Effects of Faujasite X and Y Zeolites on the 1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2′ bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) Degradation during Water Purification

Abstract

The ability of zeolites to abstract and denature organochloride pesticides finds application in water purification practices. In this study, activated faujasite X and Y zeolites were separately exposed to 1, 2 and 4 ppm concentrations of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2' bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane (dichloro dipheny trichloroethane-DDT) water solutions. For the 1 ppm DDT solutions, the resultant degradation products and residual DDT were minimal with concentrations in zeolite treatments reducing to below detection limit (0.005 ppm) in about 2 hours. In addition, the rate of dissipation was found to somewhat depend on the levels of DDT concentration and the type of zeolite used. The main degradation product in samples exposed to faujasite X was dichloro dipheny dichloroethylene (DDE) whereas in the faujasite Y exposed samples, both the DDE and dichloro diphenyl dichloroethane (DDD) were obtained.

A comparison of adsorption equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics of aqueous phase clomazone between faujasite X and a natural zeolite from Kenya

“…Recently, zeolites have found applications in environmental remediation. Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicate minerals with specific microporous structures of cavities and pore dimensions with physicochemical characteristics such as sorption, cation exchange molecular sieving and catalysis 8,9,10 . Unlike their synthetic counterparts, natural zeolites which commonly occur in volcanic active areas are highly varied in chemical composition 11 .…”

“…Unlike their synthetic counterparts, natural zeolites which commonly occur in volcanic active areas are highly varied in chemical composition 11 . Both synthetic and natural zeolites have widely been separately used as adsorbents and molecular sieves for pesticide remediation from wastewaters 8,9,10 . Several workers have reported the differences between the two types of zeolites.…”