Studies on thiol functionalized aloevera fibre for water purification

Abstract

Water pollution is a serious issue worldwide. Industries discharge improperly treated wastewater into water bodies such as rivers, oceans, lakes and land. This improperly treated wastewater contaminates various sources such as ground water, surface water, etc. In general, observed contaminants are heavy metal ions, dust, sand, organic contaminants, etc. Heavy metal ions, namely cadmium and lead, are the most common toxic inorganic contaminants. Consumption of these heavy metal ions daily through drinking water causes serious health issues for humans. Nowadays, varieties of water purification systems are available to remove contaminants, salts, and ions, and every system needs pre-filters that decide the life of the main filter. The main polymeric filters are costly and damage or blockage of the pores of the main filter requires replacement. The pre- filters share the load of RO membranes and remove heavy metal ions, dust, sand, and organic substances. Hence, the two to three pre-filters are used in the line of RO systems. The pre-filters also can be developed economically by using various natural fibres and membranes. newlineIn general, pre-filters are made of synthetic fibres, which are non-biodegradable. A limited quantity of organic pollutants can be removed and heavy metal ions can be removed by pre-filters based on their specifications. However, the poor performance of pre-filters will affect the life of the membrane. Hence, in this research, an attempt has been made to develop a functionalized natural fibre filter to remove organic pollutants and heavy metal ions. The filter construction parameters are optimized by experimental design (Box-Behnken method). newlineIn this research work, the following works were carried out. The aloe vera fibre was extracted and physical, chemical, mechanical newline