The Study of Heavy Metal Contamination in Water Regimes: Human Toxicological Profiles and its Chemical Precipitation Treatment

Abstract

The global concern over ecological safety and public health has led to the development of a sustainable approach towards pollutant remediation. Recently, heavy metals and organic pollutants have emerged as the two major contaminants, and their remediation has attracted significant attention from researchers. Removing heavy metals from wastewaters is a challenging process that requires constant attention and monitoring, as heavy metals are major wastewater pollutants that are not biodegradable and thus, accumulate in the ecosystem. In addition, the persistent nature, toxicity and accumulation of heavy metal ions in the human body have become the driving force for searching new and more efficient water treatment technologies to reduce the concentration of heavy metal in waters. A literature survey reveals several effective strategies for removing heavy metals from water: adsorption, flotation, ion exchange, chemical precipitation, membrane-based filtration, coagulation, flocculation, phytoremediation, and electrochemical methods. In the examination, this review uniquely integrates heavy-metal sources, way of contamination, the study of toxicological effect on human health and chemical precipitation treatment method.