An effective adsorbent developed from municipal solid waste and coal co-combustion ash for As(V) removal from aqueous solution

Arsenate(V) removal from aqueous system by using modified incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA) as a novel adsorbent

Adsorption methods have been widely used in wastewater treatment due to its high removal efficiency, easy operation and handling, economic efficiency and little secondary pollution to the environment. In this paper, a high-iron containing incineration sewage sludge ash (ISSA) was modified by combined acid leaching and precipitation processes to improve its adsorption capacity of As(V). The effects of pH, time, temperature and ionic strength on the adsorption of As(V) were investigated by batch adsorption experiments. The results indicated that iron (mainly present as hematite) in the ISSA was rearranged to Fe(SO₄)OH. The modified ISSA showed an excellent adsorption potential for As(V) under acidic conditions and the adsorption capacity was around 9 times of the unmodified ISSA at pH 2-3. The adsorption process was fast during the first 2 h and reached an equilibrium at around 6 h. The Freundlich model could well fit the adsorption isotherm data, the presence of NO₃^- and Cl^- had a negligible influence on the As(V) removal by the modified ISSA, while PO₄^3- and SO₄^2- could significantly suppress As(V) removal via competitive adsorption. After 3 cycles of regeneration, the modified ISSA still showed a satisfying adsorption capacity. As(V) was removed by the modified ISSA mainly through ligand exchange reaction with hydroxyl oxygen (OH-) to form inner-sphere complexes. Therefore, the modified ISSA can be a promising material for As(V) removal from wastewater in particular due to the waste recycling potential.

Physiochemical characterization and systematic investigation of metals extraction from fly and bottom ashes produced from municipal solid waste

Incineration has emerged as one of the acceptable ways to treat municipal solid waste (MSW) due to its potential in reducing the mass and volume of the waste. However, it produces two major by-product residues, namely MSW-bottom ash (MSW-BA) and MSW-fly ash (MSW-FA). These residues have gained great attention to their hazardous nature and potential to be reused and recycled. In this paper, the physicochemical characterizations of the MSW-BA and the MSW-FA were performed, followed by a systematic investigation of metals extraction from MSW-BA and MSW-FA. Various extracting agents were used to investigate the possibility to extract 21 metals including cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), and lead (Pb). It was revealed that some metals were present in a high amount in the MSW-BA while other metals were higher in the MSW-FA. Moreover, the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results revealed that the MSW-BA was dominated by oxygen (O) 55.4 ±0.6 wt%, silicon (Si) 22.5 ±0.3 wt%, and calcium (Ca) 18.5 ±0.2 wt%. On the other hand, the MSW-FA was enriched with Ca 45.2 ±0.5 wt%, and O 40.3 ±0.4 wt%. From the scanning electron microscopy, the MSW-BA was observed as flaky with an irregular surface that consisted of large pores, while, the MSW-FA was present as agglomerated particles and had a bimodal distribution. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that Al-Fe-OH, Al-Al-OH, Si-O, C-O, and C-H were some of the major functional groups present in the ashes. The F-tests concluded that the metal extraction from the MSW-BA and MSW-FA were significantly affected by the acid type. it is concluded that nitric acid and phosphoric acid were the best-suited acid for the MSW-BA while sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid for the MSW-FA. More than 11 wt% of Cd and 9 wt% of Cu were extracted from MSW-BA while 6 wt% of Pb and 4.5 wt% of V were extracted from the MSW-FA. The present methodology is an interesting development in metal extraction from the MSW-BA and the MSW-FA, which can develop in a cost-effective and sustainable option to utilize MSW.

Preparation of magnetically recoverable bentonite-Fe3O4-MnO2 composite particles for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solutions

In this study, bentonite-Fe₃O₄-MnO₂ composite was synthesized by combining bentonite with Fe₃O₄ and MnO₂ through co-precipitation. Vibrating-sample magnetometry, scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements, and X-ray powder diffraction techniques were used to characterize the composite. The composite consists of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles orderly assembled on the surface of bentonite and an outer layer of MnO₂ sheets. The composite's particles possess a saturation magnetization of 13.4-30.5 emu/g and a high specific surface area (203.89 m²/g). The adsorption behaviors of the composite in Cd(II) removal were evaluated by batch equilibrium experiments. Kinetic and isothermal data fit well the pseudo-second-order and the Freundlich models, respectively. Adsorption reached equilibrium within 30 min, and the Freundlich capacity of the composite was 35.35 mg/g. The adsorption capacity of Cd(II) increased with increasing pH and was dependent on the ionic strength. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the combination of surface hydroxyl groups of the composite and Cd(II) in the solution. The prepared composite can be easily recycled and reused by taking advantage of its magnetic properties. The results show that the designed composite is a promising absorbent for the treatment of Cd-contaminated water.

Synthesis and application of green mixed-metal oxide nano-composite materials from solid waste for dye degradation

Present study demonstrates reutilization of electrochemical (EC) sludge as a potential low-cost green catalyst for dye degradation. Hexagonal Fe2O3 type phase with trevorite (NiFe2O4)-type cubic phase nanocomposite material (NCM) was synthesized from solid waste sludge generated during EC treatment of textile industry wastewater with stainless steel electrode. For NCM synthesis, sludge was heated at different temperatures under controlled condition. Various synthesized NCMs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The synthesized NCMs were found to contain iron, chromium, nickel and oxygen in the form of α-Fe2O3 (metal: oxygen = 40:60), (Fe,Cr,Ni)2O3 and trevorite NiFe2O4, (Ni,Fe,Cr) (Fe,Cr,Ni)2O4 (metal: oxygen = 43:57). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), pore size distribution, and atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis showed distribution of grains of different shapes and sizes. Catalytic activity of NCM was studied by the methylene red dye degradation by using the catalytic wet peroxidation process. Zeta potential study was performed under different pH so as to determine the performance of the NCMs during dye degradation.

Arsenic removal from water using a novel amorphous adsorbent developed from coal fly ash

A novel effective adsorbent of alumina/silica oxide hydrate (ASOH) for arsenic removal was developed through simple chemical reactions using coal fly ash. The iron-modified ASOH with enhancing adsorption activity was further developed from raw fly ash based on the in situ technique. The adsorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron micrograph, laser particle size and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface area. The results show that the adsorbents are in amorphous and porous structure, the surface areas of which are 8-12 times that of the raw ash. The acidic hydrothermal treatment acts an important role in the formation of the amorphous structure of ASOH rather than zeolite crystal. A series of adsorption experiments for arsenic on them were studied. ASOH can achieve a high removal efficiency for arsenic of 96.4% from water, which is more than 2.5 times that of the raw ash. Iron-modified ASOH can enhance the removal efficiency to reach 99.8% due to the in situ loading of iron (Fe). The condition of synthesis pH = 2-4 is better for iron-modified ASOH to adsorb arsenic from water.

Fe3O4 and MnO2 assembled on honeycomb briquette cinders (HBC) for arsenic removal from aqueous solutions

In this study, a novel composite adsorbent (HBC-Fe3O4-MnO2) was synthesized by combining honeycomb briquette cinders (HBC) with Fe3O4 and MnO2 through a co-precipitation process. The purpose was to make the best use of the oxidative property of MnO2 and the adsorptive ability of magnetic Fe3O4 for enhanced As(III) and As(V) removal from aqueous solutions. Experimental results showed that the adsorption capacity of As(III) was observed to be much higher than As(V). The maximum adsorption capacity (2.16 mg/g) was achieved for As(III) by using HBC-Fe3O4-MnO2 (3:2) as compared to HBC-Fe3O4-MnO2 (2:1) and HBC-Fe3O4-MnO2 (1:1). The experimental data of As(V) adsorption fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model, whereas As(III) data was described perfectly by Freundlich model. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was fitted well for the entire adsorption process of As(III) and As(V) suggesting that the adsorption is a rate-controlling step. Aqueous solution pH was found to greatly affect the adsorption behavior. Furthermore, co-ions including HCO3(-) and PO4(3-) exhibited greater influence on arsenic removal efficiency, whereas Cl(-), NO3(-), SO4(2-) were found to have negligible effects on arsenic removal. Five consecutive adsorption-regeneration cycles confirmed that the adsorbent could be reusable for successive arsenic treatment and can be used in real treatment applications.

Synthesis of different crystallographic Al2O3 nanomaterials from solid waste for application in dye degradation

Recycling of sludge generated during electrochemical treatment to synthesize alumina nanomaterials with different crystallographic orientations.

Use of fly ash agglomerates for removal of arsenic

The aim of this work is to investigate the application of fly ash adsorbent for removal of arsenite ions from dilute solution (100-1,000 ppm). Experiments were carried out using material from the "Turów" (Poland) brown-coal-burning power plant, which was wetted, then mixed and tumbled in a granulator to form spherical agglomerates. Measurements of arsenic adsorption from aqueous solution were carried out at room temperature and natural pH of fly ash agglomerates, in either a shaken flask or circulating column, to compare two different methods of contacting solution with adsorbent. Adsorption isotherms of arsenic were determined for agglomerated material using the Freundlich equation. Kinetic studies indicated that sorption follows a pseudo-second-order model. Preferable method to carry out the process is continuous circulation of arsenite solution through a column.

Arsenic (V) removal from aqueous system using adsorbent developed from a high iron-containing fly ash

A novel adsorbent for arsenic (V) removal from wastewater was developed through simple chemical processes using a special iron-abundant fly ash. In the synthesis process, the inherent iron in the fly ash was rearranged and loaded on the surface of the fly ash by dissolution and precipitation processes. The adsorbent (HIOFAA) was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, LPS and BET surface area. The results showed that porous amorphous FeOOH was loaded on the surface of HIOFAA successfully. The BET surface area of HIOFAA was 22 times of those of the original fly ash, and furthermore, the mean particle size of HIOFAA increased 3 times compared to the raw fly ash, thus effectively accelerated the solid/liquid separation after the adsorptive treatment. The adsorption isotherm data could be well described by Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption capacity for arsenic removal was 19.46 mg g(-1). Accordingly, it is believed that the adsorbent developed in this study is effective for arsenic polluted wastewater treatment.