Recent research (Workers 37–40) has increasingly focused on the contamination of surface waterways and groundwater by heavy metals, driven by environmental and industrial factors. Given that a significant portion of the population relies on surface and groundwater for drinking purposes, the escalation of global water pollution due to heavy metals like Mercury, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Nickel, Cobalt, Iron, Manganese, Cadmium, and Chromium has been pronounced over the past decades. These metals have long been a major concern in water pollution, heightened by public awareness following incidents of heavy metal poisoning in aquatic environments. Notable events include the Itai-Itai disease outbreak in Japan associated with cadmium-contaminated river water, the transformation of inorganic mercury into methyl mercury with its bioaccumulation effects, the carcinogenic properties of certain inorganics and metals, and the potential use of recycled wastewater to supplement drinking water supplies in the near future, all contributing to renewed scrutiny on heavy metal contamination.

Heavy metals are byproducts generated in numerous industrial activities, encompassing chemical manufacturing, fertilizer production, leather processing, metal finishing (including polishing and cleaning), metallurgy, electroplating, refractory operations, textile mills, wood processing, and various others. The concentrations and types of metals present in industrial wastewater can vary widely, ranging from suspended metal particles to metal ions and complexes dissolved in solution. Companies involved in the processing of non-metallic materials also generate effluents containing metals.