Waste materials for activated carbon preparation and its use in aqueous-phase treatment: a review

Commercial activated carbon is a preferred adsorbent for the removal of micropollutants from the aqueous phase; however, its widespread use is restricted due to high associated costs. To decrease treatment costs, attempts have been made to find inexpensive alternative activated carbon (AC) precursors, such as waste materials. Some reviews report the use of waste materials for the preparation of AC; however, these studies are restricted to either type of wastes, preparation procedures, or specific aqueous-phase applications. The present work reviews and evaluates literature dedicated both to the preparation of AC by recycling different types of waste materials and also to its application in various aqueous-phase treatments. It is clear that conventional (from agriculture and wood industry) and non-conventional (from municipal and industrial activities) wastes can be used to prepare AC, that can be applied in various aqueous treatment processes, namely to remove organic pollutants, dyes, volatile organic compounds, and heavy metals. Moreover, high surface areas can be obtained using either physical or chemical activation; however, combined treatments might enhance the surface properties of the adsorbent, therefore increasing its adsorption capacity. It is evident from the revision made that AC prepared from both conventional and non-conventional wastes might effectively compete with the commercial ones. This happens mostly when the activation procedures are optimized considering both the raw material used to produce the carbons and the contaminants to be removed.     

Adsorption of phenol and its derivatives from water using synthetic resins and low-cost natural adsorbents: a review

In this article, the technical feasibility of the use of activated carbon, synthetic resins, and various low-cost natural adsorbents for the removal of phenol and its derivatives from contaminated water has been reviewed. Instead of using commercial activated carbon and synthetic resins, researchers have worked on inexpensive materials such as coal fly ash, sludge, biomass, zeolites, and other adsorbents, which have high adsorption capacity and are locally available. The comparison of their removal performance with that of activated carbon and synthetic resins is presented in this study. From our survey of about 100 papers, low-cost adsorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal capabilities for phenol and its derivatives compared to activated carbons. Adsorbents that stand out for high adsorption capacities are coal-reject, residual coal treated with H3PO4, dried activated sludge, red mud, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified montmorillonite. Of these synthetic resins, HiSiv 1000 and IRA-420 display high adsorption capacity of phenol and XAD-4 has good adsorption capability for 2-nitrophenol. These polymeric adsorbents are suitable for industrial effluents containing phenol and its derivatives as mentioned previously. It should be noted that the adsorption capacities of the adsorbents presented here vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the individual adsorbent, the extent of chemical modifications, and the concentrations of solutes.     

The effects of recovering fibre and fine materials on sludge dewatering properties at a deinked pulp mill

The manufacture of deinked pulp generates large amounts of waste for disposal. The yield loss in the production of recycled paper can be up to 25%. The use of landfills for waste disposal is very expensive and will be prohibited in Europe in the next few years. Thus, there is a great pressure to improve the material efficiency and to reduce the amount of waste that is produced at deinked pulp mills. However, the issue is complex because an improvement of the material efficiency at one process unit may deteriorate the performance of other stages. For example, the attempts to increase the fibre yield in the deinking processes can lead to poor sludge dewatering properties, resulting in that there are no added advantages for the mill anymore.This work aims to determine the limitations between the sludge dewatering properties and the improvements in material efficiency at a deinked pulp mill by investigating the dewatering properties of sludge samples that contained variable amounts of fine screening and flotation froth rejects. The results show that the deinked pulp mill material efficiency can be increased without weakening the sludge dewatering properties if the fibre content is not reduced below a certain limit. The material efficiency can be increased either by (1) recovering fibres at an acceptable quantity where the fibre content does not decrease below the limiting point or by (2) recovering fine materials simultaneously with fibres in a way that maintains the fibre content above a limiting point. The first method provides an opportunity for deinking mills to increase the yield, even though the increase is less than 2 percentage units. With the simultaneous recovery of fibres and fine materials using the second method, it would be possible to improve the material efficiency at the deinked pulp mill by approximately 5 percentage units without affecting the dewatering of the combined sludge.     

Biosorption of heavy metals by activated sludge and their desorption characteristics

The biosorption of different metals (Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Ni2+ and Pb2+) was investigated using activated sludge. The optimum pH was 4 for Cd, Cu and Pb sorption and 5 for Ni and Zn. Biomass metal uptake clearly competed with protons present in the aqueous medium, making pH an important variable in the process. Protons consumed by biomass in control tests versus protons exchange in biosorption tests confirmed a maximum exchange between metal cations and protons at pH 2. The study of the influence of biomass concentration revealed that the amount of protons released from biomass increased with biomass concentration. This would confirm the hypothesis of ion exchange between both types of ions. The application of the Langmuir and Freundlich models showed a better fitting of experimental data to the first model. The maximum sorption uptake of the studied metals by the activated sludge showed the following decreasing order: Pb>Cu>CdZn>Ni. Desorption experiments showed that HCl was a good eluent for the five metals tested, particularly at low pH values (1 and 2). At pH 3 or 4 the desorption yield was significantly lower. However, its use did not allow the reuse of biomass in subsequent loading and unloading cycles. EDTA was also a good desorption agent, achieving the total recovery for the five metals tested at a concentration of 1mM, with the advantage that biomass could be reused for three sorption-desorption cycles.     

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on production and nutrient properties of wastewater sludge biochar

The important challenge for effective management of wastewater sludge materials in an environmentally and economically acceptable way can be addressed through pyrolytic conversion of the sludge to biochar and agricultural applications of the biochar. The aim of this work is to investigate the influence of pyrolysis temperature on production of wastewater sludge biochar and evaluate the properties required for agronomic applications. Wastewater sludge collected from an urban wastewater treatment plant was pyrolysed in a laboratory scale reactor. It was found that by increasing the pyrolysis temperature (over the range from 300 °C to 700 °C) the yield of biochar decreased. Biochar produced at low temperature was acidic whereas at high temperature it was alkaline in nature. The concentration of nitrogen was found to decrease while micronutrients increased with increasing temperature. Concentrations of trace metals present in wastewater sludge varied with temperature and were found to primarily enriched in the biochar.     

Aerobic treatment of palm oil mill effluent

In this study treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) was investigated using aerobic oxidation based on an activated sludge process. The effects of sludge volume index, scum index and mixed liquor suspended solids during the acclimatizing phase and biomass build-up phase were investigated in order to ascertain the reactor stability. The efficiency of the activated sludge process was evaluated by treating anaerobically digested and diluted raw POME obtained from Golden Hope Plantations, Malaysia. The treatment of POME was carried out at a fixed biomass concentration of 3900+/-200mg/L, whereas the corresponding sludge volume index was found to be around 105+/-5mL/g. The initial studies on the efficiency of the activated sludge reactor were carried out using diluted raw POME for varying the hydraulic retention time, viz: 18, 24, 30 and 36h and influent COD concentration, viz: 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000mg/L, respectively. The results showed that at the end of 36h of hydraulic retention time for the above said influent COD, the COD removal efficiencies were found to be 83%, 72%, 64%, 54% and 42% whereas at 24h hydraulic retention time they were 57%, 45%, 38%, 30% and 27%, respectively. The effectiveness of aerobic oxidation was also compared between anaerobically digested and diluted raw POME having corresponding CODs of 3908 and 3925mg/L, for varying hydraulic retention time, viz: 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60h. The dissolved oxygen concentration and pH in the activated sludge reactor were found to be 1.8-2.2mg/L and 7-8.5, respectively. The scum index was found to rise from 0.5% to 1.9% during the acclimatizing phase and biomass build-up phase.     

Batch sorption dynamics and equilibrium for the removal of lead ions from aqueous phase using activated carbon developed from coffee residue activated with zinc chloride

Lignocellulosic materials are good precursors for the production of activated carbon. In this work, coffee residue has been used as raw material in the preparation of powder activated carbon by the method of chemical activation with zinc chloride for the sorption of Pb(II) from dilute aqueous solutions.The influence of impregnation ratio (ZnCl₂/coffee residue) on the physical and chemical properties of the prepared carbons was studied in order to optimize this parameter. The optimum experimental condition for preparing predominantly microporous activated carbons with high pore surface area (890 m²/g) and micropore volume (0.772 cm³/g) is an impregnation ratio of 100%. The developed activated carbon shows substantial capability to sorb lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions and for relative impregnation ratios of 75 and 100%, the maximum uptake is practically the same. Thus, 75% represents the optimal impregnation ratio.Batch experiments were conducted to study the effects of the main parameters such as contact time, initial concentration of Pb(II), solution pH, ionic strength and temperature. The maximum uptake of lead(II) at 25 °C was about 63 mg/g of adsorbent at pH 5.8, initial Pb(II) concentration of 10 mg/L, agitation speed of 200 rpm and ionic strength of 0.005 M. The kinetic data were fitted to the models of pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order, and follow closely the pseudo-second order model. Equilibrium sorption isotherms of Pb(II) were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models. The Freundlich model gives a better fit than the others.Results from this study suggest that activated carbon produced from coffee residue is an effective adsorbent for the removal of lead from aqueous solutions and that ZnCl₂ is a suitable activating agent for the preparation of high-porosity carbons.     

Exploitation of Trichoderma harzianum mycelial waste for the removal of rhodamine 6G from aqueous solution

The harvested mycelial waste of Trichoderma harzianum was used as an adsorbent for the removal of rhodamine 6G and was studied in batch mode. The effects of agitation time and initial dye concentration, adsorbent dosage and pH were examined. The study revealed that the amount of dye adsorbed (mgg(-1)) increased with increase in agitation time and reached equilibrium after 120 min, for dye concentrations of 10-50 mg L(-1). The adsorbent dosage of 1.0 g/50 mL and pH of 8.0 were found to be optimum for maximum dye removal. The batch mode adsorption data followed both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The pseudo first- and second-order rate kinetics were applied to the adsorbent system. The adsorption kinetics of rhodamine 6G showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best correlation of the equilibrium data. The study implies that it is possible to develop a dye removal system by using T. harzianum biomass, which occurs as sludge in waste stream of fermentation industries.     

Respirometry-based evaluation of the fate and possible effects of antifreeze on activated sludge

This paper focuses on environmental concerns regarding used antifreeze. It shows the results of laboratory respirometric tests conducted to evaluate the potential impact of antifreeze on activated sludge. In this first step of the study, only the components of virgin antifreeze were addressed, i.e. ethylene glycol, and antifoaming and corrosion inhibitory substances. The plateau resulting from oxygen uptake rate measurements of mixed liquor taken at the end of an aeration tank is used as a reference to evaluate the response of biomass to pulse injection of increasing dosages of new antifreeze, compared to that of formaldehyde, a known toxic compound. While 200 mg/L of formaldehyde steadily decreased the biomass activity (7 mg O2/Lh), there were no toxicity effects for doses up to 5000 mg/L of ethylene glycol from new antifreeze coolant (23 mg O2/Lh, compared to the initial 15 mg O2/Lh for the mixed liquor). It is estimated that ethylene glycol concentration in municipal wastewaters should be several order of magnitude lower then the 1000 mg/L shown to be tolerated by the biomass in this work, but at the present stage, the research does not provide enough information to recommend a definitive management scheme for antifreeze discharge. Many other management issues for used antifreeze must be addressed in future studies before any decision on tolerating sewer discharge in Mexico, as a transitory management option that will conciliate the actual practices with legality, can be made.     

Bioremediation of Soil Degraded by Sewage Sludge: Effects on Soil Properties and Erosion Losses

Soils in the Mediterranean area are very prone to erosion due to the loss of organic matter and the consequent lack of protective vegetation. In this experiment a Mediterranean degraded soil with a 15% slope was amended at a rate of 250 t ha^–1 wet weight with sewage sludge and with a mixture of sewage sludge and barley straw (70% carbon from sewage sludge and 30% from the straw) in order to study their influence on soil structure recovery and hence the soilss resistance to erosion processes. Both types of organic amendment led to an improvement in several soil properties (physical, biological, and microbiological) as a result of the spontaneous growth plant covering that became evident three months after amendment. This vegetation remained throughout the two years of the experiment and prevented the water erosion processes that normally precede soil degradation. Amendment by sewage sludge alone reduced soil loss by 80% compared with the control soil, while the mixture that included both sewage sludge and barley straw reduced losses by 84%, both reducing runoff by 57%. The amended soils showed increases in the percentage of stable aggregates, the levels of the total and water-soluble C fractions, microbial biomass C, basal respiration, and the activity of the different enzymes involved in the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, and P. The results confirm the usefulness of sewage sludge as an organic amendment for recovering damaged soils.     

Application of low-cost adsorbents for dye removal – A review

Dyes are an important class of pollutants, and can even be identified by the human eye. Disposal of dyes in precious water resources must be avoided, however, and for that various treatment technologies are in use. Among various methods adsorption occupies a prominent place in dye removal. The growing demand for efficient and low-cost treatment methods and the importance of adsorption has given rise to low-cost alternative adsorbents (LCAs). This review highlights and provides an overview of these LCAs comprising natural, industrial as well as synthetic materials/wastes and their application for dyes removal. In addition, various other methods used for dye removal from water and wastewater are also complied in brief. From a comprehensive literature review, it was found that some LCAs, in addition to having wide availability, have fast kinetics and appreciable adsorption capacities too. Advantages and disadvantages of adsorbents, favourable conditions for particular adsorbate–adsorbent systems, and adsorption capacities of various low-cost adsorbents and commercial activated carbons as available in the literature are presented. Conclusions have been drawn from the literature reviewed, and suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Feasibility of mercury removal from simulated flue gas by activated chars made from poultry manures

Increased emphasis on reduction of mercury emissions from coal fired electric power plants has resulted in environmental regulations that may in the future require application of activated carbons as mercury sorbents for mercury removal. At the same time, the quantity of poultry manure generated each year is large and technologies that take advantage of the material should be explored. The purpose of the work was to obtain preliminary data to investigate if activated chars made from different poultry manures could adsorb mercury from simulated flue gas. In laboratory experiments, activated chars made from chicken cake and litter removed mercury from the gas as well as a commercial alternative. It was also found that acid-washing these chars after activation may improve pore structure but does not influence the mercury removal efficiency. Activated chars were also made from turkey cake and litter. These raw materials produced activated chars with similar pore structure as those made from chicken manure, but they did not adsorb mercury as well. Acid-washing the turkey manure-based chars improved their performance, but this step would add to the cost of production. Preliminary evaluations suggest that unwashed activated chars may cost as little as $0.95/kg to produce.     

Producing biogas from agricultural residues generated during phytoremediation process: Possibility,threshold, and challenges

In the past decades, a novel strategy has arisen, as required by time, to get a rational production of biogas from contaminated biomass, which may be, on purpose, harvested from contaminated soil phytoremediation process. The present review focuses on the possibility and potential of utilizing the agricultural residues generated during phytoremediation for production of biogas. As a general result of the studies compiled in this review, the harvested biomass can subsequently be utilized for the winning of biogas, and it provides a solution of waste disposal for phytoremediation technology. According to the analysis of previous results, not more than 1 mg/L of cadmium in fermenters shows promoting or at least no inhibitory effect on cumulative biogas yields. This strategy is promising for dealing with both environmental and energy problems in spite of many challenges in the coming future.     

The effect of landfill leachate composition on organics and nitrogen removal in an activated sludge system with bentonite additive

A pre-denitrification activated sludge system (AS) without internal recycle was used in lab-scale studies of landfill leachate treatment. A bentonite supplement at a ratio of 1:4 (mineral : biomass) was used to ensure high sludge settling levels and to serve as a micro-organisms carrier. The system was operated within different parameters such as hydraulic retention time (HRT), ammonia loading rate (ALR) or external recycle ratio, which was adapted to treat varying leachate concentrations of COD and ammonia, ranging from 1020 to 2680 mgO(2)l(-1) and 400-890 mgNH(4)-Nl(-1) respectively. The nitrification was complete and ammonia oxidation reached 99%; this was obtained while the ALR did not exceed 0.09 g NH(4)(+)-Ng(-1)MLVSS d(-1) and HRT was not lower than 1 day (in the aeration reactor). The performance of denitrification was successfully improved by controlling the external recycle rate, when the BOD(5)/N ratio in the raw leachate was 4.1. Consequently, N-removal of up to 80% was achieved. A 10-fold decrease in the denitrification rate was obtained at a BOD(5)/N ratio of 0.5. The efficiency of COD removal varied significantly from 36% to 84%. The positive effect of bentonite addition was determined and is discussed based on preliminary studies. The experiments were carried out in fill-and-draw activated sludge with bentonite; the biomass ratio was 1:2. The activated sludge with bentonite was fed with a synthetic high ammonia and organic-free medium.     

Methanogenic toxicity and continuous anaerobic treatment of wood processing effluents

Wood processing effluents contain different types of phenolic compounds, from simple monomers to high molecular weight (MW) polyphenolic polymers, that can inhibit wastewater treatment. This work presents a comparative study of the methanogenic toxicity produced by three wood processing effluents (hardboard, fiberboard and BKME (kraft mill effluent)) using Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus and Tepa as feedstock (the last one being a native Chilean tree species). This study evaluates the influence of non-adapted granular and adapted flocculent sludge on forest industrial wastewater treatment as well as continuous anaerobic biodegradation of hardboard processing effluent using the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB). The adapted biomass (flocculent sludge) did not show any lag-phase signs. The 50% IC (the concentration causing 50% inhibition of methanogenic activity) was 4.3 g COD-effluent (chemical oxygen demand (COD)-of the effluent)/l and 2.8 g COD-effluent/l for the flocculent sludge and the granular sludge, respectively. The UASB system worked at low organic load rates (0.1-0.4 g COD/l d) with the COD removal ranging between 10 and 30%, and color removal did not occur under anaerobic conditions due to high MW. Indeed, the MW analysis indicates the presence of phenolic compounds over 25,000 Da in the anaerobic effluent.     

The implementation of wood waste ash as a partial cement replacement material in the production of structural grade concrete and mortar: An overview

The timber manufacturing and power generation industry is gradually shifting towards the use of biomass such as timber processing waste for fuel and energy production and to help supplement the electrical energy demand of national electric gridlines. Though timber processing waste is a sustainable and renewable source of fuel for energy production, the thermal process of converting the aforementioned biomass into heat energy produces significant amounts of fine wood waste ash as a by-product material which, if not managed properly, may result in serious environmental and health problems. Several current researches had been carried out to incorporate wood waste ash as a cement replacement material in the production of greener concrete material and also as a sustainable means of disposal for wood waste ash. Results of the researches have indicated that wood waste ash can be effectively used as a cement replacement material for the production of structural grade concrete of acceptable strength and durability performances. This paper presents an overview of the work carried out by the use of wood waste ash as a partial replacement of cement in mortar and concrete mixes. Several aspects such as the physical and chemical properties of wood waste ash, properties of wood waste ash/OPC blended cement pastes, rheological, mechanical and the durability properties of wood waste ash/OPC concrete mix are detailed in this paper.     

含油污泥的处理与利用

石油开采和加工过程中产生的含油污泥，带有有害物质和较高的热值，既需处理又可综合利用，这是一个复杂而又重要的课题。当前，我国含油污泥处理与利用和国外先进水平有较大差距，处理装置技术落后，不配套，多数污泥未进行无害化处理，造成了环境污染和能源资源的浪费。在收集了大量资料的基础上，列举了含油污泥的性质及危害。“九五”期间应积极开展先进工艺设备的引进推广工作，特别在含油污泥的脱水干燥、污油回收和绿化利用上，可推广江汉、中原油田的先进工艺设备，使含油污泥达到无害化乃至变废为宝。     

污泥厌氧消化预处理技术综述

全球环境问题已成为国际社会关注的焦点,围绕全球气候变化,降低温室气体排放,寻求再生能源,节能减排已成为目前国际科技发展的方向。通过"十一五"污水处理厂的建设,每年污泥产量已接近3000万吨(含水率80%脱水污泥计)以上,且以每年10%的速度递增。其处理与处置是制约社会经济发展的重要问题。但是,城市污泥蕴含有大量生物质能,通过借鉴国外先进技术与经验,开发城市污泥生物质能提取和利用技术,对我国节能减排具有重要战略意义。由于细胞壁的存在,使得污泥水解成为限制厌氧消化效率的重要瓶颈,而污泥强化预处理可有效提高污泥细胞壁的破坏,溶出胞内有机物,最大化回收剩余污泥中的有机能源。目前,预处理技术较多,如超声波预处理、热处理、微波预处理、碱解处理、臭氧预处理等,本文从物理、化学等角度分析了不同预处理对厌氧消化技术的影响。     

Use of reactive materials to bind phosphorus

Phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural soils have caused surface water quality impairment in many regions of the world, including The Netherlands. Due to the large amounts of P accumulated in Dutch soils, the generic fertilizer and manure policy will not be sufficient to reach in time the surface water quality standards of the European Water Framework Directive. Additional measures must be considered to further reduce P enrichment of surface waters. One option is to immobilize P in soils or manure or to trap P when it moves through the landscape by using reactive materials with a large capacity to retain P. We characterized and tested two byproducts of the process of purification of deep groundwater for drinking water that could be used as reactive materials: iron sludge and iron-coated sand. Both materials contain low amounts of inorganic contaminants, which also have a low (bio)availability, and bound a large amount of P. We could describe sorption of P to the iron sludge in batch experiments well with the kinetic Freundlich equation (Q = × t (m) × C(n)). Kinetics had a large influence on P sorption in batch and column experiments and should be taken into account when iron-containing materials are tested for their capability to immobilize or trap P. A negative aspect of the iron sludge is its low hydraulic conductivity; even when mixed with pure sand to a mixture containing 20% sludge, the conductivity was very low, and only 10% sludge may be needed before application is possible in filters or barriers for removing P from groundwater. Due to its much higher hydraulic conductivity, iron-coated sand has greater potential for use under field conditions. Immobilizing P could be an option for using iron sludge as a reactive material.     

硫化废气污泥活性炭净化处理技术研究

以污泥厂剩余活性污泥作为原料,采用KOH为活化剂制备污泥活性炭,探讨了活化温度及时间、热解温度、洗涤温度及方式在污泥活性炭制备过程中的最佳工艺条件。以品红吸附量及产率作为污泥活性炭的考察指标,采用单因素实验筛选出了制备污泥活性炭的最佳工艺条件,并对污泥活性炭脱硫剂的脱硫性能进行了实验研究。实验研究结果显示,烟气中O2、水蒸气含量的多少及脱硫温度的高低会影响污泥活性炭脱硫剂的脱硫性能。