Browsing by Author "Fernando, T. D."

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Assessment of hardness and selected anion contents of well water in Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula grama niladari divisions in Madawachchiya divisional secretariat area
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Fernando, T. D.; Mathota-Arachchige, Y. L. N.
Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula grama niladari (GN) divisions of Madawachchiya divisional secretariat area are highly influenced by agricultural practices. These areas have reported the highest number of CKDu patients. People in these GN divisions have colonized as isolated villages. Therefore, in our study we have selected 10 sites in Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula representing all villages to analyze the current situation of water quality in those areas. The Calcium, Magnesium, Fluoride, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sulphate, alkalinity, hardness conductivity, salinity and TDS levels were measured according to American Public Health Association (APHA) standards. Results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. The Calcium level ranged between 17.30 - 101.35 mg/L and Magnesium level ranged between 4 - 102 mg/L. Fluoride (F-), Nitrate (NO3-), Nitrite (NO2-) and Sulphate (SO42-) levels ranged between 0.02 - 4.3 mg/L, 0 - 8 mg/L, 0.1 - 9.3 mg/L and 4 - 98 mg/L respectively. Alkalinity and hardness levels ranged between 20-250 CaCO3 (mg/L) and 59.7 - 608.9 CaCO3 (mg/L) respectively. With respect to Magnesium, Fluoride, hardness and alkalinity, water samples had exceeded SLS recommended levels by 66.7%, 51.7%, 71.2% and 2.6%, respectively. No water sample had exceeded the SLS recommended levels for NO3-, NO2- and SO42-. Even though there is no significant difference (P >0.05) with respect to above parameters between the sites, there was a slightly low conductivity levels in one site (with the highest percentage of CKDu patients) compared to the other sites. According to these results higher percentages of wells in these areas are not suitable for drinking purposes.
Comprehensive Groundwater Quality Analysis in Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) Prevalence Areas of Sri Lanka to Investigate the Responsible Culprit
(Journal of Chemistry, 2022) Fernando, T. D.; Arachchige, Yohan L. N. Mathota; Sanjeewani, K. V. P.; Rajaguru, R. A. M. T. S.
Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a serious health problem in Sri Lanka especially among agricultural communities in dry zone since 19th century. In the present study, several water quality parameters were studied in well water samples and only four parameters, namely, hardness, cadmium level, fluoride level, and strontium level have shown a relationship with the CKDu prevalence. Higher percentage of well water samples collected from CKDu prevalent area in both pre and postmonsoon seasons have exceeded the WHO recommended levels of hardness. Further, water samples collected in postmonsoon seasons had significantly higher hardness than the well water samples collected in premonsoon season (P < 0:05). This may be due to the dissolution of calcium carbonate by water recharge. Moreover, cadmium and fluoride contents have exceeded the recommended levels in high-risk area during the premonsoon period. Furthermore, according to principal component analysis (PCA), four clusters were identified depending on the different levels of fluoride, cadmium, hardness, and strontium contents. The control area (Am) fell in to separate cluster with low contents of fluoride, cadmium, hardness, and strontium than in CKDu prevalent area. Since it has been found that the above species are directly involved in renal damage, it can be concluded that a synergetic effect of cadmium, fluoride, hardness, and strontium in well water may be a main cause for CKDu in Sri Lanka.
Defluoridation of drinking water using physically and chemically modified chitosan
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Pathirannehe, P. N. S.; Fernando, T. D.; Rajapakse, C. S. K.
Depending on the total intake, fluoride (F-) is known to have both beneficial and adverse effects on humans. As the occurrence of the Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is thought to be linked with excess levels of F- in drinking water, the search for efficient, readily available, more affordable and eco-friendly adsorbents that have defluoridation potential has intensified in recent years. Therefore, the current study focuses on use of chitosan-derived adsorbents, physically and chemically modified chitosan for the removal of F- from drinking water. Physically modified chitosan; chitosan beads (CB), and chemically modified chitosan; protonated glutaraldehyde cross-linked chitosan beads (GCLCB/H+) and protonated glycerol diglycidyl ether cross-linked chitosan beads (GDCLCB/H+) were prepared, and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscope. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the effect of adsorbent dosage, initial F- concentration, pH and contact time on defluoridation capacity of GCLCB/H+ at 30 ± 20C and the defluoridation capacities of different chitosan derivatives were determined under the optimized conditions (adsorbent dosage = 0.6 g, initial F- content =15 mg/L, contact time = 30 min, pH = 7). Further, the adsorption isotherm studies were conducted to understand the F- sorption process. The results revealed that the defluoridation capacities of CB, GCLCB/H+ and GDCLCB/H+ under optimized conditions at 30 ± 20C were 76.04 mg/kg, 576.98 mg/kg and 655.37 mg/kg, respectively and these values were significantly greater than that of unmodified chitosan flakes (44.20 mg/kg). The results indicate that physical and chemical modification of chitosan have enhanced the F- adsorption capacity of chitosan-derived adsorbents. Further, the results of the isotherm experiments indicated that the adsorption process is well fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Six water samples among the drinking water samples collected around Kirigollewa Grama Niladhari Division in Medawachchiya, have exceeded the permissible level of F- in drinking water as defined by WHO (1.5 mg/L), but were able to successfully reduce to the permissible range by treatment with GDCLCB/H+. The findings of this study demonstrate that chitosan derived adsorbents are efficient and cost-effective candidates to use in removing F- ions from drinking water.
Equilibrium Isotherms, Kinetics, and Thermodynamic Mechanisms of a Novel Polyacrylamide-Strychnos potatorum Seed-Derived Activated Carbon Composite for Aqueous Hardness Removal
(Journal of Chemistry, 2022) Mathota Arachchige, Y. L. N.; Fernando, T. D.
Hardness in water is responsible for both residential and industrial problems. Moreover, drinking hard water is suspected as the main cause of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) in Sri Lanka. The major constituents that are responsible for water hardness are calcium and magnesium ions. In this study, a composite was synthesized using activated carbon of Strychnos potatorum seeds (ACSP) and acrylamide to remove hardness in drinking water. The synthesized composite was characterized using Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). According to this study, the process of removal of hardness depends on the contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial contents, and pH of the solution. The adsorption data were well fitted to the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Furthermore, environmental samples collected from Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, which is well known for water with high hardness, were treated with an adsorbent, and hardness was reduced effectively. Moreover, the adsorption appeared to be spontaneous in nature. Finally, it can be concluded that this adsorbent can be used as an effective hardness-removing agent.
Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of Cocos nucifera var. aurantiaca and Cocos nucifera var. typica
(Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka, 2024) Weerasiri, K. C.; Fernando, T. D.
Inflammation, a response to injury or infection, involves swelling, pain and discomfort. Rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and even allergies fall under inflammatory diseases, which often results in connective tissue damage. Protein denaturation is a well-known cause of inflammation. In conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and cancer, inflammation is caused due to the denaturation of proteins. Common medications to manage inflammation, such as steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), often cause side effects like stomach irritation and gastric ulcers. Current research is more focused on natural plant compounds due to the side effects associated with synthetic medications. Cocos nucifera a golden nut native to Sri Lanka, has attracted attention for its potential medicinal value. Recent studies on various plant species and their bioactive compounds have encouraged a reconsideration of conventional medicine. Natural compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids, exhibit promising anti-inflammatory potential. The polyphenolic compounds derived from cocos nucifera, which exhibit antioxidant properties, are associated with numerous health benefits, including anti-again effects and the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This study examined the anti-inflammatory potential of Cocos nucifera var. aurantiaca and Cocos nucifera var. typica extracts by employing a bioassay that measured the samples’ ability to inhibit egg albumin denaturation. The assay showed that aurantiaca and typica demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity with IC50 values of 0.60 mg mL-1 and 0.77 mg mL-1, respectively. The positive control aspirin exhibited the highest anti-inflammatory activity with IC50 value of 0.55 mg mL-1. The total phenolic content (TPC) of the extracts was investigated using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. For the mass-based TPC values for aurantiaca and typica were respectively 12.72 ± 0.76 mg GAE g-1 and 7.422 ± 0.67 mg GAE g-1. A correlation between TPC and anti-inflammatory potential is observed. This study suggests that Cocos nucifera var. aurantiaca and Cocos nucifera var. typica water has the potential as a natural source to inhibit protein denaturation, suggesting it could be a promising alternative for treating inflammatory diseases. However, further testing is needed to confirm its efficacy.