Browsing by Author "Emily Ngeno"

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    Endocrine disrupting chemicals in wastewater treatment plants in Kenya, East Africa: Concentrations, removal efficiency, mass loading rates and ecological impacts
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05) Emily Ngeno; Roselyn Ongulu; Francis Orata; Henry Matovu; Victor Shikuku; Richard Onchiri; Abel Mayaka; Eunice Majanga; Zachary Getenga; Joel Gichumbi; Joel Gichumbi
    This study investigated the levels, mass loadings, removal efficiency, and associated ecotoxicological risks of selected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), namely, dibutylphthalate (DBP), diethylhexylphthalate (DEHP), dimethylphthalate (DMP), linuron (LNR) and progesterone (PGT) in wastewater, sludge, and untreated dry biosolid (UDBS) samples from twelve wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in nine major towns in Kenya. Analysis was done using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spec trometry (LC-MS/MS). All the wastewater influents had quantifiable levels of EDCs with DBP being the most abundant (37.49%) with a range of 4.33 ± 0.63 to 19.68 ± 1.24 μg L− 1 . DEHP was the most abundant in sludge and accounted for 48.2% ranging between 278.67 and 9243.49 ng g− 1 dry weight (dw). In the UDBS samples, DEHP was also the most abundant (40%) of the total EDCs detected with levels ranging from 78.77 to 3938.54 ng g− 1 dw. The average removal efficiency per pollutant was as follows: DMP (98.7%) > DEHP (91.7%) > PGT (83.4%) > DBP (77.9%) > LNR (72.2%) which can be attributed to sorption onto the biosolid, biological degradation, photolysis, and phytoremediation. The pH was negatively correlated to the EDC concentrations while total dissolved solids (TDS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), and electrical conductivity (EC) were positively correlated. The mass loadings were as high as 373.33 g day− 1 of DBP in the treatment plants located in densely populated cities. DEHP and PGT had their Risk Quotients (RQs) > 1, posing a high risk to biota. DMP, DBP, and LNR posed medium risks as their RQ values were between 0.1 and 1. EDCs are therefore loaded to environmental compartments through either the effluent that loads these pollutants into the receiving aquatic ecosystem or through the UDBS, which are used as fertilizers in agricultural farmlands causing potential toxicological risks to aquatic and terrestrial life.
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    Response surface methodology directed modeling of the biosorption of progesterone onto acid activated Moringa oleifera seed biomass: Parameters and mechanisms
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-05) Emily Ngeno; Roselyn Ongulu; Victor Shikuku; Deo Ssentongo; Benton Otieno; Patrick Ssebugere; Francis Orata
    In this study, chemically activated fat-free powdered Moringa oleifera seed biomass (MOSB) was synthesized, characterized, and utilized as a cost-effective biosorbent for the abstraction of progesterone (PGT) hormone from synthetic wastewater. Natural PGT is a human steroid hormone from the progestogen family. Synthetic PGT is approved for the regulation of the menstrual cycle, aiding contraception, and is administered as a hormone replacement therapy in menopausal and post-menopausal women. PGT is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) with negative health impacts on biota. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) analyses displayed a porous, amorphous biosorbent with an elemental composition of 72.5% carbon and 22.5% oxygen and a specific surface area of 210.0 m2 g− 1 . The process variables including temperature (298–338 K), pH (2–10), contact time (10–180 min), adsorbate concentration (20–500 μg L− 1 ), and adsorbent dosage (0.1–2.0 g) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the greatest efficacy of MOSB during biosorption of PGT. The optimum parameters for PGT biosorption onto MOSB were: 86.8 min, 500 μg L− 1 adsorbate concentration, 298 K, and 0.1 g adsorbent dosage. PGT removal from aqueous solutions was pH-independent. The Langmuir isotherm best fitted the equilibrium data with maximal monolayer biosorption capacity of 135.8 μg g− 1 . The biosorption rate followed the pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetic law. The thermodynamic functions (ΔG < 0, ΔH = − 9.258 kJ mol− 1 and ΔS = +44.16 J mol− 1 ) confirmed that the biosorption of PGT onto MOSB is a spontaneous and exothermic process with increased randomness at the adsorbent surface. The biosorption mechanism was physisorption and was devoid of electrostatic interactions. The findings from this study indicate that MOSB is an inexpensive, low-carbon, and environmentally friendly biosorbent that can effectively scavenge PGT from aqueous solutions.
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    Response surface methodology directed modeling of the biosorption of progesterone onto acid activated Moringa oleifera seed biomass: Parameters and mechanisms
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2024-07-27) Emily Ngeno; Roselyn Ongulu; Victor Shikuku; Deo Ssentongo; Benton Otieno; Patrick Ssebugere; Francis Orata
    In this study, chemically activated fat-free powdered Moringa oleifera seed biomass (MOSB) was synthesized, characterized, and utilized as a cost-effective biosorbent for the abstraction of progesterone (PGT) hormone from synthetic wastewater. Natural PGT is a human steroid hormone from the progestogen family. Synthetic PGT is approved for the regulation of the menstrual cycle, aiding contraception, and is administered as a hormone replacement therapy in menopausal and post-menopausal women. PGT is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) with negative health impacts on biota. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy-Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) analyses displayed a porous, amorphous biosorbent with an elemental composition of 72.5% carbon and 22.5% oxygen and a specific surface area of 210.0 m2 g−1. The process variables including temperature (298–338 K), pH (2–10), contact time (10–180 min), adsorbate concentration (20–500 μg L−1), and adsorbent dosage (0.1–2.0 g) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to obtain the greatest efficacy of MOSB during biosorption of PGT. The optimum parameters for PGT biosorption onto MOSB were: 86.8 min, 500 μg L−1 adsorbate concentration, 298 K, and 0.1 g adsorbent dosage. PGT removal from aqueous solutions was pH-independent. The Langmuir isotherm best fitted the equilibrium data with maximal monolayer biosorption capacity of 135.8 μg g−1. The biosorption rate followed the pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetic law. The thermodynamic functions (ΔG < 0, ΔH = −9.258 kJ mol−1 and ΔS = +44.16 J mol−1) confirmed that the biosorption of PGT onto MOSB is a spontaneous and exothermic process with increased randomness at the adsorbent surface. The biosorption mechanism was physisorption and was devoid of electrostatic interactions. The findings from this study indicate that MOSB is an inexpensive, low-carbon, and environmentally friendly biosorbent that can effectively scavenge PGT from aqueous solutions. [Display omitted] •MOSB has been used in sequestration of progesterone (PGT) from solution.•Optimum adsorbate parameters were 86.8 min, 500 μg L−1, 298 K and 0.1 g dosage.•PGT removal from aqueous solutions was pH independent.•Biosorption of PGT onto MOSB was a spontaneous and exothermic process.•Biosorption mechanism was physisorption and devoid of electrostatic interactions.