Biomass derived from Tamarindus indica partially activated seed coat was investigated for the removal of nitrate ions from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the parameters like pH, contact time, sorbent dose and initial nitrate concentration. pH of the solution played vital role. The maximum sorption observed at pH=7, sorbent dose 300mg, contact time at 120min, initial nitrate concentration 5mg. Physicochemical properties of the biomass were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis and Fourier Transform infra red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The SEM and FTIR data reveals the suitable surface and the presence of chemical functional groups such as hydroxyl, amide, carbonyl strong acid and primary amine on the biosorbent surface contributes to biosorption. The equilibrium isotherms and kinetics were deliberated. Biosorption equilibrium followed Langmuir isotherm. Pseudo second order kinetics provided better correlation of the experimental data in comparison with pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The study indicated that Tamarindus indica partially activated seed coat biomass found to be a novel biosorbent for the removal of nitrates from aqueous solutions.

Water scarcity, its necessity in food production, and environmental protection in the world have forced human beings to seek new water sources. Nowadays, application of unconventional water resources (wastewater) has been proposed in countries facing the crisis of water resources shortage; however, a few studies have dealt with this issue. The present study has evaluated the changes in the elements of the soil, irrigated with wastewater. For so doing, an experiment has been conducted on a randomized complete block design with three replications. Soil samples have been collected from the studied regions at two depths of 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm and the studied parameters have included sodium, total calcium, magnesium, some acidity, and electrical conductivity of the soil. Three regions of study (namely no irrigation, irrigation with treated wastewater, and irrigation with river waters) have been taken into consideration. Results have shown increased calcium, magnesium, and pH of the effluent from Zabol Wastewater Treatment Plant compared to the control; however, electrical conductivity and chloride have decreased in wastewater-irrigated soil. The electrical conductivity in the surface layer of wastewater samples, treated with an amount of 2.25 (ds/m), has had the most significant difference to the control and other treatments. It can be concluded that wastewater increases some soil properties, contributing to its restoration.

The Air Pollution Tolerance index (APTI) of six plants located within Ikpoba Okha gas flaring site in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria during wet and dry seasons were assessed. Plant samples for this research work were randomly collected from the vicinity of the flaring site. Six (6) sample of each plant was used for laboratory analysis. The plant parameters assessed include relative water content (RWC), the ascorbic acid content (AAC), total leaf chlorophyll (TLC) and pH extract of the leaves and were used to compute the Air pollution tolerance indices (APTI). Based on the analyzed result, the RWC in Drypetes leonensis, Ficus exasperata Vahl, Chromolaena odorata (Linn) and Gmelina arborea Roxb. ex Smith   species in dry season were higher than those in wet season. Icacina tricantha showed a relatively high level of acidity when compared to others. A. boonei De Wild has the highest ascorbic acid content in the leaves in both seasons. The highest level of chlorophyll contents was recorded in the dry season with Drypetes leonensis having the highest, followed by Icacina trichantha. There was no statistically significant difference in pH and total chlorophyll contents between samples collected in wet and dry season; however, there were significant difference observed in ascorbic acid and RWC in both seasons. APTI in wet and dry season showed a statistically significant difference. This study recommends planting of tolerant species that can acts as bio-indicators especially in gas flaring stations in Nigeria.

A wide range of chemicals and dyes are being used in textile industry, and are often found in the wastewater produced. This study attempts to investigate the reduction of COD, TSS, and dye in effluents from the dyeing and washing unit of textile industry, using electrocoagulation process. The reactor is equipped with 10 iron electrodes, connected to a direct current (DC) source in a monopolar electrode configuration. In each stage of the experiment, 2.5 l of the effluent enters the reactor and the effects of a number of important operational parameters such as voltage, pH, and reaction time is studied on the removal of COD, TSS, and dye parameters. Results show that the optimum operational conditions are reaction time of 120 min, voltage of 30 V, and pH of 7, which reduces COD, TSS, and dye by 87%, 91%, and 98%, respectively. Therefore, it has been concluded that the efficiency of pollutants removal from the wastewater improves as voltage and reaction time are increased.