Separation Science and Technology, Vol.46, No.6, 920-932, 2011
Evaluation of the Efficiency of a Combined Adsorption-Ultrafiltration System for the Removal of Heavy Metals, Color, and Organic Matter from Textile Wastewater
In this work an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system was investigated for the treatment of textile wastewater. UF membranes were assisted by activated sludge and minerals, which were employed as sorbents, to remove Cu(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), color, and organics. Significant variations were observed in metal removal efficiencies among the textile wastewater samples of different origin, even at the same pH (=6) due to the presence of different compounds in wastewater. At the examined pH range (5.63-9.21), the dominant mechanism for copper and lead removal was the formation of insoluble metals due to precipitation and complexation of metal ions with wastewater compounds, including adsorption of metals on suspended solids and colloidal matter. The adsorption process of metals on minerals and activated sludge was the dominant process for nickel and zinc removal at low pH, while precipitation/complexation prevailed at higher pH. The examined adsorption-UF system could produce a treated effluent having low metal concentrations that could be safely discharged into municipal sewers. COD removal ranged from 76%-92% for the five textile wastewater samples. The color removal accomplished was significant (45%-70%), and depended on the type of dye.
Keywords:activated sludge;colour removal;heavy metal removal;minerals;textile wastewater;ultrafiltration