Photocatalytic Removal of Toxic Metals from Tannery Wastewater using Green Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles
Keywords:
Heavy metals, Photocatalysis, Physiochemical parameters, Tannery Wastewater, Zinc oxide nanoparticlesAbstract
Water is an important natural resource and is vital to all living
organisms. However, increased industrialization and
urbanization have led to water pollution. This research
aimed at removing some toxic metals from tannery
wastewater using already green synthesized zinc oxide
nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). The treatment method used was
photocatalytic degradation. The concentrations of Cr, Cu,
and Pb in the wastewater were found to be above the
standard recommended by WHO and the National
Environmental Standards Regulatory and Enforcement
Agency (NESREA) while those of Ni, Mn, and Co were within
the acceptable limit. The photocatalytic degradation using
the ZnO-NPs was effective in the treatment of the metals: Cr,
Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb as their concentration in the treated
tannery wastewater were significantly lower than that in the
untreated wastewater except for Mn. Based on the results,
photocatalytic degradation using green synthesized ZnO-NPs
has proven to be a viable method for the degradation of
tannery wastewater.
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