Sea buckthorn leaves scrub toxic dyes and chromium from wastewater
Sharma R, Sharma A
Phytoremediation
Sea buckthorn grows wild across roadsides and hedgerows in temperate regions, and this research suggests its pruned or fallen leaves could clean industrial wastewater rather than going to compost.
Scientists tested whether leaves from sea buckthorn, a hardy shrub with orange berries, could soak up pollutants from water used in textile factories. They found the raw, untreated leaves absorbed significant amounts of two different fabric dyes plus a toxic form of chromium metal. The process worked best at a slightly acidic pH and reached its peak in under three hours, making it a practical, low-cost option for cleaning up contaminated water.
Key Findings
Sea buckthorn leaf biomass achieved maximum adsorption capacities of 78.74 mg/g for Methylene Blue, 45.45 mg/g for Congo Red dye, and 106.38 mg/g for hexavalent chromium Cr(VI).
Optimal removal occurred at pH 5-6 with a low adsorbent dose of 2 g/L, and equilibrium was reached within 120-180 minutes.
Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² > 0.99) and a Freundlich isotherm, indicating the leaf surface provides multiple heterogeneous binding sites for contaminants.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that dried leaves from sea buckthorn, a common shrubby plant, can pull harmful textile dyes and toxic chromium out of contaminated water with high efficiency and at low cost, no chemical treatment of the plant material required.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Plant-derived biosorbents for the removal of textile dyes and Cr(VI) using Hippophae rhamnoides raw biomass.
Environmental contamination by synthetic dyes and toxic heavy metals from textile effluents has emerged as a serious global concern. This study evaluates untreated Hippophae rhamnoides sea buckthor...
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