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Plantain waste for lab water cleanup

In this study, we experimentally demonstrated Conflict of interest
a sustainable and efficient approach to laboratory
wastewater treatment using plantain pseudo-stem, an The authors declare no competing interests.
abundant agricultural by-product in India, traditionally
discarded after ceremonial use. Both raw and powdered Author contributions
samples were evaluated as biosorbents. The findings
reveal substantial improvements in water quality, Conceptualization: All authors
including significant reductions in pH imbalance, Investigation: Hemalatha Kuppusamy
turbidity, TDS, electrical conductivity, BOD , COD, Methodology: Hemalatha Kuppusamy
5
and heavy metal concentrations. Notably, PPPS Formal analysis: All authors
exhibited enhanced adsorption capacity with fewer Writing – original draft: Hemalatha Kuppusamy
treatment cycles, due to its higher surface area and Writing – review & editing: All authors
porous morphology.
Beyond its technical efficacy, this biosorbent offers Availability of data
broader environmental benefits. Treated water, although
not potable, meets the quality criteria for secondary Data are available from the corresponding author upon
applications, such as laboratory washing, thereby reasonable request.
reducing freshwater dependency. Furthermore, the spent
biosorbent, being biodegradable, can be repurposed Further disclosure
as compost, closing the loop within a circular waste
management framework. Part of the findings have been presented in an
This work underscores the viability of plantain international conference on “Frontiers of Sustainable
pseudo-stem as a cost-effective, eco-friendly Research in Healthcare, Food, Agriculture and
biosorbent for decentralized wastewater treatment in Environment Management” (ICSURE-2024), organized
academic and research laboratories. Its implementation by Guru Nanak College, Chennai.
supports not only environmental conservation
but also promotes the utilization of agro-waste in References
practical, scalable applications. Looking forward,
the development of filtration units or column-based 1. Demirbas A. Heavy metal adsorption onto agro-
based waste materials: A review. J Hazard Mater.
systems incorporating PPPS could enable continuous 2008;157(2-3):220-229.
flow treatment, further extending its utility in real- doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.01.024
world settings. Integrating such bio-based solutions 2. Gaber MM, Samy M, Shokry H. Effective degradation of
into laboratory infrastructure represents a meaningful synthetic micropollutants and real textile wastewater via
advancement in the pursuit of green chemistry and a visible light-activated persulfate system using novel
sustainable research practices. spinach leaf-derived biochar. Environ Sci Pollut Res.
2024;31:25163-25181.
Acknowledgments doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-32829-6
3. Pathak PD, Mandavgane SA, Kulkarni BD. Fruit peel
The authors are grateful to the Chemistry department, waste as a novel low-cost bio adsorbent. Rev Chem Eng.
Microbiology department, and Multi-Disciplinary 2015;31(4):361-381.
Research and Consultancy Centre (MRCC) of Justice doi: 10.1515/revce-2014-0041
Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women for 4. Naragundkar NS, Kavya BK, Manoj Kumar KS,
Ganga MM, Manoj SK. Industrial Waste Water Tretment
providing instrument facilities. Using Banana Stem Extract [Easy Chair Preprint]; 2022.
5. Ferronato N, Paoli R, Romagnoli F, Tettamanti G,
Funding Bruno D, Torretta V. Environmental impact scenarios

of organic fraction municipal solid waste treatment with
This work was partially supported by the MRCC of black soldier fly larvae based on a life cycle assessment.
Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed College for Women, Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2024;31(12):17651-17669.
Chennai. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-27140-9

Volume 22 Issue 6 (2025) 131 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025110078