Industrial wastewater treatment to reduce contamination of groundwater resources

Authors

Abstract

The entrance of objectionable synthetic chemicals from the effluents into groundwater poses a great threat to the environment, which particularly makes the textile industries liable for any damage caused. The removal of these materials from the effluents is therefore mandatory. As acid dyes are used profusely in fabric making, we carried out an experiment using kaolin as an absorbent at different acidity, concentration, temperature and duration of the experiment. We observed that kaolin activated with HClO4 can remove 96.41% of the cationic dyes and 98.36% of the anionic dyes at the present pH of waste water. Then we studied absorption with kaolin activated with HClO4 at the pHs of 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 and 11, at the absorbent concentrations of 5,10,20, and 30 gr, at the temperatures of 27,40,50, and 60 ºC and at the durations of 20,40,60, and 80 minutes. However, neither temperature nor absorbent concentration affected the anionic dye absorption but they increased the absorption of cationic dyes. The best absorption was obtained at the pH of 2-3 and at the durations of 60 minute.