Volume 4, Issue 1 pp. 37-59
Review

Removal of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewaters: A Review

Arezoo Azimi

Arezoo Azimi

Persian Gulf University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Engineering, 7516913817 Bushehr, Iran

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Ahmad Azari

Corresponding Author

Ahmad Azari

Persian Gulf University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Engineering, 7516913817 Bushehr, Iran

Correspondence: Ahmad Azari ([email protected]), Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Engineering, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr 7516913817, Iran.Search for more papers by this author
Mashallah Rezakazemi

Mashallah Rezakazemi

Shahrood University of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, 3619995161 Shahrood, Iran

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Meisam Ansarpour

Meisam Ansarpour

Persian Gulf University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Engineering, 7516913817 Bushehr, Iran

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First published: 01 February 2017
Citations: 923

Abstract

Heavy metals like arsenic, copper, cadmium, chromium, nickel, zinc, lead, and mercury are major pollutants of fresh water reservoirs because of their toxic, non-biodegradable, and persistent nature. The industrial growth is the major source of heavy metals introducing such pollutants into different segments of the environment including air, water, soil, and biosphere. Heavy metals are easily absorbed by fishes and vegetables due to their high solubility in the aquatic environments. Hence, they may accumulate in the human body by means of the food chain. Various methods have been developed and used for water and wastewater treatment to decrease heavy metal concentrations. These technologies include membrane filtration, ion-exchange, adsorption, chemical precipitation, nanotechnology treatments, electrochemical and advanced oxidation processes. In this review, the methods as well as their mechanisms and efficiency are discussed.

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