Comparative Ecotoxicological Analyses of Spent Phone Batteries on Pseudomonas sp. in Tri Aquatic Environment

Aim: To analyze and compare the effect of two products of spent phone batteries on Pseudomonas sp. in Marine, brackish and freshwater using standard toxicological bioassay.

Study Design: The study employs experimental design, statistical analysis of the data and interpretation.

Place and Duration of Study: Freshwater and Marine samples were collected from Gokana L.G.A while, brackish sample was collected from Eagle Island, all in Rivers state, Nigeria. These samples were transported with ice pack to the Microbiology Laboratory of Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, for analyses within 24 hours. Spent Nokia and Techno phone batteries were obtained from the main phone market, Garrison junction, Aba road, Port Harcourt.

Methodology: Toxicity testing procedures were carried out by dissolving four (4) grams of the spent phone batteries content into one hundred milliliter (100 ml) each of autoclaved water bodies separately. This served as a stock solution, from which different concentrations (%); 0, 5, 25, 50 and 75, were made; each was inoculated with one milliliter (1 ml) of the test organism (Pseudomonas sp.) and tested for duration 0,4,8,12,and 24 hours respectively using spread plate techniques. The cultures were incubated at 35°C for 18 to 24 hours. Median lethal concentration (LC50) was determined using SPSS version 20.

Results: The results revealed that percentage logarithm survival of Pseudomonas sp decreased with increasing exposure time and concentrations. (LC50) of the spent phone batteries ranging from 61.76 to 65.31%. Nokia phone battery in freshwater (65.31%) <Techno phone battery in freshwater (65.14%)<Techno phone battery in marine (64.73%)<Nokia phone battery in brackish (64.53%)<Nokia phone battery in fresh water (64.17%) < Nokia phone battery in marine (62.75%) < Techno phone battery in marine ( 61.76% )(noting; the lower the LC50 the more toxic the toxicant)

Conclusion: The effect of Techno phone battery in marine is the most toxic (LC50 = 61.76%) having the lowest LC50 while Nokia phone battery in freshwater (LC50= 65.97%) has the lowest toxicity effect this is because, statistically when the median lethal concentration is high the toxicity effect is low. These results show that spent phone batteries if disposed into aquatic environments can inhibits normal biological processes within the aquatic ecosystem.