Nanotechnology in Water and Wastewater Treatment

Theory and Applications

Amimul Ahsan, Ahmad Fauzi Ismail

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9780128139028
• eBook ISBN: 9780128139035
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Nanoscience

Nanotechnology in Water and Waste Water Treatment: Theory and Applications explores the unique physicochemical and surface properties of nanoparticles and highlights the advantages they provide for engineering applications. Applications covered include the generation of fresh water from surface water and seawater, the prevention of the contamination of the environment, and the creation of effective and efficient methods for remediation of polluted waters. Each chapter covers a different nanotechnology-based approach and examines the basic principles, practical applications, recent breakthroughs and associated limitations. This book is ideal for researchers and professionals in the fields of nanotechnology, water treatment and desalination. In addition, it is also ideal for postgraduate students, industry and government professionals, managers and policymakers. - Gathers together the latest research and developments in the field from journal articles and conference proceedings - Discusses and evaluates the most economical and low cost treatment technologies - Presents information from related fields on the applicability, strengths and weaknesses of particular nanomaterials in key applications, thus allowing for the continuation and expansion of research in a range of fields

1

Principles and Mechanism of Adsorption for the Effective Treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent for Water Reuse

O. Abdulrahman Adeleke¹, Ab Aziz Abdul Latiff², Mohammed Radin Saphira², Zawawi Daud², Norli Ismail¹, Amimul Ahsan^3,4, N. Adila Ab Aziz², Adel Al-Gheethi², Vicky Kumar², Ayeronfe Fadilat¹ and Najeeya Apandi¹, ¹Division of Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Technology, University Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, ²Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia, UTHM, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia, ³Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, ⁴Department of Civil Engineering, Uttara University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

Most of the wastewater, especially palm oil mill effluent (POME), is toxic to the health of humans, environment and the aquatic ecosystem. This has become a major challenge to water quality managers due to the economic and technical expertise required to process these wastes before discharge, either to the water bodies or to the environment. POME is a high strength wastewater which contains high concentrations of micropollutants, which cannot be analyzed alone by visual inspection. These substances are very toxic to the aquatic environment due to the accumulation of toxic chemicals which biomagnifies in food webs, they therefore constitute major threat to the aquatic ecosystem. The conventional methods for the treatment of POME has proven to be very expensive for research and with low effective removal efficiencies of the solutes contained in the wastewater. This is because of the high strength of the concentration of the wastewater. Raw POME is acidic and contains chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the range of 15,000–100,000 mg/L, average concentration of biological oxygen demand (BOD) which is around 25,000 mg/L. Similarly, POME contains high suspended solids and also presence of heavy metals. Some of the conventional methods used for the treatment of POME includes membrane anaerobic system, Fenton-oxidation and evaporation methods. The application of adsorption process is widely used by researchers for varieties of wastewater treatment but it has been rarely reported for the treatment of POME. However, to have effective treatment efficiency using adsorption, there must be clear understanding of the principles and mechanisms of adsorption system to ensure that the proper adsorbents are selected for the adsorption process. This chapter focus on the efficiency of adsorption process by using different types of adsorbent materials for reduction the main pollutants in the POME.

Keywords

Water scarcity; adsorption; POME; disposal; efficiency; heavy metals

1.1 Introduction

Wastewater is a general term used for the effluents generated from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources. The effluents contain organic and inorganic pollutants which are toxic to the ecosystem. Examples of organic pollutants are the volatile and chemical compounds with complex chain reactions. The discharge of volatile compounds and highly toxic chemical compounds have affected the quality of the water in some cases in Thailand, Vietnam and Columbia (Tran et al., 2015). The organic pollutants of palm oil-based waste can promote microbial growth affecting the flora and fauna of the water ways (Mukherjee and Sovacool, 2014). Example of the inorganic pollutants are the heavy metals deposit in water bodies due to the deposition of untreated waste from domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors into the water ways. Surface water degradation is caused by high toxicity of discharged waste pollutants into fresh water bodies (Essington, 2015). One of the most challenging problems of water pollution is the presence of organic pollutants and heavy metals in water bodies representing one of the greatest risks for the aquatic ecosystem (Galimberti et al., 2016). These pollutants are difficult to remove due to their low concentration in the effluent. When wastewater solutes are discharged into water ways, they are accumulated in sediments along the aquatic food chain (Mishra and Shukla, 2016). The toxic effects of the pollutants are not only limited to the water body but also on the environment without proper treatment before discharge (Guagliardi et al., 2013). The agro-based industries such as palm oil mill in Malaysia have become one of the largest contributors of water pollutants (Kamarudin et al., 2015). The palm oil mill effluent (POME) contains pollutant parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), oil and grease, suspended solids, ammonia-nitrogen and heavy metal concentration (Khemkhao et al., 2015).

Most countries in the world are developing regulations and strategies to ensure proper treatment of the water pollutants before discharge into the water bodies. Also, the level of awareness is on the increase to ensure that adequate protection and preservation of water is achieved. Wastewater management involves series of efforts that promotes effectiveness in the use of water (Cooper, 2016). There are three methods of wastewater treatment, which are the physical, chemical and biological methods. The physical methods include sedimentation, floatation, membrane filtration, and adsorption. Chemical methods include ozonation, advanced oxidation, electrolysis. Also, biological methods include the use of conventional activated sludge, anaerobic open ponding and anaerobic systems. However, some of the conventional techniques are costly and requires high maintenance to operate. For example the use of membrane have high potentials for the treatment of POME, but is expensive and have problems of membrane fouling (Azmi and Yunos, 2014). Some of the methods such as the anaerobic open ponding requires availability of large area for the treatment. Some other methods such as the anaerobic systems require routine maintenance of the reactors.

The method of adsorption is used for the removal of wastewater contaminant. Adsorption by solid reduces toxicity effect from industrial effluents (Haak et al., 2016). Adsorption has the advantage of low capital cost of adsorbents, easy to operate, minimum sludge generation and the ability of regeneration and reuse of spent adsorbents (Stawiński et al., 2017). Activated carbon adsorbent is applicable for wastewater treatment in the form of granular or powdered, it has been proven to be very effective for the removal of different types of contaminants in water ranging from industrial, municipal wastewater, landfill leachate and polluted groundwater. Activated carbon adsorption of pollutants of wastewater is recognized by USEPA (environmental protection agency) as one of the best methods of environmental control (Bautista-Toledo et al., 2014), this is due to large specific pore surface area which makes it a powerful adsorbent and has the ability to adsorb wide range of contaminants. The limitation of the use of commercial activated carbon as adsorbent is its high cost and problem of regeneration for reuse (Benhouria et al., 2015; Wei et al., 2012). However, the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon has necessitated low cost alternative adsorptive materials with similar composition as composite and the ability to have the potentials for regeneration. Activated carbon derived from cow bones have high potentials of both carbon and minerals composition, which is highly enriched in calcium and phosphorus, forming an insoluble precipitate known as hydroxyapatite (Medellin-Castillo et al., 2014). Adsorption on hydroxyapatite adsorbent material is effective for the treatment of both organic and inorganic pollutants (Patel et al., 2015). Activated carbon derived from cow bones have been processed for the treatment of POME (Adeleke et al., 2016). Waste materials from agriculture, domestic and industrial are synthesized to serve as replacement of commercial activated carbon for the treatment of wastewater. For example, coconut shell can be processed as activated carbon at elevated temperature and has been reported as a very good source of ac...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• List of Contributors
• About the Editors
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Principles and Mechanism of Adsorption for the Effective Treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent for Water Reuse
• 2. Locally Derived Activated Carbon From Domestic, Agricultural and Industrial Wastes for the Treatment of Palm Oil Mill Effluent
• 3. Nanoparticles as a Powerful Tool for Membrane Pore Size Determination and Mercury Removal
• 4. Overview of Potential Applications of Nano-Biotechnology in Wastewater and Effluent Treatment
• 5. Applications of Emerging Nanomaterials for Oily Wastewater Treatment
• 6. Comparative Impact Assessment of TiO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles to Rocket (Eruca sativa L) Plant
• 7. Photocatalytic Decolorization of Two Remazol Dyes Using TiO2 Impregnated Pumice Composite as Catalyst
• 8. Application of Nanomaterials for the Removal of Heavy Metal From Wastewater
• 9. Application of Nanoparticles for Disinfection and Microbial Control of Water and Wastewater
• 10. Forward Osmosis (FO) for Removal of Heavy Metals
• 11. Nanoparticles Enhanced Coagulation of Biologically Digested Leachate
• 12. Chitosan Nanocomposite Application in Wastewater Treatments
• 13. Application of Semiconductor Nanoparticles for Removal of Organic Pollutants or Dyes From Wastewater
• 14. Nanofiltration Membrane Technology Providing Quality Drinking Water
• 15. Application and Future Prospects of Reverse Osmosis Process
• 16. Nanoengineered Materials for Water and Wastewater Treatments
• 17. Nanotechnology Based Solutions for Wastewater Treatment
• Index