Integrated Surfactant-Based Extraction and Biosorption Using Sawdust for Heavy Metal Remediation in Food Industry Wastewater

Heavy metal contamination in water bodies presents a significant environmental and public health concern (Amjad et al., 2020). This investigation details a methodology for determining physicochemical water quality parameters and heavy metal concentrations, incorporating surfactant-enhanced extraction and bioadsorption. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and microemulsion systems facilitated efficient heavy metal solubilization and preconcentration. Subsequently, sawdust served as a cost-effective bioadsorbent. Physicochemical analysis provided baseline water quality assessment, including pH, conductivity, biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (Hailu & Nibret, 2023). Heavy metal quantification utilized UV-Vis spectrophotometry after optimized surfactant-assisted extraction. The sawdust bioadsorbent demonstrated considerable capacity for metal sequestration, validating its potential as an environmentally benign and economical solution for water purification (Meez et al., 2021) (Chikri et al., 2020).