DOI: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.18 ISSN: 2578-8353

Sustainable Use of Waste Snail Shell Powder for Water Treatment: A Preliminary Adsorption Study

Ghanishtha Prusty, Bodroth Prasad, Suman Polaki, Tapas Guru, Abhipsa Pradhan, Sushree Senapati, Snehalata Pradhan
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Water pollution caused due to industrial wastewater discharge has emerged as a crucial environmental concern worldwide. With heavy metals being most hazardous contaminants. Lead (Pb) particularly remains a significant environmental and public health concern. It is a serious treat due to its non-biodegradable nature, environmental persistence and significantly high tendency to bioaccumulate in living organisms. Exposure to lead, even at low concentrations, can cause severe renal, neurological, developmental, and physiological disorders. Thereby making its removal from contaminated water system is an important priority. Conventional methods for lead removal, such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, and membrane filtration, are often costly, energy-intensive, and may generate secondary pollutants. Therefore, low-cost, sustainable, and environmentally benign alternatives are highly desirable. In this present study the snail shell waste was investigated as an eco-friendly biosorbent for the removal of PB 2+ ions from contaminated aqueous systems. Snail shells primarily composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) plays a crucial role in their effectiveness as a biosorbent. The CaCO 3 can interact with heavy metal ions through adsorption, ion exchange, surface complexation, and precipitation. In this study, collected snail shells were washed, dried, pulverized, and used in normal as well as sintered forms to evaluate their biosorbent potential against contaminated water. The level of contamination was evaluated before and after biosorbent treatment was estimated using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer after colour development and calibration with standard solutions. The experimental groups included lead normal snail shell, sintered snail shell. The results indicated a reduction in impure concentration after treatment with snail shell biosorbent, with sintered snail shell showing comparatively higher removal efficiency than normal snail shell. The improved performance of sintered snail shell may be attributed to increased surface reactivity and enhanced availability of calcium-based active sites. Overall, the findings suggest that snail shell waste can act as an efficient, low-cost, and sustainable biosorbent for reducing lead toxicity in contaminated water systems. The utilization of snail shell waste not only supports heavy metal remediation but also contributes to waste valorisation, circular economy, and environmental sustainability.

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