A Study on the Potential of Bikas (Mikania cordata) Leaf in Bioremediation of Manganese in Water

Authors

  • Resha Mae Agang

Keywords:

Bioremediation, manganese, bikas leaf

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The global industrialization meets the demands of the modern population at the cost of environmental exposure to various contaminants including heavy metals (Verma, Neelam, Sharma & Rajni, 2017). The significant increase in the concentration of Manganese in Nabunturan water is attributed to the anthropogenic practices especially mining activities in the area (Yang, Deng & Li, 2008). Biosorption is a physio-chemical process that is defined as the removal of compounds from solution by surface adsorption to biological material (Shinomol et al., 2015). This study explored the potentiality of an endemic plant, Bikas (Mikania cordata) leaf in biosorption of Manganese in water.

 

METHODS

This study utilized a one-shot experiment. Two different treatments were done to test the potential of Bikas leaf, the Bikas leaf extract, and the chemically modified Bikas leaf. The water sample collected from Nabunturan Water Station Association was subjected to an initial test for the concentration of Manganese. The plant sample was collected, washed to remove sediment particles and air-dried for four days. The first treatment required a 5:1 ratio of ethanol to plant sample to soak 10 grams of Bikas leaf for three days.

 

RESULTS

After treatment with chemically modified Bikas (CAMOB) leaf, the concentration of Mn (II) plummeted from the untreated 1.04 mg/L to 0.162 mg/L, a decrease of 0.878 mg/L. The results also indicated that after treatment with Bikas leaf extract the concentration of Mn (II) decreased by 0.0943 mg/L. In accordance with the formula by Huang et al. (2018) the heavy metal uptake of CAMOB leaf was significantly greater than the Bikas leaf extract. The removal efficiency of CAMOB is 84.42%, significantly higher than 9.32% of the Bikas leaf extract.

 

DISCUSSIONS

Activation by NaOH and citric acid increases the surface area of Bikas leaves thereby enhancing the adsorption ability of heavy metal (Shinomol et al, 2015). The World Health Organization (WHO), United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) recommended health-based guideline set for Manganese is valued at 0.3 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L respectively. The concentration of Mn (II) in Nabunturan water passes the guideline by neither international organizations nor the PNSDW as stipulated in the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines (PD 856). However, the water sample treated with Bikas leaf extract fits in with the recommended value for Mn (II) in drinking water.

Published

2019-01-18