Assessment and Removal of Heavy Metals Contamination of Soan River and Nullah Lai by (NEEM) Azadirachta Indica Powder

Abstract

Soan River water is widely used for irrigation in Rawalpindi and the surrounding area along the riverbanks. Natural adsorbents such as neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves were utilized in this study to remove barium and selenium from water samples. The presence of heavy metals in a water sample was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. The Atomic Absorption Spectrometry showed that Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and As were within permissible limits set by NEQS-Pakistan and FAO except Ba, Co, Mo and Se. Treatment of selected heavy metals (Ba and Se) resulted in maximum removal of 99.99%, 100% and 99.88% for barium and 100%, 99.76%, 99.96%, and 99.94% for selenium. The statistical evaluation and graphical representation of average values were performed in Microsoft Excel software (2016). The set condition of pH 8 using 2-gram dosages with contact time 120 minutes generated the optimum results. Thus, in comparison to other treatment procedures, this study favors the use of neem leaves for the effective removal of heavy metals from water since it is organic, affordable, and eco-friendly.