Determining Organic Pollutants in Automotive Industry Sludge

Abstract

In Brazil, the policy for disposing industrial sludge is changing from an emphasis on using controlled landfills to other treatment or co-processing methods; however, the monitoring of organic pollutants is not mandatory. The present study evaluated two general screening methods for organic pollutants in sludge generated in an automotive industrial complex in southern Brazil. The screening was performed using Soxhlet and sonication extractions and Gas Chromatograph coupled with Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (GC/qMS). It was concluded that both techniques were effective and that most of the compounds identified were alkanes, phenols and esters. Important pollutants were detected in the sludge, which confirms the necessity of monitoring this type of residue.

Presence of Residual Oil in Relation to Solid Particle Distribution in Palm Oil Mill Effluent

“…The method was based on EPA 3540C (Munaretto et al 2012) using an analytical grade n-hexane (Merck Co., Germany). The dried POME samples were weighed, placed into filter paper extraction thimbles, and inserted into 500 mL reflux flasks.…”