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IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
www.iiardpub.org
IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development
Page 51
Ecotoxicological Percentage Assessment of Spent Mobile Phone
Batteries (Samsung, Tecno and Nokia) to Aspergillus Nidulans in
Freshwater
*Renner Renner Nrior, John Chukwuemeka Ugboma & Dumbor Kpalap
Department of Microbiology,
Faculty of Science,
Rivers State University,
Port Harcourt,
Nigeria.
*renner4nrior@gmail.com
Abstract
Three brands of spent mobile phone batteries (lithium-ion and Li-Polymer) were used as
toxicant in freshwater sample with Aspergillus nidulans. The 24h Median Lethal
Concentration (LC50) was used as indices for ecotoxicological assessment. Aspergillus
nidulans survive and multiply in the Samsung contaminated freshwater with median lethal
concentration (LC50 = 84.5659%) which is higher than the maximum toxicant concentration
of 75%. Nokia (LC50 = 73.0401%) which is slightly lower than the maximum toxicant
concentration showing that Aspergillus nidulans is slightly susceptible to the toxicant in fresh
water. Tecno mobile phone battery is a Li-Polymer battery (LC50 of 66.3615%) which is
lower than the maximum toxicant concentration showing that Aspergillus nidulans is
susceptible to the toxicant in fresh water. Cumulative analysis of mean % mortality showed
that Aspergillus nidulans is not susceptible to spent Samsung battery, slightly susceptible to
spent Nokia battery and susceptible to spent Tecno phone battery. Mean % log mortality at
different dose 0%, 5%, 15%, 25%, 50% and 75% revealed Samsung: 0, -5.618, 1.18, -1.87,
-19.822, -17.042; Nokia: 0, 4.642, 3.974, -0.156, 4.018, 1.366; Tecno: 0, 4.59, 8.072,
4.458, 11.394, 17.23 [Note: the negative % log mortality values indicates growth above %
control]. There were significant differences in the toxicants at 95% probability level;
showing that Tecno battery is more toxic than Nokia and Samsung mobile phone battery.
Samsung mobile phone battery might have been manufactured with green awareness. Spent
mobile phone batteries should be handled as toxic materials that require special treatment.
Implementation of a well-coordinated management strategy for spent batteries is urgently
required to check the dissipation of large doses of toxic chemicals and rare heavy metals into
the environment. However, the ability of Aspergillus nidulans to utilize battery chemical
component for growth up to 45% concentration shows that this organism is a very potential
tool for biodegradation of spent mobile phone batteries, thus industries concerned should mix
broth cultures of Aspergillus nidulans with spent chemicals of phone batteries before
discharge into the environment. It can also be used as a bio-marker to detect low and high
level pollution in freshwater.
Keywords: Spent mobile phone batteries, Samsung, Nokia, Tecno, Median Lethal
Concentration (LC50), Aspergillus nidulans
1.0 Introduction
The management of spent primary and secondary batteries has been an issue of
environmental concern in developing countries especially considering the absence of basic
waste collection and management infrastructure (Abdel-Ghani et al., 2007; Daryabeigi and
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development
Page 52
Abduli, 2008; Rabah et al., 2008). Batteries represent a large volume of toxic and hazardous
materials in common use (Lankey and McMicheal, 1999; Nrior and Owhonda, 2017). Waste
management in general has emerged as a major problem for urban cities (Aina et al., 2009).
Adopting inappropriate mean in the management of wastes could result in environmental
pollution (Giri et al., 2007; Ogundiran and Afolabi, 2008; Wemedo and Nrior, 2017).
Batteries contain a wide variety of materials such as carbon, steel, plastic, heavy metals and
salts (electrolytes). While materials such as carbon are not so aggressive to the environment
and can quickly merge into the eco-system without noticeable impacts, others such as heavy
metals pose threat to the ecosystem and man (Nnorom and Osibanjo, 2006a,b; Nrior and
Gboto, 2017). The fate of spent rechargeable batteries is an important and timely issue,
primarily because of the toxic and hazardous materials they contain. The consumption of
portable rechargeable batteries in Nigeria has been phenomenal since the introduction of
mobile telecommunication in the country in 2000. For instance, in 1999, about 179,295kg of
portable rechargeable batteries was imported into Nigeria. Consumption of portable
rechargeable batteries has also increased with increase in subscription of mobile
telecommunication from a mere 30,000 subscribers in 1999 to more than 40 million
subscribers in 2007. As at April 2009, the teledensity in Nigeria was 47.98 with 67 million
active lines and an installed capacity of 133million lines.
The NiMH and Li-ion batteries do not contain cadmium, which is highly toxic and are
therefore considered environmentally acceptable. This and the better performance offered by
these batteries led to the replacement of NiCd in many application by the NiMH and Li-ion
batteries. These new types of batteries make up about 10- 30 % portable sources of energy
depending on the region (Gega and Walkowiak, 2001). In 2002, out of the total rechargeable
batteries available in the market for use in mobile phones and communication devices 66 % is
Li-based batteries while the rest used nickel-based batteries (Arora and Zhang, 2004). The
NiMH batteries are not only Cd-free, but also can store more energy than their NiCd of
comparable size (Rydh and Svard, 2003). However, NiMH batteries are not as environmental
friendly as presented as they contain toxic materials such as Ni, a toxic and carcinogenic
material (Lankey and McMicheal, 1999). Also the Li-ion and NiMH batteries contain metals
(such as La, Nd and Co) for which only a few have their toxicological or ecotoxicological
data available. As a result, Rydh and Svard (2003) opined that the production and
consumption of batteries containing these „new‟ metals is associated with uncertainties
regarding their environmental impact and could result in a change from one problematic
metal to another should be reviewed. Meanwhile, the potential environmental impact of spent
batteries depends on the disposal options adopted. The use of portable rechargeable batteries
represents a true „source reduction‟ since this reduces the amount of batteries consumed and
the volume of waste spent batteries generated over time. This is the case considering that
majority of these portable rechargeable batteries can be recharged and reused as many as one
thousand times (Lu and Chung, 2003). They have better performance characteristics (such as
high energy density) which are desired in many applications (Moshtev and Johnson, 2000).
NiMH and Li-ion batteries are special purpose rechargeable batteries used in cell phones,
iPods and PDAs. Li-ion battery is the fastest growing battery technology today (Castillo et
al., 2004). It has significant high energy density and twice the life cycle of a NiMH battery.
Nevertheless, they can be more expensive than NiMH batteries and unsafe when improperly
used or disposed (Lankey and McMicheal, 1999; Castillo et al., 2004). At the global level,
battery manufacturers produced 1.4 billion NiCd batteries, ~1 billion NiMH batteries.
Ecotoxicity involves the identification of chemical hazards to the environment, measures the
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development
Page 53
effect of chemicals on aquatic organisms (fungi, bacteria, virus, lower and higher organisms),
and terrestrial animals. The specific properties of a chemical are used to describe the potential
hazard to the aquatic environment (UNECE, 2004).
Aspergillus nidulans(also called Emericella nidulans when referring to its sexual form, or
teleomorph) is one of many species of filamentous fungi in the phylum Ascomycota.
Scientific classification; Domain: Eukarya, Kingdom: Fungi, Phylum: Ascomycota, Class:
Eurotiomycetes, Order: Eurotiales, Family: Trichocomaceae, Genus: Aspergillus, Species: A.
nidulans, Binomial name: Aspergillus nidulans. It has been an important research organism
for studying eukaryotic cell biology for over 50 years, being used to study a wide range of
subjects including bioremediation, biodegradation, recombination, DNA repair, mutation, cell
cycle control, tubulin, chromatin, nucleokinesis, pathogenesis, metabolism, biodegradation
and experimental evolution. It is one of the few species in its genus able to form sexual
spores through meiosis, allowing crossing of strains in the laboratory. A. nidulans is a
homothallic fungus, meaning it is able to self-fertilize and form fruiting bodies in the absence
of a mating partner. It has septate hyphae with a woolly colony texture and white mycelia.
The green colour of wild-type colonies is due to pigmentation of the spores, while mutations
in the pigmentation pathway can produce other spore colours. Fresh water reflects
perturbations in the environments. So microorganisms can often be used to indicate the health
of an aquatic system because chemicals can accumulate in the organism from the water and
sediment. To test the toxicity, they can apply bio-markers to detect low-level pollution in the
fresh water.
The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the ecotoxicological percentage assessment
of spent Mobile Phone Batteries (Samsung, Tecno and Nokia) to Aspergillus nidulans in
freshwater.
2.0 Materials and Method
Sample Collection
Three brands of battery Samsung, Nokia and Tecno were collected form a recycle bin in a
phone shop. Samsung mobile phone battery is a Li-ion battery with a voltage supply of 3.8V
and a charging voltage limit of 4.23V. Nokia mobile phone battery is a Li-Polymer battery
with a voltage supply of 3.7V and a charging current limit of 2.6wh. Tecno mobile phone
battery is a Li-Polymer battery with a voltage supply of 3.7V and a charging voltage limit of
4.2V. Fresh water was gotten from a local Stream in Asarama community, Andoni Local
Government Area, Rivers state, Nigeria.
Preparation of Aspergillus nidulans Broth Culture
A laboratory prepared fresh potato broth was made by using the following formula;
Composition: Potato infusion 200g, Dextrose 20g, pH 5.6 ±0.2 at 25oC, Distilled water
1000ml. Preparation: The potato is boiled and 200g of the infusion is collected and poured
into 500ml conical flask. 20g of Dextrose sugar is added to the potato infusion and 1000ml of
distilled water is added to the mixture, it pH is check to obtain 5.6 ±0.2 at 25oC. A pure
culture of Aspergillus nidulans was scrapped into broth culture
Preparation of Potato Dextrose Agar
Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium was prepared by weighing 78g PDA, then mixed
thoroughly with 360ml of distilled water in a conical flask. The medium was sterilized by
autoclaved 121oC for 15minutes at 15psi.
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Set-up and Monitoring Procedure
A total of eighteen (18) set-up were done, six (6) for each spent mobile phone battery;
Samsung, Nokia and Tecno. The batteries were separately soaked in a sterile container
containing autoclaved habitat water (freshwater) for three weeks. The set-up with toxicants
(spent mobile phone battery- Samsung, Nokia and Tecno) concentrations 0, 5, 15, 25, 50 and
75% were prepared in test tubes as shown in table 1-3. The test tubes were then covered with
cotton wool; the control (0%) consists of freshwater from the habitat and the organism only.
About 1ml of the test organism was added to separate toxicant concentrations in test tubes
containing (5%, 15%, 25%, 50%, 75% and control respectively) (Table 1-3), and an aliquot
(0.1ml) was plated out immediately after inoculation on Potato Dextrose Agar. This is known
as zero-hour count plating. And then was incubated at room temperature (28± 2ºc). Aliquot
(0.1ml) of each of the concentrations of the effluent was then plated out after 4h, 8h, 12h and
24h on Potato Dextrose Agar and was incubated for 72hours. After which the plate were
counted.
Table 1: Toxicity Set-up of the different concentrations of spent Samsung battery with
Aspergillus nidulans in freshwater
Concentration
Test Tube
No.
Set-up Label
Sterile
(Autoclaved)
habitat water
Toxicant
(Samsung
battery
solution)
Test
organism
(Aspergilus
nidulans)
broth
-
-
ml
ml
ml
Control 0%
1
Samsung 0%
10.0
0.0
1.0
5%
2
Samsung 5%
9.5
0.5
1.0
15%
3
Samsung
15%
8.5
1.5
1.0
25%
4
Samsung
25%
7.5
2.5
1.0
50%
5
Samsung
50%
5.0
5.0
1.0
75%
6
Samsung
75%
2.5
7.5
1.0
Table 2: Toxicity Set-up of the different concentrations of spent Nokia battery with
Aspergillus nidulans in freshwater
Concentration
Test Tube
No.
Set-up Label
Sterile
(Autoclaved)
habitat water
Toxicant
(Nokia
battery
solution)
Test
organism
(Aspergilus
nidulans)
broth
-
-
ml
ml
ml
Control 0%
7
Nokia 0%
10.0
0.0
1.0
5%
8
Nokia 5%
9.5
0.5
1.0
15%
9
Nokia 15%
8.5
1.5
1.0
25%
10
Nokia 25%
7.5
2.5
1.0
50%
11
Nokia 50%
5.0
5.0
1.0
75%
12
Nokia 75%
2.5
7.5
1.0
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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IIARD – International Institute of Academic Research and Development
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Table 3: Toxicity Set-up of the different concentrations of spent Tecno battery with
Aspergillus nidulans in freshwater
Concentration
Test Tube
No.
Set-up Label
Sterile
(Autoclaved)
habitat water
Toxicant
(Tecno
battery
solution)
Test
organism
(Aspergilus
nidulans)
broth
-
-
ml
ml
ml
Control 0%
13
Tecno 0%
10.0
0.0
1.0
5%
14
Tecno 5%
9.5
0.5
1.0
15%
15
Tecno 15%
8.5
1.5
1.0
25%
16
Tecno 25%
7.5
2.5
1.0
50%
17
Tecno 50%
5.0
5.0
1.0
75%
18
Tecno 75%
2.5
7.5
1.0
Percentage log survival of Aspergillus nidulans in spent mobile phone batteries in
freshwater
The percentage log survival of the Aspergillus nidulans in the mobile phone batteries effluent
used in the study was calculated using the formula adopted from Williams and Johnson
(1981), Odokuma and Nrior (2015). The percentage log survival of the bacteria isolates in the
effluent was calculated by obtaining the log of the count in toxicant concentration, dividing
by the log of the count in the zero toxicant concentration and multiplying by 100. Thus:
Percentage (%) log survival =
LogC
× 100
Logc
where:
LogC=log of the count in each toxicant concentration
Logc=log of count in the control (zero toxicant concentration).
Percentage (%) log mortality of Aspergillus nidulans with spent mobile phone batteries
in freshwater
The study was carried out to assess the probable toxic effect, cell batteries could have in
fresh, marine and brackish water (aquatic environment). The formula for calculation of
percentage mortality was adopted from APHA (1992), Nrior and Obire (2015). And the
percentage log mortality was done by subtracting percentage (%) log survival percentage log
control (100).
Percentage (%) log mortality = 100 - % log survival
3.0 Results and Discussion
The percentage (%) log survival of the test organism Aspergillus nidulans to the toxicants;
spent Samsung, Nokia and Tecno phone batteries at concentrations (%) 5, 15, 25, 50, 75;
exposure time 0, 4, 8, 12, 24h were shown in Fig. 1-3. The results obtained during this
research revealed that certain substances in lithium battery used to power mobile phones are
relatively toxic at certain concentrations; and stimulatory at alternate concentrations to
Aspergillus nidulans. Similar observations have been reported (Wang, 1984; Nrior and
Gboto, 2017; Nrior and Owhonda, 2017). A good increase in the loss of Nitrobacter with
increasing exposure time was observed in the media as the concentration of the battery cells
are increase.
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Fig. 1: Percentage (%) Log Survival count of Aspergillus nidulans in fresh water using
Samsung mobile phone battery
Fig. 2: Percentage (%) Log Survival count of Aspergillus nidulans in fresh water using
Nokia mobile phone battery
y = 0.4783x + 113.33
R² = 0.5844
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
010 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
% Log Survival
Concentration (%)
Spent Samsung Battery
0h
4h
8h
12h
24h
Linear (0h)
y = -0.3807x + 98.014
R² = 0.7711
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
020 40 60 80
% Log Survival
Concentration (%)
Spent Nokia Battery
0h
4h
8h
12h
24h
Linear (0h)
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Fig. 3: Percentage (%) Log Survival count of Aspergillus nidulans in fresh water using
Tecno mobile phone battery
The values of percentage (%) log survival and mortality of Aspergillus nidulans at different
concentration of test toxicants (spent mobile phone batteries – Samsung, Nokia and Tecno)
0, 5, 15, 25, 50, 70% at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24h duration of exposure in freshwater were shown in
Table. 4-6. The percentage log survival count of Aspergillus nidulans were checked by
setting a biomarker which is the log survival count of Aspergillus nidulans in the control. The
percentage log survival was calculated by dividing the contaminant at a particular time
interval divided by the control log survival count of that same time interval. This shows a
significant rate at which there is an inhibitory activities or tolerance to the toxic chemical
discharged from each spent mobile phone battery. Mean % mortality at different dose 0%,
5%, 15%, 25%, 50% and 75% revealed Samsung: 0, -5.618, 1.18, -1.87, -19.822, -17.042;
Nokia: 0, 4.642, 3.974, -0.156, 4.018, 1.366; Tecno: 0, 4.59, 8.072, 4.458, 11.394, 17.23
(Fig. Table 4-9).
Table 4: Lethal toxicity of spent mobile phone battery, Samsung, using Aspergillus
nidulans in freshwater
Conc. (%)
5
15
25
50
75
Control (%)
100
100
100
100
100
Start (0h)
% Log
Survival
107.74
135.71
136.90
139.88
141.07
% Log
Mortality
-7.74*
-35.71*
-36.9*
-39.88*
41.07*
Start (4h)
% Log
Survival
103.13
105.73
109.90
110.42
112.50
% Log
Mortality
-3.13*
-5.73*
-9.9*
-10.42*
-12.5*
Start (8h)
% Log
Survival
100
91.75
93.30
103.09
117.53
y = -0.7057x + 102.12
R² = 0.9842
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
020 40 60 80
% Log Survival
Concentration (%)
Spent Tecno Battery
0h
4h
8h
12h
24h
Linear (0h)
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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% Log
Mortality
0
8.25
6.7
-3.09*
-17.53*
Start (12h)
% Log
Survival
106.12
122.45
125
125.51
126.53
% Log
Mortality
-6.12*
-22.45*
-25*
-25.51*
-26.53*
Start (2h)
% Log
Survival
111.11
114.14
116.16
120.20
107.57
% Log
Mortality
-11.11*
-14.14*
-16.16*
-20.2*
-7.57*
*Indicates non % log mortality rather there is growth above control.
Table 5: Lethal toxicity of spent mobile phone battery, Nokia, using Aspergillus nidulans
in freshwater
Conc. (%)
5
15
25
50
75
Control (%)
100
100
100
100
100
Start (0h)
% Log
Survival
91.15
86.44
97.18
83.62
64.98
% Log
Mortality
8.85
13.56
2.82
16.38
35.02
Start (4h)
% Log
Survival
94.48
88.95
87.29
83.98
88.95
% Log
Mortality
5.52
11.05
12.71
16.02
11.05
Start (8h)
% Log
Survival
96.94
91.84
90.31
84.94
87.24
% Log
Mortality
3.06
8.16
9.69
15.06
12.76
Start (12h)
% Log
Survival
85.71
93.37
92.35
96.94
106.12
% Log
Mortality
14.29
6.63
7.65
3.06
-6.12*
Start (24h)
% Log
Survival
84.75
94.07
108.47
104.24
116.95
% Log
Mortality
15.25
5.93
-8.47*
4.24*
-16.95*
*Indicates non % log mortality rather there is growth above control.
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Table 6: Lethal toxicity of spent mobile phone battery, Tecno, using Aspergillus
nidulans in freshwater
Conc. (%)
5
15
25
50
75
Control (%)
100
100
100
100
100
Start (0h)
% Log
Survival
96.09
93.85
88.27
67.04
47.49
% Log
Mortality
3.91
6.15
11.73
32.96
52.51
Start (4h)
% Log
Survival
91.10
88.48
85.34
71.20
62.83
% Log
Mortality
8.90
11.52
14.66
28.80
37.17
Start (8h)
% Log
Survival
96.94
94.90
90.31
85.20
73.47
% Log
Mortality
3.06
5.10
9.69
14.80
26.53
Start (12h)
% Log
Survival
93.37
89.29
100
96.94
103.06
% Log
Mortality
6.63
10.71
0
3.06
-3.06*
Start (24h)
% Log
Survival
97.62
91.27
115.87
120.63
125.40
% Log
Mortality
2.38
8.73
-15.87*
-20.63*
-25.40*
*Indicates non % log mortality rather there is growth above control.
The 24h Median Lethal Concentration (LC50) of the sensitivity of the fungi Aspergillus
nidulans to the toxicity of mobile phone battery (Samsung, Nokia, Tecno) with Fresh water
samples from Andoni LGA, Rivers state, Nigeria for Samsung, Nokia and Tecno respectively
are: 84.5659, 73.0401 and 66.3615. The toxicant with the lowest LC50 has an higher
inhibitory substance to Aspergillus nidulans while the toxicant with the highest LC50 have
shown that Aspergillus nidulans is tolerant to the toxicant in the fresh water (Table 7-9).
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Table 7: Median lethal concentration (LC50) of Samsung mobile phone battery on
Aspergillus nidulans
Dose
%Mortality
Mean
%Mortality
Dose
Difference
∑dose diff. x Mean
%Mortality
0%
0
-
-
-
5%
-28.09
-5.618
5
-28.09
15%
5.9
1.18
10
11.8
25%
-9.35
-1.87
10
-18.7
50%
-99.11
-19.822
25
-495.55
75%
-85.21
-17.042
25
-426.05
∑= -956.59
LC50 = LC100 - ∑dose diff. x mean %Mortality
%Control
= 75 - -956.39
100
= 75 - -9.5659
= 75 + 9.5659
= 84.5659
Table 8: Median lethal concentration (LC50) of Nokia mobile phone battery on
Aspergillus nidulans
Dose
%Mortality
Mean
%Mortality
Dose
Difference
∑dose diff. x Mean
%Mortality
0%
0
-
-
-
5%
23.21
4.642
5
23.21
15%
19.87
3.974
10
39.74
25%
-0.78
-0.156
10
-1.56
50%
20.09
4.018
25
100.45
75%
6.83
1.366
25
34.15
∑= 195.99
LC50 = LC100 - ∑dose diff. x mean %Mortality
%Control
= 75 - 195.99
100
= 75 - 1.9599
= 73.0401
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Table 9: Median lethal concentration (LC50) of Tecno mobile phone battery on
Aspergillus nidulans
Dose
%Mortality
Mean
%Mortality
Dose
Difference
∑dose diff. x Mean
%Mortality
0%
0
-
-
-
5%
22.95
4.59
5
22.95
15%
40.36
8.072
10
80.72
25%
22.29
4.458
10
44.58
50%
56.97
11.394
25
284.85
75%
86.15
17.23
25
430.75
∑= 863.85
LC50 = LC100 - ∑dose diff. x mean %Mortality
%Control
= 75 - 863.85
100
= 75 - 8.6385
= 66.3615
Aspergillus nidulans survive and multiply in the Samsung contaminated freshwater with
median lethal concentration (LC50 = 84.5659%) which is higher than the maximum toxicant
concentration of 75%. Nokia (LC50 = 73.0401%) which is slightly lower than the maximum
toxicant concentration showing that Aspergillus nidulans is slightly susceptible to the
toxicant in fresh water. Tecno mobile phone battery is a Li-Polymer battery (LC50 of
66.3615%) which is lower than the maximum toxicant concentration showing that
Aspergillus nidulans is susceptible to the toxicant in fresh water (Fig. 4). Cumulative analysis
of mean % mortality showed that Aspergillus nidulans is not susceptible to spent Samsung
battery, slightly susceptible to spent Nokia battery and susceptible to spent Tecno phone
battery.
This research revealed that substances found inside the mobile phone batteries can be toxic
and affect the test organism Aspergillus nidulans at certain concentration. This result
confirms similar observation made by Hermann and Urbach on substances electronics
(Hermann and Urbach 2000; Nrior and Gboto, 2017). Some advantages observed in the use
of microbial bioassay organism include; low cost, small space, simplicity and rapidity.
Mortality of the test organism expressed as Median Lethal Concentration (LC50) was used as
indices to monitor toxicity (Odokuma and Nrior, 2015; Nrior and Owhonda, 2017).
IIARD International Journal of Geography and Environmental Management ISSN 2504-8821 Vol. 4 No. 1 2018
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Fig 4: Median lethal concentration (LC50) of mobile phone battery on Aspergillus
nidulans
The results shows Aspergillus nidulans is able to survive in fresh water contaminated by
mobile phone battery leading to the deterioration of the fresh water for plants and animal
consumption either domestic, agricultural and industrial use. Using the results from the
ANOVA there is a significant difference among the toxicants in fresh water.
During this research spent Tecno mobile battery proves to be more lethal to Aspergillus
nidulans than the Nokia and least with Samsung; the longer these organisms are being
exposed to these toxicants the more lethal it becomes to them as shown in the results
obtained.
Conclusion
Tecno battery is more toxic than Nokia and Samsung mobile phone battery. Samsung mobile
phone battery might have been manufactured with green awareness. Spent mobile phone
batteries should be handled as toxic materials that require special treatment. Implementation
of a well-coordinated management strategy for spent batteries is urgently required to check
the dissipation of large doses of toxic chemicals and rare heavy metals into the environment.
However, the ability of Aspergillus nidulans to utilize battery chemical component for
growth up to 50% concentration shows that this organism is a very potential tool for
biodegradation of spent mobile phone batteries, thus industries concerned should mix broth
cultures of Aspergillus nidulans with spent chemicals of phone batteries before discharge into
the environment. It is therefore recommended that; Spoilt mobile phone batteries should be
recycled or dumped at an appropriate dumpsite or landfill to avoid the aforementioned
environmental hazards. Implementation of extended producer responsibility, introduction of
an effective collection system and the introduction of environmentally sound material
recovery strategy is required in handling this issue. Landfills should be covered with a thin
layer or clay to avoid chemicals in the battery to leak into groundwater thereby leading to
pollution.
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