Green Cycle: Sulfate Sorption from Natural Water on Anionic Clay Compound Obtained from Industry Wastewater

Genoveva Rosano-Ortega, Carlos Vega Lebrún, Juan M. López Oglesby, Sonia Martínez Gallegos, Daniel Cruz-González, Beatriz Pérez Armendariz

Chemical Engineering Faculty, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México.
Division of Graduate Studies and Research, Instituto Tecnológico de Toluca, México City, México.
Research Department, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP), Puebla, México.

DOI: 10.4236/gsc.2013.32009                

Abstract

In this paper we are describing a green cycle process. The first step was a novel hydrotalcite-like compound (HTLC) synthesized by a co-precipitating method, under standard ambient temperature and pressure, using chemical industry wastewater rich in divalent and trivalent cations, activated by a thermal treatment and finally characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The second step was a series of batch sorption tests performed with this activated HTLC and untreated underground sulfurous water from the state of Puebla, México. The HTLC calcined at 500°C/3 h exhibited the best sorption ability for ions, demonstrated a decrease of the hardness and sulfate ions to below the regional legal standards for drinking water. Once inactive after being used in water treatment, the sorbed ions were removed by ion exchange in a carbonate-containing solution, resulting in an 80% recycling of the material which upon activation demonstrated a retained capacity for water treatment. This recyclability suggests the exciting possibility of this novel compound as an efficient “green” technology in water treatment processes.

Keywords

Hydrotalcite-Like Compound; Wastewater; Sulfurous Underground Water; Ion Sorption; Green Cycle

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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