding the seeds, soaking the seeds for at least an overnight, extracting the mucilage and drying using the standard method. Grinding the seeds can be done using grinding machines that take less time and produce fine powder particles. However, in the absence of a grinding machine, a pestle and mortar can be used.

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The grinded seeds can further be passed through a # no. The process involves a series of steps starting from hydration of the polymer. The hydration process in necessary to prepare the polymer particles for the next phases of the jar test. Aggregation of the polymer occurs when particles that were dispensed in the hydration process cling to one another and spontaneously create irregular clusters of the polymer particles. After the aggregation process, the polymer undergoes the process of flocculation over a given time. The process involves formation of the cloudlike aggregations. Anion Standard Spectra Conclusion Results of the polymer extraction process indicated that the okra seeds could be used to make a plant-based polymer that can be used to remove contaminants from water.

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