Speakers
Description
Background: Illegal small-scale gold mining (galamsey) in Ghana has resulted in widespread contamination of water bodies with toxic heavy metals, posing significant risks to public health and environmental sustainability. This study addresses the research question: How can heavy metals be removed from polluted water in a cost-effective and eco-friendly manner without introducing secondary waste problems?
Methods: Commercially available activated carbon was employed as a primary adsorbent to remove heavy metals from contaminated water. Removal efficiencies were assessed across varying concentrations. To mitigate the challenge of secondary pollution from spent activated carbon, bacterial strains were isolated from contaminated soils and tested for metal tolerance. The isolates, tentatively identified as Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus, were examined for their ability to regenerate used carbon through biosorption and bioaccumulation mechanisms.
Results: Activated carbon demonstrated high adsorption efficiency for heavy metal pollutants. The bacterial isolates exhibited resistance to concentrations up to 4 ppm, confirming their potential in biological regeneration. When combined, the system maintained the strong adsorption capacity of activated carbon while reducing the risk of secondary pollution through microbial uptake of adsorbed metals.
Applications: This integrated approach offers a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution for remediating heavy metal–polluted waters in mining-impacted areas. By coupling chemical adsorption with biological regeneration, the method extends the lifespan of activated carbon, minimizes waste disposal challenges, and provides a scalable strategy for protecting water resources in affected communities.