Paper Title
Heavy Metal Removal From Wastewater Using NPK and Urea as Substrate
Abstract
Presence of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni and Zn) as a pollutant in water sources (river, drains and ponds)is dangerous for aquatic as well as human life. The present study was performed to develop a possible remediation technology for heavy metal removal from wastewater. The collected waste water from drains was characterized and used for further bioremediation studies. Different percentage of NPK (Nitrogen: Phosphate: Potassium) and urea ranging from 0.1%- 1%, was added as a substrate in waste water for promoting the growth of native micro-organism. Maximum heavy metal removal upto 89.5% was observed with 1% NPK as the substrate. On the other hand, when urea (1%) alone was used as a substrate, removal efficiency decreased to 60.22%. Heavy metal removal efficacy by Urea and NPK directly correlated with the biomass produced by these substrate at different concentrations. Further, EDX of biomass produced at 1% NPKwas obtained to confirm the presence of heavy metals on biomass. Present study indicated that NPK can be used as an alternative and cheap source for bioremediation of heavy metals from wastewater.
Keywords� Wastewater, Heavy Metals, Urea, NPK, EDX.