Page 44 - ACCB 2020

Revista de la Asociación Colombiana de Ciencias Biológicas
issn impreso 0120-4173, issn en línea 2500-7459
sents one of the major concerns of the modern world. The huge industrialization, excessive use of chemicals in va-
rious applications as well as scientifi c and technical development are collectively responsible for the generation of
numerous unwanted contaminants (organic, inorganic, and pathogens) which has ultimately increased the burden
of pollutants in drinking water in developing and developed countries (8–11). As mentioned above, organic and
inorganic contaminants are the major class of the pollutants of water resources, along with microbial pathogens,
which are briefl y discussed here (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Schematic representation of the components of water contamination. The
organic, inorganic, and microbial contaminants together lead to contamination of
water.

2.1. Organic contaminants
A variety of organic contaminants generated from various sources are also responsible for the contamination of
water. Among the organic contaminants, the wastewater generated from dye industries poses major problems
because generally, it contains acids and bases, dissolved organic solids, toxic chemicals, and also dyes. Coloured
chemicals can be easily recognized as they are visible, whereas, other contaminants are diffi cult to identify. Mo-
reover, it was demonstrated that the removal of many textile dyes by traditional treatment methods from the waste
is very challenging as they showed stability towards light and resistance to oxidizing agents as well as aerobic
digestion (12,13). Phenolic compounds, such as nitrophenols and chlorophenols are other important contaminants
of water resources that originated from various industries. Phenolic compounds can create serious health problems
when entered into the food chain as water pollutants. It is also reported to affect the taste and odour of fi sh and
drinking water at a very low concentration (14). Karakoyun et al (15) developed different biochars, which can be
used for the removal of aqueous phenols from the wastewater. Pesticide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH) have attracted great attention as they are responsible for serious health issues. These compounds are mostly
used in agriculture for the control of pests and therefore, easily get entered into the water resources like wells,
ponds, etc. Khim et al(16) analyzed 32 water and sediment samples collected from different locations in Ulsan
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Rev. Asoc. Col. Cienc.(Col.), 2020; 32: 42-62.