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Assessment of physicochemical parameters and trace elements in tannery wastewater treatment facility and associated health risks

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Abstract

The current study was designed to analyze various physicochemical parameters such as potential hydrogen, electric conductivity, sodium chloride, chlorides, total suspended and total dissolved solids, biological and chemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity, and toxic trace metals including lead, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium at each stage of tanning effluent as well as before and after tannery wastewater treatment process. The health risk of hexavalent chromium was also assessed for the wastewater discharge after treatment. Furthermore, autochthonous fungal species from each step of tanning as well as before and after the treatment were isolated to investigate potential bioremediation through the fungus. A total of 24 effluent samples from eight different processes of leather manufacturing and 6 samples each from before and after the treatment process were collected at Kasur tannery waste management agency located in district Kasur, Pakistan. The obtained results revealed a very high pollution load and inefficiency of the treatment plant as all the values except potential hydrogen were far higher than the permissible limit of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization. The maximum hazard quotient and cancer risk values for hexavalent chromium were found to be 53.40 and 8.01 × 10− 2, respectively, indicating serious health risks for the human population. Finally, six fungal species were isolated which demonstrates the capability of these native fungi to survive, adapt and colonize in tannery effluent; hence, they can be used for bioremediation of tannery effluent. However, future research is needed to corroborate the bioremediation potential of isolated fungal strains.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to the KTWMA staff for providing us support during sampling. Further, the authors acknowledge the technical support of the staff at the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab. The authors highly acknowledge the support of staff at KTWMA and CEES, PU Lahore.

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  1. College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

    S. Shakil, N. A. Abbasi, M. B. Shakoor, S. R. Ahmad, M. Majid, A. Ali & U. Farwa

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  1. S. Shakil
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  2. N. A. Abbasi
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  3. M. B. Shakoor
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  4. S. R. Ahmad
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Correspondence to N. A. Abbasi.

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Shakil, S., Abbasi, N.A., Shakoor, M.B. et al. Assessment of physicochemical parameters and trace elements in tannery wastewater treatment facility and associated health risks. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 20, 11287–11300 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-022-04737-0

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