Industrial Pollutants: Heavy Metals and Their Salts

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1. Introduction
Heavy metals and their salts (Cu, Zn, Hg, Pb, Co, Ni,) are widespread industrial pollutants. In the waters they come from natural sources (rocks, the surface layers of soil and groundwater), the wastewater of many industrial enterprises and precipitation, which are polluted with smoke emissions. Heavy metals as trace elements are constantly encountered in natural waters and aquatic bodies. Depending on the geochemical conditions of the wide variations in their level.
Heavy metals are quite stable. Entering the ponds, they are included in the cycling of matter and subjected to various transformations. Inorganic compounds are rapidly bind buffer system of water and transferred into poorly soluble hydroxides, carbonates, sulfides and phosphates, and also form organometallic complexes are adsorbed to the bottom sediments.
Under the influence of living organisms (bacteria, etc.) mercury, tin, arsenic undergo methylation, becoming more toxic alkyl compound. Moreover, metals can accumulate in various organisms, and transmitted in increasing amounts with food chain. Particularly dangerous mercury, zinc, lead, cadmium, arsenic, since the intake in humans and higher animals can cause poisoning. Accumulation coefficient material ranges from them from hundreds to several thousands. There many heavy metals, however in this project we have focused on Co (II). Because
Co (II) appears to be one of the essential elements to human body at low concentration.
However, when cobalt is too concentrated, it may damage human body and may cause diseases such as asthma and pneumonia1. Cobalt pollution may be cause from car gas turbines, used in many alloys (super alloys for parts in gas turbine aircraft engines, corrosion r...

... middle of paper ...

...rogram, I feel ready to transfer to a four-year colleges, and participate further in the Honors Program.

7. References

1. "Cobalt - Co." Cobalt (Co). Lenntech B.V, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
2. Akpor, B. 2010, International Journal of the Physical Sciences, 5, 1807-1817.
3. Park, D. and Yeoung-Sang, Y. 2010, Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering, 15, 86-102.
4. Rehm, B. 2009, Alginates: Biology and Applications. N.p.: Springer, New York, USA.
5. Gulay, S. 2009, Immobilization of Thermophilic Recombinant Esterase Enzyme by Entrapment in Coated Ca-Alginate Beads. Thesis. Graduate School of Engineering and Sciences of Izmir Institute of Technology.
6. Rush, R. and Yoe, R. 1954, Anal. Chem., 26, 1345-1347.
7. Kotrba, P., Mackova, M. and Macek, T. 2011, Microbial Biosorption of Metals. N.p.: Springer, New York, USA.

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