Evaluating adsorbent properties of drinking water treatment plant sludge-based carbons activated by K2CO3/CH3COOH: a low-cost material for metal ion remediation

Abstract

Sludge reclaimed from drinking water treatment plant was carbonized and chemically activated by K 2 CO 3 and CH 3 COOH. The proposal was to evaluate its adsorbent properties as a low-cost alternative material for metal ion remediation. Morphological, physicochemical, and chemical characteristics have been presented and comprehensively discussed. Main findings revealed a surface area rich in mesopores and loaded with weakly acidic functional groups, also presenting an eroded aspect. Carbonization of the sludge's organic content increased the concentration of nitrogenic and oxygenated functional surface groups. Chemical activation by K 2 CO 3 and CH 3 COOH increased adsorption and desorption capacity, pore volume, and pore size by two, three, and over tenfolds, respectively. Uptake of cations increased by 51% and, for anions, around 27%. Association of carbonization with sequenced activation processes converted drinking water treatment plant sludge into an excellent and promising alternative adsorbent material. and activation is available on the literature. Considering the lack of studies regarding the production of activated carbons from DWTP sludge, this study reports the conversion of this widely available feedstock through carbonization and chemical activation.Activated carbons (AC) are scientifically known for having high sorption capacity for different types of chemical species [28], a characteristic of an adsorbent material with large surface area, porous structure, and chemically active surface [29]. Additionally, the high concentration of metals in raw water treatment sludge and, consequently, in its char, may also improve ion-solution interaction. Activated carbons usually have their surface functional groups bonded to complex aromatic rings, behaving similarly to aromatic hydrocarbons [30]. As so, a thermochemical modification would then improve these characteristics in the AC's surface chemistry, as a function of the usage purpose. Overall, the chemical activation of carbonized materials'

Low cost effective heterogeneous photo‐Fenton catalyst from drinking water treatment residuals for reactive blue 19 degradation: Preparation and characterization

“…However, drinking water treatment residuals disposal remains one of the most urgent issues today. Several studies have given significant importance to the use of these waste materials in several different applications such as cement production (Dahhou, Barbach, & Moussaouiti, 2019; Dahhou, Moussaouiti, Arshad, Moustahsine, & Assafi, 2017; Rodríguez et al, 2010), ceramics production (Benlalla, Elmoussaouiti, Dahhou, & Assafi, 2015; Mymrin et al, 2017), application in agriculture (Fan, He, Ma, Yang, & Stoffella, 2014), and reuse as a coagulant (Ahmad, Ahmad, Ahad, & Alam, 2016; Sadri Moghaddam, Alavi Moghaddam, & Arami, 2010), adsorbent of organic pollutants (Fragoso & Duarte, 2012; Nawar et al, 2015; Rashed, El‐Daim El Taher, & Fadlalla, 2016), or heavy metal (Abo‐El‐Enein, Shebl, & Abo El‐Dahab, 2017; Cardoso et al, 2019; Siswoyo et al, 2019) in wastewater treatment.…”

Introducing an applied reactor for treatment of wastewater containing propylene glycol

“…The conclusion of these studies was that high cost is associated with chemical processes, and they produce secondary pollutants [30,5]. Also, physical treatment methods showed low efficiency, and it only changed the ambiance of contamination [10,14]. PG degradation with the Fenton process and FeSO4, H 2 O 2 [51], and propylene glycol phenyl ether adsorption by activated carbon [52] are some physical and chemical procedures.…”