Metals removal from surface and wastewaters using an eco-friendly and sustainable material

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the potential metal adsorption properties of a Romanian natural and activated (by chemical, thermal and thermo-chemical treatments) zeolite was tested for further use in water treatment. The structural changes of zeolite after activation were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) analysis. Adsorption experiments were carried out for 72 h at room temperature, using a zeolite/liquid ratio of 1 g/50 mL using highly contaminated surface and wastewaters. The metal concentrations (Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu) were determinate before and after the adsorption experiments using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Although, the chemical and thermo-chemical activation methods had a positive effect on the CEC values, the FT-IR and XRD analyses did not indicated any notable changes in the zeolite structure. The obtained results showed that the highest metal removal efficiency was reached for the thermally activated zeolite. After 72h, the metal removal efficiency ranged between 12.8 and 100% in the case of surface waters and between 1.55 and 59.2% in the case of wastewaters.