The document examines the ability of three aquatic plants - parrot feather, creeping primrose, and water mint - to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. All three plants were able to remove iron, zinc, copper, and mercury, with average removal efficiencies of 99.8%, 76.7%, 41.62%, and 33.9% respectively. The removal rates of zinc and copper were constant, while iron and mercury removal rates depended on initial concentrations. Parrot feather showed the greatest tolerance to toxicity, followed by water mint and creeping primrose, whose growth was significantly affected. The plants accumulated metals in the order of mercury, iron, copper, then zinc.
The present study intended to compare the efficiency of the wetland plants Phragmites australis (cav.)
Trin. ex Steudel and Cyperus papyrus L. for the accumulation of heavy metals. Maximum accumulation
of the heavy metals Pb (132.5-175 μg/g DW), Zn (97.5-100 μg/g DW) and Cr (80.5-90 μg/g DW) was
recorded in roots of the two wetland plants C. papyrus and P. australis, respectively. Cadmium showed
the lowest metal accumulation in the tissues of both plants (0.55-5.5 μg/g DW). C. papyrus roots
accumulated higher levels of most metals than those of P. australis. Heavy metals were shown to be not
only accumulated in roots of both plants but also were translocated to the shoots and accumulated in the
harvestable plant parts. The results showed variation in the levels of the heavy metals accumulated in the
different parts of C. papyrus and P. australis, in spite of being planted at the same site and subjected to
the same conditions. The potential use of Phragmites australis and Cyperus papyrus in phytoremediation
is also discussed.
Growth, gas exchanges and accumulation of inorganic matter of Populus nigra L...Innspub Net
Tunisia has made considerable efforts to solve major environmental problems. Reforestation of vast marginal
spaces with appropriate species, such as poplar, is one of the economic and environmental challenges (I-488). The fast-growingof this rupicolous species has a high specific versatility in its use. However, its need for water will limit their use in reforestation in areas where water resources are scarce. To cope with this situation, the use of unconventional water resources, including wastewater treatment, is a promising way to increase domestic
production of wood. Thus, the treated wastewater is valued as a source of unquestionable water, but also as a
source of nutrients. These plants were raised under non-binding for four months and divided into two lots
irrigated daily to field capacity with (i) potable water (control : T) and (ii) with treated waste water (TWW).
Biomass production, gas exchange and some mineral ions were measured during the experiment, in summer. Our results indicate that irrigation with treated wastewater has submitted a substantially marked effect resulting in an increase of gas exchange. Furthermore, after 60 days, the accumulation of certain metal ions (Cd, Pb and Ni) has resulted in a major malfunction on gas exchange.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
The International Journal of Engineering and Science (The IJES)theijes
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
The International Journal of Engineering and Science (The IJES)theijes
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
The present study intended to compare the efficiency of the wetland plants Phragmites australis (cav.)
Trin. ex Steudel and Cyperus papyrus L. for the accumulation of heavy metals. Maximum accumulation
of the heavy metals Pb (132.5-175 μg/g DW), Zn (97.5-100 μg/g DW) and Cr (80.5-90 μg/g DW) was
recorded in roots of the two wetland plants C. papyrus and P. australis, respectively. Cadmium showed
the lowest metal accumulation in the tissues of both plants (0.55-5.5 μg/g DW). C. papyrus roots
accumulated higher levels of most metals than those of P. australis. Heavy metals were shown to be not
only accumulated in roots of both plants but also were translocated to the shoots and accumulated in the
harvestable plant parts. The results showed variation in the levels of the heavy metals accumulated in the
different parts of C. papyrus and P. australis, in spite of being planted at the same site and subjected to
the same conditions. The potential use of Phragmites australis and Cyperus papyrus in phytoremediation
is also discussed.
Growth, gas exchanges and accumulation of inorganic matter of Populus nigra L...Innspub Net
Tunisia has made considerable efforts to solve major environmental problems. Reforestation of vast marginal
spaces with appropriate species, such as poplar, is one of the economic and environmental challenges (I-488). The fast-growingof this rupicolous species has a high specific versatility in its use. However, its need for water will limit their use in reforestation in areas where water resources are scarce. To cope with this situation, the use of unconventional water resources, including wastewater treatment, is a promising way to increase domestic
production of wood. Thus, the treated wastewater is valued as a source of unquestionable water, but also as a
source of nutrients. These plants were raised under non-binding for four months and divided into two lots
irrigated daily to field capacity with (i) potable water (control : T) and (ii) with treated waste water (TWW).
Biomass production, gas exchange and some mineral ions were measured during the experiment, in summer. Our results indicate that irrigation with treated wastewater has submitted a substantially marked effect resulting in an increase of gas exchange. Furthermore, after 60 days, the accumulation of certain metal ions (Cd, Pb and Ni) has resulted in a major malfunction on gas exchange.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
The International Journal of Engineering and Science (The IJES)theijes
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
The International Journal of Engineering and Science (The IJES)theijes
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
Removal of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) using fresh water algae (Utricula...Innspub Net
A study was conducted to check the efficiency of different fresh water algae for removing heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) from contaminated water. The three most abundant indigenous algal species namely Ulothrix tenuissima, Oscillatoria tenuis and Zygogonium ericetorum were collected from fresh water channels of Parachinar, Pakistan and brought to the laboratory of Soil and Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar Pakistan for proper identification. To check the efficiency for removing heavy metals artificial contaminated water was prepared and was inoculated with mix culture of above mentioned algae and incubated for 10 days. After incubation algal species were removed from water through centrifugation and was dried, digested and analyzed for heavy metals. The results showed that the concentration of all heavy metals was substantially reduced in the algal inoculated contaminated water. The analysis of algal biomass showed that considerable amount of metals and other elements were recovered in algae. Among the tested algal species, Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal Ni(99.40ug) and Cr(66.84ug) from contaminated water followed by Oscillatoria tenuis with 84ug(Ni) and 64.83ug(Cr) respectively. However Oscillatoria tenuis showed maximum removal of Cd(41.00ug) than the other algal species. Similarly Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal of Pb (451ug) followed by Ulothrix tenuissima where 441ug was recorded. Highest amount Cd, and Ni were recovered in Zygogonium ericetorum biomass while highest amount of Cr and Pb were recorded in the biomass of Oscillatoria tenuis. Finally it could be concluded that algae have efficiently removed heavy metals from contaminated water. Further research is needed to test other algal species for removal of heavy metal and other elements from the contaminated water.
Biological treatment of domestic wastewater using constructed wetlands is gaining acceptance worldwide
due to low cost and simple operation and maintenance. A treatment system (BIOWATSYST) was
established at Abo-Attwa Experimental Station, Ismailia, Egypt in 1998. The system consists of six
parallel short-deep treatment beds, three sterilization ponds and a disinfection pond. The beds were filled
with gravel and/or sand. Four beds were planted with Phragmites australis and two beds were planted
with Cyprus papyrus. The study evaluates the performance of the treatment beds for the removal of
nutrients and pathogens from primary treated domestic wastewater, with minimizing the length of the
treatment beds. Maximum removal efficiency was 76.3% for the biochemical oxygen demand, 83.9% for
chemical oxygen demand, 59.2% for total suspended solids, 58.6% for organic matter, and 22.1% for the
total nitrogen. Maximum removal efficiency was 82.6% for fecal coliforms, 79.8% for fecal enterococci,
and 87.4% for the coliphages. The results revealed that sand bed was the most effective treatment bed for
the removal of both nutrient and pathogenic bacteria from primary treated domestic wastewater.
Key words: Constructed wetland, Cyprus papyrus, Phragmites australis, physicochemical monitoring,
sewage, wastewater, biological management, treatment beds.
The Use Of Ecchornia crassipes To Remove Some Heavy Metals From Romi Stream: ...iosrjce
The study involved a laboratory experiment on the use of Ecchornia crassipes in the removal of
some heavy metals from a stream polluted by waste water from Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company.
Water sample was collected from Kaduna Refinery effluent point, Romi up and Romi down. The
Bioconcentration (BCF) and Biotranslocation (BTF) Factors of each metal were determined. The experinmental
study showed that Ecchornia crassipes is a suitable candidate for effective removal of heavy metals (Hg, Cd,
Mn, Ag, Pb, Zn) from Romi stream.
Monitoring of Selected Heavy Metals Uptake by Plant around Fagbohun Dumpsite,...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online
Wetlands mainly encompass any land which is saturated or covered with water for all or throughout the year and doesn’t fall under into grassland, cropland, or forest land (Zedler et al. 2). As in the case of any other ecosystem, the overall carbon IV oxide and methane flux are due to the balance between the release of carbon by decomposition and carbon absorption from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Both the rates of carbon absorption and decay losses are mainly influenced by nutrient, climate, water saturation, and oxygen availability (Inglett 1)
Nevertheless, aerobic conditions that are plenty in a large percentage of the upland ecosystems results to the releasing of carbon IV oxide (CO2) while methane (CH4) emissions remain prevalent in the anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, the establishment of the wetlands via flooding end up altering the pattern of the greenhouse gas production and emissions towards the greater CO2 emissions and CH4 emissions (Hong-Suk 13). Depending on the characteristics of the reservoir and the climate, both CH4 and CO2 can be released from the decaying of the submerged biomass as well as the general decomposition of the inundated of the dissolved organic materials and soil organic matter.
Evaluation of Cadmium tolerant Fungi in the dying Staff and their removal Pot...AI Publications
Cadmium tolerance and bioremediation capacity of seven isolates including Aspergilus versicolor, Aspergillus fumigatus, Paecilomyces sp.9, Paecilomyces sp.G, Terichoderma sp, Microsporum sp,Cladosporium sp were determined. Minimum inhibitory concentration values among 2,000-6,000 mg lˉ1proved great ability of isolated strains to survive in cadmium polluted environments. The most tolerant fungi, Aspergilus versicolor, showed tolerance index of 0.93 in 100 mg lˉ1 cadmium agar media. Fungal resistance against cadmium is depended directly on strain’s biological function. A. versicolor was found to bioaccumulation over 7.67mg of cadmium per 1 g of mycelium, followed by 6.546, 6.354, and 6.286, 6.134 by Paecilomyces sp, Aspergilus fumigatus, Microsporum sp and Terichoderma sp, respectively. It can be noted that tolerance of the strains appears to be independent from bioaccumulation capacity. Finally, the results indicated that A. versicolor could be a prospective candidate for bioremediation processes.
The Influence of Vermiculite on the Uptake of Silver Nanoparticles in a Terre...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil was investigated in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite, typical 2:1 clay. Two insect species, Acheta domesticus and Tenebrio molitor, and two plant species, Helianthus annuus and Sorghum vulgare, were exposed to silver nanoparticles in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. Silver nanoparticles were characterized using techniques including transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and powder X-ray diffraction. The levels of silver in test species exposed to silver nanoparticles were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. An increase in the cation exchange capacity of soil was observed with the increase in the concentration of vermiculite in soil. The results suggested a decrease in the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil by Acheta domesticus as a function of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. No apparent trend was observed in the remaining species. Both plant species were found to accumulate silver in their roots. The translocation of silver to stems and leaves was observed in the case of Helianthus annuus. Results from this study suggest that the presence of Vermiculite in soil could possibly decrease the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles.
06-04-2024 - NYC Tech Week - Discussion on Vector Databases, Unstructured Data and AI
Round table discussion of vector databases, unstructured data, ai, big data, real-time, robots and Milvus.
A lively discussion with NJ Gen AI Meetup Lead, Prasad and Procure.FYI's Co-Found
Removal of heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) using fresh water algae (Utricula...Innspub Net
A study was conducted to check the efficiency of different fresh water algae for removing heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Ni and Pb) from contaminated water. The three most abundant indigenous algal species namely Ulothrix tenuissima, Oscillatoria tenuis and Zygogonium ericetorum were collected from fresh water channels of Parachinar, Pakistan and brought to the laboratory of Soil and Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar Pakistan for proper identification. To check the efficiency for removing heavy metals artificial contaminated water was prepared and was inoculated with mix culture of above mentioned algae and incubated for 10 days. After incubation algal species were removed from water through centrifugation and was dried, digested and analyzed for heavy metals. The results showed that the concentration of all heavy metals was substantially reduced in the algal inoculated contaminated water. The analysis of algal biomass showed that considerable amount of metals and other elements were recovered in algae. Among the tested algal species, Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal Ni(99.40ug) and Cr(66.84ug) from contaminated water followed by Oscillatoria tenuis with 84ug(Ni) and 64.83ug(Cr) respectively. However Oscillatoria tenuis showed maximum removal of Cd(41.00ug) than the other algal species. Similarly Zygogonium ericetorum showed maximum removal of Pb (451ug) followed by Ulothrix tenuissima where 441ug was recorded. Highest amount Cd, and Ni were recovered in Zygogonium ericetorum biomass while highest amount of Cr and Pb were recorded in the biomass of Oscillatoria tenuis. Finally it could be concluded that algae have efficiently removed heavy metals from contaminated water. Further research is needed to test other algal species for removal of heavy metal and other elements from the contaminated water.
Biological treatment of domestic wastewater using constructed wetlands is gaining acceptance worldwide
due to low cost and simple operation and maintenance. A treatment system (BIOWATSYST) was
established at Abo-Attwa Experimental Station, Ismailia, Egypt in 1998. The system consists of six
parallel short-deep treatment beds, three sterilization ponds and a disinfection pond. The beds were filled
with gravel and/or sand. Four beds were planted with Phragmites australis and two beds were planted
with Cyprus papyrus. The study evaluates the performance of the treatment beds for the removal of
nutrients and pathogens from primary treated domestic wastewater, with minimizing the length of the
treatment beds. Maximum removal efficiency was 76.3% for the biochemical oxygen demand, 83.9% for
chemical oxygen demand, 59.2% for total suspended solids, 58.6% for organic matter, and 22.1% for the
total nitrogen. Maximum removal efficiency was 82.6% for fecal coliforms, 79.8% for fecal enterococci,
and 87.4% for the coliphages. The results revealed that sand bed was the most effective treatment bed for
the removal of both nutrient and pathogenic bacteria from primary treated domestic wastewater.
Key words: Constructed wetland, Cyprus papyrus, Phragmites australis, physicochemical monitoring,
sewage, wastewater, biological management, treatment beds.
The Use Of Ecchornia crassipes To Remove Some Heavy Metals From Romi Stream: ...iosrjce
The study involved a laboratory experiment on the use of Ecchornia crassipes in the removal of
some heavy metals from a stream polluted by waste water from Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company.
Water sample was collected from Kaduna Refinery effluent point, Romi up and Romi down. The
Bioconcentration (BCF) and Biotranslocation (BTF) Factors of each metal were determined. The experinmental
study showed that Ecchornia crassipes is a suitable candidate for effective removal of heavy metals (Hg, Cd,
Mn, Ag, Pb, Zn) from Romi stream.
Monitoring of Selected Heavy Metals Uptake by Plant around Fagbohun Dumpsite,...iosrjce
IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) multidisciplinary peer-reviewed Journal with reputable academics and experts as board member. IOSR-JESTFT is designed for the prompt publication of peer-reviewed articles in all areas of subject. The journal articles will be accessed freely online
Wetlands mainly encompass any land which is saturated or covered with water for all or throughout the year and doesn’t fall under into grassland, cropland, or forest land (Zedler et al. 2). As in the case of any other ecosystem, the overall carbon IV oxide and methane flux are due to the balance between the release of carbon by decomposition and carbon absorption from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Both the rates of carbon absorption and decay losses are mainly influenced by nutrient, climate, water saturation, and oxygen availability (Inglett 1)
Nevertheless, aerobic conditions that are plenty in a large percentage of the upland ecosystems results to the releasing of carbon IV oxide (CO2) while methane (CH4) emissions remain prevalent in the anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, the establishment of the wetlands via flooding end up altering the pattern of the greenhouse gas production and emissions towards the greater CO2 emissions and CH4 emissions (Hong-Suk 13). Depending on the characteristics of the reservoir and the climate, both CH4 and CO2 can be released from the decaying of the submerged biomass as well as the general decomposition of the inundated of the dissolved organic materials and soil organic matter.
Evaluation of Cadmium tolerant Fungi in the dying Staff and their removal Pot...AI Publications
Cadmium tolerance and bioremediation capacity of seven isolates including Aspergilus versicolor, Aspergillus fumigatus, Paecilomyces sp.9, Paecilomyces sp.G, Terichoderma sp, Microsporum sp,Cladosporium sp were determined. Minimum inhibitory concentration values among 2,000-6,000 mg lˉ1proved great ability of isolated strains to survive in cadmium polluted environments. The most tolerant fungi, Aspergilus versicolor, showed tolerance index of 0.93 in 100 mg lˉ1 cadmium agar media. Fungal resistance against cadmium is depended directly on strain’s biological function. A. versicolor was found to bioaccumulation over 7.67mg of cadmium per 1 g of mycelium, followed by 6.546, 6.354, and 6.286, 6.134 by Paecilomyces sp, Aspergilus fumigatus, Microsporum sp and Terichoderma sp, respectively. It can be noted that tolerance of the strains appears to be independent from bioaccumulation capacity. Finally, the results indicated that A. versicolor could be a prospective candidate for bioremediation processes.
The Influence of Vermiculite on the Uptake of Silver Nanoparticles in a Terre...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil was investigated in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite, typical 2:1 clay. Two insect species, Acheta domesticus and Tenebrio molitor, and two plant species, Helianthus annuus and Sorghum vulgare, were exposed to silver nanoparticles in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. Silver nanoparticles were characterized using techniques including transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and powder X-ray diffraction. The levels of silver in test species exposed to silver nanoparticles were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. An increase in the cation exchange capacity of soil was observed with the increase in the concentration of vermiculite in soil. The results suggested a decrease in the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil by Acheta domesticus as a function of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. No apparent trend was observed in the remaining species. Both plant species were found to accumulate silver in their roots. The translocation of silver to stems and leaves was observed in the case of Helianthus annuus. Results from this study suggest that the presence of Vermiculite in soil could possibly decrease the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles.
06-04-2024 - NYC Tech Week - Discussion on Vector Databases, Unstructured Data and AI
Round table discussion of vector databases, unstructured data, ai, big data, real-time, robots and Milvus.
A lively discussion with NJ Gen AI Meetup Lead, Prasad and Procure.FYI's Co-Found
The Building Blocks of QuestDB, a Time Series Databasejavier ramirez
Talk Delivered at Valencia Codes Meetup 2024-06.
Traditionally, databases have treated timestamps just as another data type. However, when performing real-time analytics, timestamps should be first class citizens and we need rich time semantics to get the most out of our data. We also need to deal with ever growing datasets while keeping performant, which is as fun as it sounds.
It is no wonder time-series databases are now more popular than ever before. Join me in this session to learn about the internal architecture and building blocks of QuestDB, an open source time-series database designed for speed. We will also review a history of some of the changes we have gone over the past two years to deal with late and unordered data, non-blocking writes, read-replicas, or faster batch ingestion.
Learn SQL from basic queries to Advance queriesmanishkhaire30
Dive into the world of data analysis with our comprehensive guide on mastering SQL! This presentation offers a practical approach to learning SQL, focusing on real-world applications and hands-on practice. Whether you're a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, this guide provides the tools you need to extract, analyze, and interpret data effectively.
Key Highlights:
Foundations of SQL: Understand the basics of SQL, including data retrieval, filtering, and aggregation.
Advanced Queries: Learn to craft complex queries to uncover deep insights from your data.
Data Trends and Patterns: Discover how to identify and interpret trends and patterns in your datasets.
Practical Examples: Follow step-by-step examples to apply SQL techniques in real-world scenarios.
Actionable Insights: Gain the skills to derive actionable insights that drive informed decision-making.
Join us on this journey to enhance your data analysis capabilities and unlock the full potential of SQL. Perfect for data enthusiasts, analysts, and anyone eager to harness the power of data!
#DataAnalysis #SQL #LearningSQL #DataInsights #DataScience #Analytics
06-04-2024 - NYC Tech Week - Discussion on Vector Databases, Unstructured Data and AI
Discussion on Vector Databases, Unstructured Data and AI
https://www.meetup.com/unstructured-data-meetup-new-york/
This meetup is for people working in unstructured data. Speakers will come present about related topics such as vector databases, LLMs, and managing data at scale. The intended audience of this group includes roles like machine learning engineers, data scientists, data engineers, software engineers, and PMs.This meetup was formerly Milvus Meetup, and is sponsored by Zilliz maintainers of Milvus.
Adjusting primitives for graph : SHORT REPORT / NOTESSubhajit Sahu
Graph algorithms, like PageRank Compressed Sparse Row (CSR) is an adjacency-list based graph representation that is
Multiply with different modes (map)
1. Performance of sequential execution based vs OpenMP based vector multiply.
2. Comparing various launch configs for CUDA based vector multiply.
Sum with different storage types (reduce)
1. Performance of vector element sum using float vs bfloat16 as the storage type.
Sum with different modes (reduce)
1. Performance of sequential execution based vs OpenMP based vector element sum.
2. Performance of memcpy vs in-place based CUDA based vector element sum.
3. Comparing various launch configs for CUDA based vector element sum (memcpy).
4. Comparing various launch configs for CUDA based vector element sum (in-place).
Sum with in-place strategies of CUDA mode (reduce)
1. Comparing various launch configs for CUDA based vector element sum (in-place).
Techniques to optimize the pagerank algorithm usually fall in two categories. One is to try reducing the work per iteration, and the other is to try reducing the number of iterations. These goals are often at odds with one another. Skipping computation on vertices which have already converged has the potential to save iteration time. Skipping in-identical vertices, with the same in-links, helps reduce duplicate computations and thus could help reduce iteration time. Road networks often have chains which can be short-circuited before pagerank computation to improve performance. Final ranks of chain nodes can be easily calculated. This could reduce both the iteration time, and the number of iterations. If a graph has no dangling nodes, pagerank of each strongly connected component can be computed in topological order. This could help reduce the iteration time, no. of iterations, and also enable multi-iteration concurrency in pagerank computation. The combination of all of the above methods is the STICD algorithm. [sticd] For dynamic graphs, unchanged components whose ranks are unaffected can be skipped altogether.
Adjusting OpenMP PageRank : SHORT REPORT / NOTESSubhajit Sahu
For massive graphs that fit in RAM, but not in GPU memory, it is possible to take
advantage of a shared memory system with multiple CPUs, each with multiple cores, to
accelerate pagerank computation. If the NUMA architecture of the system is properly taken
into account with good vertex partitioning, the speedup can be significant. To take steps in
this direction, experiments are conducted to implement pagerank in OpenMP using two
different approaches, uniform and hybrid. The uniform approach runs all primitives required
for pagerank in OpenMP mode (with multiple threads). On the other hand, the hybrid
approach runs certain primitives in sequential mode (i.e., sumAt, multiply).
Enhanced Enterprise Intelligence with your personal AI Data Copilot.pdfGetInData
Recently we have observed the rise of open-source Large Language Models (LLMs) that are community-driven or developed by the AI market leaders, such as Meta (Llama3), Databricks (DBRX) and Snowflake (Arctic). On the other hand, there is a growth in interest in specialized, carefully fine-tuned yet relatively small models that can efficiently assist programmers in day-to-day tasks. Finally, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures have gained a lot of traction as the preferred approach for LLMs context and prompt augmentation for building conversational SQL data copilots, code copilots and chatbots.
In this presentation, we will show how we built upon these three concepts a robust Data Copilot that can help to democratize access to company data assets and boost performance of everyone working with data platforms.
Why do we need yet another (open-source ) Copilot?
How can we build one?
Architecture and evaluation
Enhanced Enterprise Intelligence with your personal AI Data Copilot.pdf
Heavy metal detection.pdf
1. Phytoaccumulation of heavy metals by aquatic plants
M. Kamala
, A.E. Ghalya,*, N. Mahmouda
, R. Côtéb
a
Biological Engineering Department, Dalhousie University, P.O. Box 1000 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 2X4
b
School for Resources and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Received 8 November 2002; accepted 26 March 2003
Abstract
Three aquatic plants were examined for their ability to remove heavy metals from contaminated water: parrot feather (Myriophylhum
aquaticum), creeping primrose (Ludwigina palustris), and water mint (Mentha aquatic). The plants were obtained from a Solar Aquatic System
treating municipal wastewater. All the three plants were able to remove Fe, Zn, Cu, and Hg from the contaminated water. The average removal
efficiency for the three plant species was 99.8%, 76.7%, 41.62%, and 33.9% of Hg, Fe, Cu, and Zn, respectively. The removal rates of zinc and
copper were constant (0.48 mg/l/day for Zn and 0.11 mg/l/day for Cu), whereas those of iron and mercury were dependent on the concentration
of these elements in the contaminated water and ranged from 7.00 to 0.41 mg/l/day for Fe and 0.0787 to 0.0002 mg/l/day for Hg. Parrot feather
showed greater tolerance to toxicity followed by water mint and creeping primrose. The growth of creeping primrose was significantly affected
by heavy metal toxicity. The selectivity of heavy metals for the three plant species was the same (Hg>Fe>Cu>Zn). The mass balance preformed
on the system showed that about 60.45–82.61% of the zinc and 38.96–60.75% of the copper were removed by precipitation as zinc phosphate
and copper phosphate, respectively.
D 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Phytoremediation; Heavy metals; Parrot feather; Creeping primrose; Water mint
1. Introduction
Pollution of air, soil, and water with heavy metals is a
major environmental problem (Srivastava and Purnima,
1998). Metals cannot be easily degraded and the cleanup
usually requires their removal (Lasat, 2002). However, this
energy intensive approach can be prohibitively expensive.
Phytoremediation offers a cost-effective, nonintrusive, and
safe alternative to conventional cleanup techniques. Utilizing
the ability of certain tree, shrub, and grass species to remove,
degrade, or immobilize harmful chemicals can reduce risk
from contaminated soil, sludges, sediments, and ground
water through contaminant removal, degradation, or contain-
ment (Zavoda et al., 2001). With global heavy metal con-
tamination on the rise, plants that can process heavy metals
might provide efficient and ecologically sound approaches to
sequestration and removal (Rugh et al., 1996; Lytle et al.,
1998; Srivastava and Purnima, 1998; Lasat, 2002).
The heavy metal ions Cu2 +
, Zn2 +
, Mn2 +
, Fe2 +
, Ni2 +
, and
Co2 +
are essential micronutrients for plants, with Fe2 +
being
required in the highest concentrations (Kunze et al., 2001).
However, when present in excess, all these metals are toxic,
as are the nonessential metals Cd2 +
, Hg2 +
, and Pb2 +
. Each
plant species has different tolerance levels to the different
contaminants. Tilstone and Macnair (1997) defined heavy
metal tolerance as the ability of plants to survive concen-
trations of metals in their environment that are toxic to other
plants.
Metal uptake by plant has three patterns: (a) true exclu-
sion in which metals are restricted from entering the plant,
(b) shoot exclusion in which metals are accumulated in the
root but translocation to the shoot is restricted, and (c)
accumulation where metals are concentrated in the plant
parts. Hyperaccumulators can tolerate, uptake, and trans-
locate high levels of certain heavy metals that would be toxic
to most organisms. They are defined as plants whose leaves
may contain >100 mg/kg of Cd, >1000 mg/kg of Ni and Cu,
or >10,000 mg/kg of Zn and Mn (dry weight) when grown in
metal-rich medium (Zavoda et al., 2001). Accumulation and
particularly hyperaccumulation have attracted considerable
interest in recent years. Ebbs et al. (1997) stated that in order
0160-4120/$ - see front matter D 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(03)00091-6
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-902-494-6014; fax: +1-902-423-
2423.
E-mail address: Abdel.Ghaly@Dal.Ca (A.E. Ghaly).
www.elsevier.com/locate/envint
Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
2. to achieve a successful phytoremediation of soil polluted
with metals, a strategy of combining a rapid screening of
plant species possessing the ability to tolerate and accumu-
late heavy metals with agronomic practices that enhance
shoot biomass production and increase metal bioavailability
in the rhizosphere must be adapted.
The objectives of this study were (a) to assess the ability
of three aquatic plants (parrot feather, creeping primrose, and
water mint) to tolerate water contaminated with four heavy
metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, and Hg,), (b) to determine the heavy
metal selectivity for each plant, and (c) to examine the plant
ability to hydroponically treat water contaminated with
heavy metals.
2. Experimental apparatus
The experimental setup shown in Fig. 1 consists of
holding tanks, lighting systems, aeration system, and temper-
ature-monitoring system.
2.1. Holding tanks
Three boxes constructed from a 2.5-cm-thick plywood
material were used in this experiment, one box for each
plant. Each box (60 120 80 cm) was divided into two
compartments: one compartment was used as a control while
the other one received the contaminants. Each compartment
(60 60 80 cm) was filled with 55 l of water.
2.2. Lighting system
The light intensity (625 hlx/7200 cm2
) provided by the
artificial lighting system (Fig. 1b) was similar to that of
natural lighting required for aquatic plants. Each lighting unit
consisted of eight light bulbs (six 34 W cool white fluores-
cent bulbs and two Gro-lux 40 W bulbs). Each light bulb was
122 cm in length. The lighting system was placed on the top
of each box using wooden supports in such a way that it gave
a space of 60 cm clearance between the light bulbs and the
water surface in the box. This space was chosen to achieve a
good air circulation and provide the heat and light required
for plant growth.
2.3. Aeration system
Aquatic plants grown in closed systems require oxygen to
survive. Lack of oxygen causes root system to die as the
anaerobic conditions give rise to root fungal diseases. There-
fore, an aeration unit was installed in the bottom of each
compartment to provide oxygen for aquatic plants. The air
flows from the main laboratory supply to a manifold with six
outlets. Each outlet was connected to a pressure regulator
(Model 129121/510, ARO, Bryan, OH), which was con-
nected to the aerator located in each compartment. Each
aerator consisted of a main tube (26.5 cm long) with three
perforated stainless steel laterals (30 cm in length and 0.6 cm
in diameter) coming off it at right angles to the main. Tygon
tubing of 0.75 cm outside diameter was used to connect the
main air supply, manifold and aeration unit.
2.4. Temperature-monitoring system
The water and the ambient air temperature were moni-
tored during the experimental period. Six thermocouples
(TW1–TW6) were used to measure the water temperature,
one for each compartment. Three thermometers (TA1–TA3)
were used to measure the ambient air temperature above the
water surface in each wooden box. The thermocouples were
connected to a thermoelectric device (Multimite, Thermo-
electric, Brampton, Ontario) for temperature monitoring as
shown in Fig. 1.
3. Experimental procedures
3.1. Selected aquatic plants
Three aquatic plant species (Fig. 2) were used in the
present study: water mint (Mentha aquatic), parrot feather
(Myriophylhum aquaticum), and creeping primrose (Ludwi-
igina palustris). The water mint has a square stem and
opposite leaves. The stems can reach 60–80 cm high and
produce small flowers in late summer and can be grown from
root divisions or stem cuttings. The parrot feather is a
feathery aquatic plant with stem that can grow up to 30 cm
above the water surface. The short leaves grow tight whorls
and are shades of bright green. The plant reproduces by
fragments breaking from the parent plant. The creeping
primrose is a creeping aquatic weed that grows along shore-
lines in shallow water. Its leaves are arranged oppositely
along the stem. They are oval-shaped to elliptic in outline
and are approximately 1–2 cm long. Its stem is creeping and
rooting at the nodes.
These aquatic plants were obtained from Bear River
Solar Aquastick wastewater treatment facility, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, where they were grown hydroponically. The
plants were translocated to the system and kept for 2 weeks
in clean water to acclimatize before adding the contami-
nants. During the adaptation period, the plants were sup-
plied with hydroponic fertilizer ‘‘10-6-16’’ (Plant Products,
Brampton, Ontario). The manufacturer recommended 1 ml
of fertilizer per 1 l of water. The composition of fertilizer
and the calculated amounts of various nutrient elements
added to the system (g/l) are shown in Table 1.
3.2. Heavy metal contaminant preparation
Four heavy metals were investigated in this study (Fe, Cu,
Zn, Hg). These contaminants were added as ferrous ammo-
nium sulfate [Fe(NH4)2(SO4)26H2O], cupric nitrate
(Cu(NO3)23H2O), zinc nitrate (Zn(NO3)26H2O), and mer-
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
1030
4. curic sulfate (HgSO4). These were purchased as reagent
grade chemicals from Fisher Scientific, Ottawa, Ontario.
The concentrations of the individual heavy metals were
chosen to be within the range of the plant tolerance shown
in Table 2 as reported by Bridwell (1978). All of the ppm
calculations were based on the individual element versus
their compound form (i.e. Hg versus mercuric sulfate). The
reagents were dissolved in distilled water to achieve the
appropriate contamination level. After the adaptation period,
the contaminants were added to the three compartments
receiving treatment in the concentrations shown in Table 2.
The final concentrations of the nutrients and heavy metals
added (from all sources) are illustrated in Table 3.
3.3. Experimental protocol
One box (two compartment) was used for each plant
species. Each compartment received 55 l of water and the
recommended amount of plant fertilizer. About 300 g of
each translocated plant was placed in each of the two
compartments in the holding tank assigned for that plant.
The control in each box was used to observe differences in
growth rates among each plant due to uptake of contami-
nants. The lighting system was turned on and was controlled
with a timer, which was adjusted to achieve 16 h light and 8
h dark. The pressure regulator was adjusted at 0.136 atm
during the whole experimental period to give the aeration
rate of 15 cm3
/min, which is required for the plants’
survival. The plants were left for 2 weeks to adapt to the
new environment. After the acclimatization period, the
desired amounts of heavy metals were added to the treat-
ment compartment of each holding tank. Temperature read-
ings were taken every day in order to monitor the change in
the water and the ambient air temperatures during the
experimental period. The growth of the individual plant
was also observed on a daily basis. The entire experiment
was reported.
Fig. 2. Aquatic plants used in the experiment: (a) mint plant; (b) parrot
feather; (c) creeping primrose.
Table 1
Nutrient concentrations in fertilizer and aquatic system
Element Concentration in
fertilizer (%)*
Concentration in the
aquatic system (mg/l)
Potassium 16.0 144.0
Nitrogen 10.0 108.0
Calcium 7.2 78.0
Phosphorus 6.0 28.5
Sulfur 2.9 31.5
Magnesium 2.2 24.0
Iron 0.3 3.25
Manganese 0.1042 1.12
Copper 0.0052 0.056
Zinc 0.0052 0.056
*On weight basis.
Table 2
Nutrient concentration tolerance range for most plants and the amount
added to the system
Element Tolerance range (mg/l) Amount
Minimum Maximum added
Iron 2 200 100
Zinc 2 20 25
Copper 2 5 4.5
Mercury – 2 0.5
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
1032
5. 3.4. Sampling and analysis
Water samples of 250 ml were collected from all
compartments at 48-h intervals for heavy metals and
nitrogen analyses. An atomic absorption spectrometer
(Varion SpectrAA, Model Number: 55B, Varion, Mulgrave,
Victoria, Australia) was used for Cu, Zn, and Fe analyses.
A Mercury Analyzer System with Bacharach-Coleman,
cold vapor atomic absorption system (Model Number:
50B, Bacharach, New Kensington, PA), was used for Hg
analysis.
Plant samples (5 g each) were collected at the start and the
end of the experiment and analyzed for the presence of heavy
metals. The plant samples were dried in a convection oven
for 24 h at 45 jC to ascertain the accumulation of each
contaminant and avoid evaporation of Hg. After drying, the
plants were ground and digested with hydrochloric–nitric–
hydrofluric–perchloric acids (30 + 10 + 10 + 5 ml/g sample)
in a closed vessel at a temperature of 100 jC, and then the
heavy metal elements were determined by the same analyt-
ical methods used for water samples.
4. Results and discussion
The ambient air and water temperature remained constant
during the whole experimental period at 24 F 1 and 17 F 1
jC, respectively. The average concentrations of the various
heavy metals in the contaminated compartments are pre-
sented in Fig. 3. The averages of the final concentrations of
the heavy metals are presented in Fig. 4. The average
concentrations of the heavy metal in the whole plants at
the end of the experiment are presented in Fig. 5. The values
are the average of two replicates. The coefficients of varia-
tion were very small (ranged from 3% to 10.5%).
Table 3
Concentrations of elements (mg/l) present in the contaminated water
Element Concentration
in water
Fertilizer
added
Reagents
added
Total
Nutrients
Potassium – 144.00 – 144.00
Nitrogen – 108.00 59.60 167.60
Calcium – 78.00 – 78.00
Sulfur – 31.50 117.16 148.66
Phosphorus – 28.50 – 28.50
Magnesium – 24.00 – 24.00
Manganese – 1.12 – 1.12
Heavy metals
Zinc 3.0 0.06 25.00 28.06
Copper 1.0 0.06 4.50 5.56
Iron 0.3 3.25 100.00 103.55
Mercury 0.001 0.00 0.50 0.501
Fig. 3. Heavy metal concentrations in the contaminated water: (a) zinc; (b) copper; (c) iron; (d) mercury.
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039 1033
6. 4.1. Zinc
The initial concentration of zinc in the control tanks was
3.56 mg/l, which decreased by the end of the experiment to
0.46 mg/l for parrot feather, 0.4 mg/l for creeping primrose,
and 0.21 mg/l for water mint, whereas the initial concen-
tration of zinc in the contaminated tanks was 28.06 mg/l,
which was reduced to 18.4, 18.9, and 18.3 mg/l by the end of
the experiment for parrot feather, creeping primrose, and
water mint, respectively. Zinc removal in the three contami-
nated compartments is almost identical and can be described
by the following equation:
YZ ¼ 28:06 0:55747X þ 0:00467X2
ðR2
¼ 1Þ ð1Þ
where YZ is the zinc concentration in the water (ppm) and X
is the number of days from start of the experiment.
The measured concentrations of zinc in plants obtained
from the control tanks were 291, 68, and 209 mg/kg (dry
basis) for parrot feather, creeping primrose, and water mint,
whereas the measured zinc concentration in the plants
obtained from the contaminated tanks were 549, 1243, and
1498 mg/kg (dry basis) for parrot feather, water mint, and
creeping primrose, respectively. The removal rate of zinc
from the contaminated water was approximately 0.455 mg/l/
day for all the plants.
Samecka-Cymerman and Kempers (1996) used Scapania
undulata that has an initial zinc concentration in its tissues of
37.7 mg/kg (dry basis) to remove zinc from sewage collected
from pesticide-producing factory having zinc concentration
of 248 Ag/l. The zinc concentration in the plant tissues
reached 181 mg/kg (dry basis) after 14 days.
Ebbs and Kochain (1997) tested five different spices of
Brassica for their ability to accumulate zinc in their tissues.
These included Brassica juncea (RH-30), B. juncea (acces-
sion 426308), B. juncea (accession 184290), Brassica rapa
(parkland), and Brassica napus (accession 535855) were
tested. The plants were supplied with zinc sulfate at an initial
zinc concentration of 6.5 mg/l zinc concentrations in the plant
tissues after 14 days were 750, 1375, 1400, 2100, and 2600
mg/kg (dry basis) for RH-30, accession 426308, accession
184290, Parkland, and accession 535855, respectively.
Jain et al. (1990) used water velvet (Azolla pinnata R.Br.)
and duckweed (Lemna minor L.) for removal of zinc from
polluted water. The plants were exposed to a series of
concentrations of zinc (1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 mg/l) for 14
days, supplied as zinc nitrate [Zn(NO3)26H2O]. Zinc con-
centrations in the water velvet tissues at the end of the
experiment were 831, 1480, 2647, and 4316 mg/kg (dry
basis), whereas zinc concentrations in the duckweed tissues
at the end of the experiment were 717, 1284, 2277, and 3698
mg/kg (dry basis) for the 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 mg Zn/l
concentrations, respectively.
Hinchman et al. (1998) investigated the removal of zinc by
eastern gama grass grown in inert quartz sand in lysimeter
pots with continuous addition of zinc ion in the nutrient
Fig. 4. Final heavy metal concentrations in the water: (a) zinc; (b) copper; (c) iron; (d) mercury.
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
1034
7. solution at concentrations of 160, 600 mg Zn/kg soil, over a
period of 60 days. Leachate analyses for zinc by atomic ab-
sorption spectrophotometry indicate that plants subjected to
both levels of zinc were removing up to 70% of the zinc from
the leachate. The authors used the same experimental setup
with Hybrid Poplar with zinc doses ranging from 50 to 2000
mg Zn/kg soil over a period of 60 days. Their results showed
that up to 800 Ag Zn/g soil, Zn added in nutrient solution,
were selectively absorbed and sequestered by the plants. At
levels of zinc above 1000 mg Zn/kg soil, the zinc level in
leachate was always below 100 mg Zn/kg soil. Leaf analyses
showed 528 mg Zn/kg in mature (large) leaves, 300 mg Zn/kg
in medium size leaves, and 140 mg Zn/kg in small leaves.
The results obtained from the present study indicated that
the three plants used were superior to S. undulata used by
Samecka-Cymerman and Kempers (1996) but inferior to the
water velvet and duckweed reported by Jain et al. (1990) and
the Brassica species reported by Ebbs and Kochain (1997).
4.2. Copper
The initial copper concentration in the control tanks was
1.056, which decreased by the end of the experiment to 0.06
mg/l for parrot feather, 0.12 mg/l for creeping primrose, and
0.1 mg/l for water mint, whereas the initial copper concen-
tration in the contaminated compartments was 5.56 mg/l,
which was reduced by the end of the experiment to 3.19,
3.06, and 3.48 mg/l for parrot feather, creeping primrose,
and water mint, respectively. The three plants showed
different removal patterns of copper from the water. The
copper removal from the three contaminated tanks can be
described by the following equations:
For parrot feather
YC ¼ 5:56 0:165X þ 0:0024X2
ðR2
¼ 0:999Þ ð2Þ
For creeping primrose
YC ¼ 5:56 0:02103X þ 0:0044X2
ðR2
¼ 0:999Þ ð3Þ
For water mint
YC ¼ 5:56 0:138X þ 0:0019X2
ðR2
¼ 0:970Þ ð4Þ
where YC is the copper concentration in the water (ppm).
The measured concentrations of copper in plants
obtained from the control tanks were 18, 25, and 11 mg/
kg (dry basis) for parrot feather, creeping primrose, and
Fig. 5. Final heavy metals concentrations in the plants: (a) zinc; (b) copper; (c) iron; (d) mercury.
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039 1035
8. water mint, whereas the measured copper concentrations in
the plants obtained from the contaminated tanks were 304,
848, and 314 mg/kg (dry basis) for parrot feather, creeping
primrose, and water mint, respectively. The average removal
rate of copper was 0.16, 0.21, and 0.14 mg/l/day for the
contaminated tanks containing parrot feather, creeping prim-
rose, and water mint, respectively.
Qian et al. (1999) used 12 different plants [fuzzy water
clover (Marsilea drummondii), iris-leaved rush (Juncus
xiphioides E. Mey.), mare tail (Hippuris vulgaris L.),
monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus Fisch.), parrot feather
(Myriophyllum brasiliense Camb.), sedge (Cyperus pseudo-
vegetus), smart weed (Polygonum hydropiperoides L.),
smooth cordgrass (Spartina altemiflora Loisel), striped rush
(Baumia rubiginosa), umbrella plant (Cyperus altemifolius
L.), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.), water zinnia (Wedelia
trilobata Hitchc.)] grown hydroponically in greenhouse for
treating copper-contaminated water. The plants were sup-
plied with 1 mg Cu/l as copper sulfate for 10 days and the
entire hydroponic system was maintained under controlled
conditions with a 16-h daylight and a constant temperature
of 25 F 2 jC. The chemical analyses showed that the copper
concentrations in the shoot of the 12 plants were approx-
imately 95, 75, 65, 60, 50, 40, 40, 35, 25, 25, 15, and 15 mg/
kg (dry basis), whereas the concentrations of copper in the
roots were approximately 1150, 650, 600, 550, 450, 450,
400, 350, 310, 310, 300, and 200 mg/kg (dry basis) for
fuzzy water clover, iris-leaved rush, mare tail, monkey-
flower, parrot feather, sedge, smart weed, smooth cordgrass,
striped rush, umbrella plant, water lettuce, and water zinnia,
respectively.
Zhu et al. (1999) used water hyacinth (Eichhornia cras-
sipes) grown hydroponically for treating copper-contami-
nated water with initial concentration of 10 mg/l for 14 days
supplied as copper sulfate. The plants were maintained under
controlled conditions with a 16-h daylight and a temperature
of 25–28 jC. The copper concentrations were 130 mg/kg
(dry basis) in the plants’ shoots and 2800 mg/kg (dry basis)
in the roots.
Zayed et al. (1998) used duckweed (L. minor L.) for the
treatment of copper-contaminated water with different con-
centrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, and 10 mg/l) supplied
as copper sulfate for 8 days. The copper concentrations in the
plants were approximately 100, 150, 250, 500, 375, 1000,
and 3400 mg/kg (dry basis) for the 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0,
and 10 mg Cu/l concentrations, respectively.
Samecka-Cymerman and Kempers (1996) used S. undu-
lata that has an initial copper concentration in its tissues of
2.33 mg/kg (dry weight) to remove copper from sewage
collected from pesticide-producing factory having copper
concentration of 31 Ag/l. The copper concentration in the
plant tissues reached 14.9 mg/kg (dry weight) after 14 days.
It appears from the results obtained from the present
study that the three plants used were superior accumulators
of copper to the plants used by Qian et al. (1999) and
Samecka-Cymerman and Kempers (1996). However, the
water hyacinth reported by Zhu et al. (1999) showed better
performance.
4.3. Iron
The initial iron concentration in the control tanks was
3.55, which decreased by the end of the experiment to 0.60
mg/l for parrot feather, 1.46 mg/l for creeping primrose, and
1.18 mg/l for water mint, whereas the initial iron concen-
tration in the contaminated tanks was 103.55 mg/l, which
was reduced by the end of the experiment to 27.9, 37.80, and
7.30 mg/l for parrot feather, creeping primrose, and water
mint, respectively. Although the three plants showed differ-
ent removal rates, the removal rate for each plant decreased
with time in all contaminated tanks. The removal of iron
from the contaminated water can be described by the
following equations:
For parrot feather
YI ¼ 103:55 7:3529X þ 0:1788X2
ðR2
¼ 0:999Þ ð5Þ
For creeping primrose
YI ¼ 103:55 6:0713X þ 0:1401X2
ðR2
¼ 1Þ ð6Þ
For water mint
YI ¼ 103:55 10:525X þ 0:2851X2
ðR2
¼ 0:999Þ ð7Þ
where YI is the iron concentration in the water (ppm).
The measured concentrations of iron in plants obtained
from the control tanks were 914, 1480, and 1840 mg/kg (dry
basis) for parrot feather, creeping primrose, and water mint,
whereas the measured iron concentration in the plants
obtained from the contaminated compartments were
38,800, 46,300, and 32,100 mg/kg (dry basis) for parrot
feather, creeping primrose, and water mint, respectively. The
removal rate of iron from the contaminated water ranged
from 7.00 to 0.41 mg/l/day for the parrot feather tank, from
5.79 to 0.62 mg/l/day for the creeping primrose tank, and
from 9.96 to 0.25 mg/l/day for the water mint tank, depend-
ing on the concentration.
Jain et al. (1988) used duckweed (L. minor L.) for the
treatment of iron-contaminated water with different concen-
trations (2, 6, and 10 mg/l) supplied as iron nitrate for 24 h.
The iron concentrations in the plants were approximately
259.5, 328.4, and 463.2 mg/kg (dry basis) for the 2, 6, and 10
mg Fe/l concentrations, respectively.
Jain et al. (1989) used duckweed (L. minor L.) and water
velvet (A. pinnata R.Br.) for the treatment of iron-contami-
nated water with different concentrations of iron (1.0, 2.0,
4.0, and 8.0 mg/l) supplied as [NH4Fe(SO4)12H2O] for 14
days. The iron concentrations in the duckweed were approx-
imately 1221, 2308, 4268, and 6826 mg/kg (dry basis),
whereas iron concentrations in the water velvet were approx-
imately 1363, 2638, 5135, and 9676 mg/kg (dry basis) for
1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 mg Fe/l, respectively.
The results obtained from the present study indicated that
the three plants used were superior to the duckweed (L.
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
1036
9. minor L.) used by Jain et al. (1988, 1989) and water velvet
(A. pinnata R.Br.) used by Jain et al. (1989). It appears also
from the results presented in the literature that plant accu-
mulation of iron depends on the type of salt added and the
initial concentration.
4.4. Mercury
The initial concentration of mercury in the control tanks
was 1.00 Ag/l, which decreased by the end of the experiment
to 0.05 Ag/l for parrot feather, 0.04 Ag/l for creeping
primrose, and 0.6 Ag/l for water mint, whereas the initial
concentration of mercury in the contaminated tanks was
501.00 Ag/l, which was reduced by the end of the experiment
to 0.15, 1.3, and 0.02 Ag/l for parrot feather, creeping
primrose, and water mint, respectively. Mercury removal
from the three contaminated tanks (by the three plants) is
almost identical and can be described by the following
equation:
YM ¼ 501 88:211X þ 5:113X2
0:0976X3
ðR2
¼ 0:99Þ ð8Þ
where YM is mercury concentration in the water (ppm).
The measured concentrations of mercury in plants
obtained from the control tanks were 1.01, 0.83, and
0.92 mg/kg (dry basis) for parrot feather, creeping prim-
rose, and water mint, whereas the measured mercury
concentration in the plants obtained from the contaminated
tank were 208, 335, and 179 mg/kg (dry basis) for parrot
feather, water mint, and creeping primrose, respectively.
The removal rate of mercury from the contaminated water
started at 0.07807 and decreased with time reaching
0.00002 mg/l/day by the end of the experiment for all
contaminated tanks.
Samecka-Cymerman and Kempers (1996) used S. undu-
lata that has an initial mercury concentration in its tissues of
0.05 mg/kg (dry weight) to remove mercury from sewage
collected from pesticide-producing factory having a mer-
cury concentration of 5 Ag/l. The mercury concentration in
the plant tissues reached 2.4 mg/kg (dry weight) after 14
days.
Qian et al. (1999) used 12 different plants [fuzzy water
clover (M. drummondii), iris-leaved rush (J. xiphioides E.
Mey.), mare tail (H. vulgaris L.), monkeyflower (M. guttatus
Fisch.), parrot feather (M. brasiliense Camb.), sedge (C.
pseudovegetus), smart weed (P. hydropiperoides L.), smooth
cordgrass (S. altemiflora Loisel), striped rush (B. rubigi-
nosa), umbrella plant (C. altemifolius L.), water lettuce (P.
stratiotes L.), water zinnia (W. trilobata Hitchc.)] grown
hydroponically in greenhouse for treating mercury-contami-
nated water. Plants were supplied with 1 mg Hg/l for 10 days
as mercuric chloride, the entire hydroponic was maintained
under controlled conditions with a 16-h daylight and a day
and night temperature of 25 F 2 jC. Mercury concentrations
in the shoot of the 12 plants were approximately 90, 60, 40,
35, 30, 27, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, and 5 mg/kg (dry basis) for
fuzzy water clover, iris-leaved rush, mare tail, monkey-
flower, parrot feather, sedge, smart weed, smooth cordgrass,
striped rush, umbrella plant, water lettuce, and water zinnia,
respectively.
The results of this study showed that the three plants used
were superior to the S. undulata used by Samecka-Cymer-
man and Kempers (1996) and all plants used by QiAn et al.
(1999).
4.5. Removal efficiency and element selectivity
The removal efficiency of each plant for the different
heavy metal ions is shown in Table 4. The removal
efficiency of for zinc was 34.42%, 32.63%, and 34.77%,
for copper was 42.58%, 44.92%, and 30.89%, for iron was
73.06%, 63.68%, and 92.92%, and for mercury was
99.97%, 99.74%, and 99.99% for parrot feather, creeping
primrose, and water mint, respectively. Therefore, the ion
selectivity for the three cultivars was HgFeCuZn.
4.6. Mass balance
A mass balance was performed on the system in order to
determine the elements’ removal pathways. The results are
shown in Table 5.
The amounts of zinc removed from water were much
higher than that utilized by plants in both the control and
treatment tanks. Zinc may have been removed from water
through a chemical pathway that involved the formation
and precipitation of Zn3(PO4)2. Phosphorus added to the
water with the plant nutrient in the form of P2O5 may
have reacted with zinc nitrate [Zn(NO3)2] to form insolu-
ble zinc phosphate [Zn3(PO4)2]. The following equation
Table 4
Heavy metal removal efficiencies
Element Initial Parrot feather Creeping primrose Water Mint
concentration
Concentration (mg/l) Efficiency Concentration (mg/l) Efficiency Concentration (mg/l) Efficiency
(mg/l)
Final Removal
(%)
Final Removal
(%)
Final Removal
(%)
Zn 28.056 18.4 9.656 34.42 18.9 9.156 32.63 18.3 9.756 34.77
Cu 5.556 3.19 2.366 42.58 3.06 2.496 44.92 3.48 1.716 30.89
Fe 103.55 27.9 75.65 73.06 37.8 65.75 63.68 7.3 96.25 92.92
Hg 0.501 0.00015 0.50085 99.97 0.0013 0.4997 99.74 0.00004 0.50096 99.99
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039 1037
10. describes the chemical reaction that may have taken place
in water.
3½ZnðNO3Þ2 6H2O þ P2O5 þ 0:5O2
! Zn3ðPO4Þ2 þ 18H2O þ 6NO
3 ð9Þ
On the average, about 17–40% of zinc removed from
water was utilized by plants depending on the plant type. The
other portion (60–83%) may have precipitated as zinc
phosphate [Zn3(PO4)2]. The results also showed that plant
uptake of zinc was dependent on the initial concentration in
water.
The amounts of copper removed from water were also
higher than that utilized by the plants in both control and
contaminated tanks. Copper may have been removed from
water through the formation and precipitation of Cu3(PO4)2.
Phosphorus added to the water as plant nutrient in the form
of P2O5 may have reacted with copper nitrate [Cu(NO3)2] to
form copper phosphate [Cu3(PO4)2]. The following equation
describes the chemical reaction that may have taken place in
the water.
3½CuðNO3Þ2 3H2O þ P2O5 þ 1:5O2
! Cu3ðPO4Þ2 3H2O þ 6H2O þ 6NO
3 ð10Þ
On the average, about 39–60% of copper removed from
water was utilized by plants depending on the plant type.
The remaining portion (40–61%) was precipitated as copper
phosphate [Cu3(PO4)2]. The plant uptake of copper and/or
precipitation of copper phosphate depend on the initial
concentration of copper in water.
The amounts of iron removed from water in the con-
taminated tanks by the plants ranged from 94.36% to
99.35%, whereas that removed from the water in the control
tanks ranged from 94.42% to 99.32% depending on the type
of plant. The amounts of mercury removed from water in the
contaminated tanks by the plants ranged from 90.05% to
93.36%, whereas that removed from the water in the control
Table 5
Mass balance
Element Treatment Path Parrot feather Creeping primrose Water mint
(mg) (%) (mg) (%) (mg) (%)
Zinc
Control
Total 130 100.00 132 100.00 142 100.00
Plant uptake 35 26.92 6 4.55 23 16.19
Precipitation 95 73.08 126 95.45 119 83.81
Contaminated
Total 483 100.00 458 100.00 488 100.00
Plant uptake 84 17.39 134 29.26 193 39.55
Precipitation 399 82.61 324 70.74 295 60.45
Copper
Control
Total 49.5 100.00 46.8 100.00 47.80 100.00
Plant uptake 2.0 4.04 2.8 5.98 0.87 1.82
Precipitation 47.8 95.96 44.0 94.02 46.93 98.18
Contaminated
Total 118.5 100.00 125.0 100.00 104.00 100.00
Plant uptake 46.5 39.24 76.3 61.04 52.90 50.86
Precipitation 72.0 60.75 48.7 38.96 56.20 49.13
Iron
Control
Total 147.5 100.00 116.5 100.00 118.5 100.00
Plant uptake 146.5 99.32 110.0 94.42 112.6 95.02
Precipitation 1.0 0.68 6.5 5.58 5.9 4.98
Contaminated
Total 3812.3 100.00 3287.5 100.00 4975.5 100.00
Plant uptake 3787.5 99.35 3102.0 94.36 4812.5 96.72
Precipitation 24.8 0.65 185.5 5.64 163.0 3.28
Mercury
Control
Total 0.048 100.00 0.048 100.00 0.073 100.00
Plant uptake 0.045 93.75 0.047 97.92 0.020 72.60
Precipitation 0.003 6.25 0.001 2.08 0.053 27.40
Contaminated
Total 26.82 100.00 27.09 100.00 27.75 100.00
Plant uptake 25.04 93.36 24.99 92.25 24.99 90.05
Precipitation 1.78 6.64 2.10 7.75 2.76 9.95
M. Kamal et al. / Environment International 29 (2004) 1029–1039
1038
11. tanks ranged from 72.60% to 97.92% depending on the type
of plant. Parrot feather showed the highest removal effi-
ciency for iron and mercury.
4.7. Plant tolerance
Generally, all the experimental plants showed a slight
reduction in the plant growth, branching, leaf size, and root
system. Parrot feather shows promising results in terms of
tolerance to the heavy metals concentration in the aqueous
solution. A dark green color of the parrot feather leaves
grown in the contaminated compartment was apparent. The
creeping primrose showed the least tolerance to toxicity
since the plants begin to show abnormal darkening of leaves,
stems, and roots. By the end of the experiment, almost all the
creeping plants were dead. Therefore, the experimental
plants could be ordered as follows in terms of heavy metals
tolerance: parrot featherwater mintcreeping primrose.
5. Conclusion
The three aquatic plants investigated (parrot feather, water
mint, and creeping primrose) have the ability to remove
heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Fe, and Hg) from contaminated water.
The removal efficiency was 99.8%, 76.7%, 41.62%, and
33.9% for Hg, Fe, Cu, and Zn, respectively. The removal
rates for Zn and Cu were constant (0.48 mg/l/day for Zn and
0.11 mg/l/day for Cu), whereas those for Fe and Hg were
dependent on their concentrations in the contaminated water
and ranged from 7 to 0.41 mg/l/day for Fe and 0. 0787 to
0.0002 mg/l/day for Hg. Creeping primrose has the least
tolerance to heavy metal toxicity whereas parrot feather has
the greatest tolerance. The selectivity of heavy metals by all
plants was FeHgCuZn. The three plant species could be
considered hyperaccumulators for Fe ions. There appears to
be a chemical pathway for removal of zinc and copper.
About 60.45–82.61% of the Zn and 49.13–60.75% of the
Cu were removed by precipitation as zinc phosphate and
copper phosphate, respectively.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Mr. Jack Vissers for his
valuable technical assistance and Mr. John Pyke for his help
with the chemical analyses. Special thanks go to Mr. Mark
Vanzummer for donating the plants used in this study. The
project was funded by Environment Canada and EJLP
foundation.
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