Clean up of tannery wastewater with hydroxysodalite fabricated from natural zeolite: Process identification and performance analysis

The remediation of wastewater contaminated with heavy metal ions using natural zeolite is a well-established technique in environmental protection. However, the practical effectiveness of treatment processes is often limited by employing natural zeolite. This study proposes an innovative method for fabricating an efficient adsorbent from natural zeolite to treat tannery waste water containing Cr۳+. Structural modification of starting material was achieved using a mixture of aluminum and sodium hydroxides, which facilitated the hydrothermal conversion of precursor into nano-porous hydroxysodalite. The production of this low-silica zeolite via the hydrothermal method is influenced by both aging time and crystallization duration. The powder derived from the precursor, after an aging period of ۱۶ h, demonstrated Cr۳+ adsorption efficiency comparable to that of commercially available natural zeolite. Furthermore, a crystallization period of ۱۶ h was found to be necessary for fabrication of an adsorbent with sufficient efficiency. Overall, the proposed process is crucial for the utilization of hazardous effluents and offers practical insights into the fabrication of hydroxysodalite, representing a cost-effective and sustainable approach.

کلیدواژه ها:

Zeolite ، Tannery wastewater remediation ، Hydrothermal modification ، Aging ، Crystallization