Date of Award

2016

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.Sc.

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Keywords

Agricultural, Chitosan, Hydrogen sulfide, Mat-forming cyanobacteria, Phosphate treatment, Wastewater

Supervisor

Mutus, Bulent

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

Modern agricultural practices is dependent on fertilizers, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. However, not all of the nutrients are absorbed and are usually washed away into rivers and streams. These runoffs accumulate in downstream large water bodies and enhance the growth of algae and unwanted plants, which leads to eutrophication. The consequences of eutrophication are the degradation of water quality and destruction of the affected aquatic eco-system. This study primarily examines the efficacy of metal-complexed chitosan composites in the attenuation of phosphates at three field test sites. In addition to this, chitosan was also studied for its potential use in hydrogen sulfide removal and its application in biological treatment. Metal-chitosan composites used in conjunction with red sand proved most effective in the removal of phosphates reducing it from ~19 μg/ml by 6-30 fold. Furthermore, these composites were capable of attenuating dissolved hydrosulfides from 1mM by 100-fold.

Share

COinS