Bioremediation of the lead component in hospital waste water using dried Coriandrum sativum Linn. (cilantro) [author]: Alvarez, Regina Marielle P., Awiten, Ma. Andrea Allyn B., Bautista, Andrea Nicole B., Belano, Shayne Aezyl R. Dugan, Elgin, Fermo, Diane Irish S., Largoza, Robbie 0., Miranda, Khristine Audrey, Quan, Clarence Mae H., Sadorra, Alyssa L. Serrano, Hannah Karylle S.
- Quezon City, Philippines: FEU-NRMF Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation Institute of Medicine, 2024
- 110 pages 28cm
Includes Appendix
ABSTRACT: Recognized as a toxic substance, lead significantly contributes to wastewater toxicity; thus, effective removal strategies are needed. While existing studies stated Coriandrum sativum LINN.'s (cilantro) effectiveness in lead removal from drinking water, its application in the context of hospital wastewater remained underexplored. This research attempted to address this gap by demonstrating the potential of dried cilantro leaves and stems, sourced from a farm, to adsorb lead from hospital influent wastewater. The objectives of this study included the determination of lead levels in hospital-influent wastewater both pre- and post-cilantro addition, the evaluation of the lead differences before and after treatment, and the determination of cilantro's efficacy as a lead adsorbent. The hypothesis proposed is that locally available cilantro leaves and stems have the potential to remove lead by an estimated 50% to 75% from hospital wastewater. Through the utilization of dried cilantro leaves and stems and the application of Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) for lead determination, the results showed that the adsorption capacity of cilantro varies. The percentage adsorption of cilantro ranges from the highest rate of 93.9% to the lowest rate of 39.2%. The paired T-test result showed a mean lead concentration decrease from 0.045514 to 0.0195286, with a computed value of 2.278 and a p-value of 0.063, indicating a potential but not statistically significant reduction in lead levels post-cilantro treatment. The variability of the result suggests an external variable that may influence the adsorptive ability of cilantro towards lead. Keywords: adsorption, bioremediation, cilantro, ICP-OES, lead, wastewater