International Journal of Mechanical and Production

Engineering Research and Development (IJMPERD)

ISSN (P): 2249-6890; ISSN (E): 2249-8001
Vol. 8, Special Issue 2, Nov 2018, 498-502
© TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

VIABILITY OF LOW COST ADSORBENTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF TOXIC

PESTICIDES IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATRICES - A REVIEW

B. GANGADHAR1, S.A. SHAHANAZ BEGUM 2 & G. RAMAKRISHNA NAIDU3

1
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental Sciences, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, A.P., India
2
Assistant Professor, Sreenivasa Institute of Technology and Management Studies, Chittoor, A.P. India
3
Professor Emeritus, 1Department of Environmental Sciences, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, A.P., India
ABSTRACT

In the present review article the use of low cost adsorbents derived from various materials and chemically modi-
fied adsorbents for the removal of toxic pesticides of various classes from environmental matrices has been reviewed.
Innumerable pesticides may appear as serious toxic pollutants in water sources, having detrimental impacts on various
life forms and even human health because of their toxicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity or causing aesthetic prob-
lems such as taste and odors. These toxic pesticides pollute various segments of environment and they can be removed in
aqueous media very effectively using different low-cost adsorbents and as well as chemically modified low cost adsorbents
derived from various sources. It is evident from the literature survey of recently published papers those low-cost adsor-

Original Article
bents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for pesticides. An attempt was made to formulate few low cost
adsorbents which are effectively used in the removal of toxic pesticides from aqueous media.

KEYWORDS: Toxic pesticides, low cost adsorbents, adsorption, Environmental Matrices.

INTRODUCTION

With the rapid expansion of the chemical manufacturing industry, environmental pollution events oc-
curred frequently during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Several dramatic accidents such as oil spills hap-
pened in the 1970s and now in 2018 made the perception of environmental deterioration flourish.During the past
two and half decades, great concern has arisen due to the presence of toxic pesticides in the environment and the
[1]
threat they pose to wildlife and mankind . Pesticides that are derived from various chemicals have contributed
greatly to the increased yields in agriculture by controlling pests and diseases and also toward checking the insect-
[2]
borne diseases (malaria, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis, etc.) in the human health sector . The world’s population
[3]
is alarmingly increasing at faster rates and the need to increase the world food production is well recognized .
The irregular use of various toxic pesticides has been leading to significant consequences not only in public health
but also in food quality, resulting in an impact load on the environment and hence the development of pest re-
sistance. Through overuse and misuse of these pesticides there is considerable waste, adding to the cost and con-
tributing to the adverse environmental and health consequences. Inappropriate application of pesticides affects the
whole ecosystem by entering the residues in the food chain and polluting the soil, air, ground, and surface water [4,
5]
.

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES

First of all pesticides mainly affect soil quality. Pesticides decrease biodiversity in the soil because they

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499 B. Gangadhar, S.A. Shahanaz Begum & G. Ramakrishna Naidu

do not just kill the intended pest; they often kill many of the other small organisms present in the ecological community.
When life in the soil is killed, the soil quality deteriorates and this has a knock-on effect upon the retention of water. This
is a problem for farmers particularly in times of drought. At such times, organic farms have been found to have yields 20-
40 per cent higher than conventional farms. Soil fertility is affected in other ways too. When pesticides kill off most of the
active soil organisms, the complex interactions which result in good fertility break down. Plants depend on millions of bac-
teria, fungi and other microorganisms to bring nutrients to their rootlets. When these cycles are disrupted plants become
more dependent upon exact doses of chemical fertilizers at regular intervals. Even so, the fantastically rich interactions in
healthy soil cannot be fully replicated by the farmer with chemicals. So the soil - and our nutrition - is compromised. We
get large but watery vegetables and fruits, which often lack taste and nutrients and may even contain pesticide residues

Pesticides have other adverse effects on the eco-system. The misuse of pesticides can cause valuable pollinators
such as bees and hover-flies to be killed and this in turn can severely affect food crops. Bees have been suffering a serious
decline in recent years for reasons which are not yet clear (but pesticides are thought to be implicated). Without bees, many
food crops would simply fail to grow; they pollinate the plants so that they can produce fruits and grains. There are fears
(and some evidences) that through natural selection; some pests may eventually become quite resistant to pesticides. Farm-
ers may then try to increasing amounts use of excessive pesticides, making the problem worse. Many pesticides contain
chemicals which are persistent soil contaminants. Their effects may last for many years.

Amphibians such as frogs are particularly vulnerable to concentrations of pesticides in their habitat. Atrazine, one
of the world's most popular weed killers, has been found to feminize frogs, leading to sterility in males. It is still in use in
the US, with about 80 million pounds being applied annually, but has been banned in the EU countries since 2004. It may
also affect male fertility in humans and is a known endocrine disruptor. This is a fairly typical example of pesticides and
pollution which results, affecting the lives of people and wildlife alike. Because of the profits to be made most companies
are slow to accept responsibility and the problem is hidden by the use of numerous trade names for the one chemical.

Pesticides also affect human health. Pesticides endanger workers during production, transportation or during and
after use. Bystanders may also be affected at times, for example walkers using public rights of way on adjacent land or
families whose homes are close by crop spraying activities. One of the main hazards of pesticide use is to farm workers
and gardeners. A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, discovered a 70 per cent increase in the
risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for people exposed to even low levels of pesticides. Children are particularly vul-
nerable to the toxic effects of pesticides. Studies have found higher rates of brain cancer, leukemia and birth defects in
[6]
children who suffered early exposure to pesticides. (National Resources Defense Council study) .

LITERATURE PERTAINING TO VARIOUS ADSORBENTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF TOXIC PES-

TICIDES
Agricultural Wastes as Adsorbents

In recent years, a new class of adsorbents and specifically lingo cellulosic materials has been investigated for the
removal of toxins: their attractiveness resulting from their availability, low cost, and biodegradability. Some previous stud-
ies reported their ability to quantitatively accumulate heavy metals and various organic compounds such as dyes and pesti-
[7-11]
cides . Accumulation of these pesticides on agricultural adsorbents is generally achieved through interactions with the
hydroxyl and carboxyl groups particularly abundant in polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicelluloses) and lignin, both of
which constitute about 90% of dry ligno cellulosic materials.

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Viability of Low Cost Adsorbents for the Removal of Toxic 500
Pesticides in Environmental Matrices - A Review

Industrial Wastes as Adsorbents

Development of low-cost adsorbents for pesticide retention is an important area of research in environmental sci-
ences. Industrial wastes such as sludge, fly ash, and carbon slurry are classified as low-cost materials because of their low
cost and local availability and can be used as adsorbents for pesticides removal. The fly ash, a solid waste from lignite
coal-fired thermal power stations, is a low-cost adsorbent and has shown significant adsorption capacity for organic pollu-
tants [12]. Few reports have highlighted the pesticide sorption potential of fly ash [13, 14]
and have recommended it for use in
the removal of pesticides from water and wastewater samples [15].

Carbonaceous Adsorbents

Generally, carbonaceous materials have a special place among the main adsorbents, as they are known, for a long
time to be capable of adsorbing various organic compounds. Activated carbon due to its high surface area and porosity is
very efficient in removing different varieties of pesticides from water and wastewater. It is a versatile material that can be
applied in many technological processes. A variety of activated carbon materials have been used, such as granular activated
[16,17] [18–20] [21,22] [23] [24]
carbon (GAC) , powdered activated carbon (PAC) , carbon cloth , carbon fibers , black carbon , acti-
[25] [26,27,28]
vated carbon composites , and commercial activated carbon (CAC) .The forms GAC and PAC are the most used
since they are considered very capable and effective materials for the adsorption of a variety of pesticides.

CONCLUSIONS

This review has attempted to bring the knowledge about the wide range of low cost adsorbents used for the re-
moval of toxic pesticides from environment where the reader can get the basic idea about the various materials used for the
removal of pesticides. There are many materials derived from agricultural and industrial wastes which can be used effec-
tively in the research studies. By using various wastes generated from agricultural and industrial sector as potential
biosorbents there is a chance to reduce the solid waste. Simple modification methods can produce better efficient
biosorbents which can be easily carried out and at the same time they are inexpensive. Generally the adsorption process is
influenced by a number of factors, such as pH, adsorbent dose and size, contact time, agitation speed, temperature, and
ionic strength of the aqueous solution. Percent adsorption increases with increasing adsorbent dose, contact time, and agita-
tion speed. However, favorable conditions may be varied for different adsorbents depending on their physic chemical char-
acteristics. The process of biosorption requires further investigation in the direction of modeling, regeneration of
biosorbents, and recovery of pesticides and immobilization of the waste material for enhanced efficiency and recovery. The
future research may focus on the effective utilization of all other materials derived from various sectors for the reduction of
wastes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dr. BGR is thankful to UGC for the award of Post-Doctoral Fellowship, File No. F./PDFSS-2014-15-SC-AND-
7541.

Ethical clearance - Not required

Source of funding- Self

Conflict of Interest - Viability of Low Cost Adsorbents

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501 B. Gangadhar, S.A. Shahanaz Begum & G. Ramakrishna Naidu

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