Ecotoxicological impacts of industrial effluents on irrigation water quality, animal health and the role of calcium alginate in effluents treatment

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2022-08, Vol.194 (8), p.586-586, Article 586
• Main Authors: Zeid, Hanaa Abdel Atty, El-Zayat, Moustafa Mohsen, Abdrabouh, Abeer El-Said
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albumins; Alginic acid; Animal health; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bilirubin; Body organs; Body weight; Cadmium; Calcium; Calcium alginate; Carbonyl compounds; Carbonyls; Catalase; Chromium; Cobalt; Copper; Drinking; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Effluent treatment; Effluents; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental science; Glutathione; Glutathione transferase; Health hazards; Heavy metals; Hormones; Impaired water use; Industrial effluents; Industrial wastes; Industrial wastewater; Iron; Irrigation; Irrigation water; Irrigation water quality; Lead; Liver; Males; Manganese; Metal concentrations; Metals; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nickel; Organs; Parameters; Physicochemical processes; Physicochemical properties; Proteins; Resins; Rodents; Seaweed meal; Serum; Serum levels; Superoxide dismutase; Thyroid; Thyroid gland; Thyroid hormones; Wastewater treatment; Water quality; Zinc
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10216-3

The effluents discharged from Mansoura Company for Resins and Chemicals Industry were evaluated for drinking and irrigation purposes. Calcium-alginate beads were used for effluents treatment in this study. Young male rats were also allowed to drink effluents at different concentrations (10%, 50%, 100%) and treated 100% effluents with calcium-alginate for 11 weeks. Results indicated high concentrations of some physicochemical parameters and Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in effluents that exceeded the permissible limits for drinking and irrigation purposes. Treatment by calcium-alginate alleviate heavy metals concentration but did not affect the physicochemical parameters. Depending on effluents concentration, the liver of young male rats showed high accumulation of Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, and Ni compared to the control group. Serum levels of liver enzymes, total bilirubin significantly increased while total protein, and albumin contents decreased in effluent groups. Liver concentrations of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl significantly elevated along with significant decrease in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase activities, and glutathione content. Moreover, growth and thyroid hormones were significantly reduced along with significant elevation in thyroid stimulating hormone. This was accompanied by significant decrease in the body weight, especially with 100% effluents concentration compared to control group. Also, histological investigations of both liver and thyroid gland using hematoxylin and eosin showed distortion in the structure of both organs especially with 50% and 100% effluent groups. However, treatment of effluents by calcium-alginate improved these changes. The study revealed that calcium-alginate are effective biosorbents for heavy metals and consequently decrease animal and human health hazards, but further studies are needed to alleviate physicochemical characteristics.