Determination of the adsorbent specific surface area at tar removing from industrial waste water of ammonium sulphate production

Abstract

At most coke plants of Ukraine and the world, ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4, which is an ammonium fertilizer, get in the department of trapping chemical products of coking. The liquid wastes formed in this department called phenolic wastewater, the main polluting agents of which are tarry substances. When choosing industrial adsorbent for wastewater treatment, the value of specific surface area is a determining factor. The high cost of modern industrial sorbents causes necessity of finding of new, more affordable their analogs, among which of particular interest are natural bentonite clays. Aim: The aim of research is to study the regularities of extraction process of tarry substances of manufacturing sewage of a ammonium sulphate with use of sodium and calcium bentonites, an absorbite and peat, and definition of a specific surface area of the specified adsorbents. Materials and Methods: In this study the absorbite AG-5, valley peat and natural sodium and calcium bentonite clays are used as sorbents. The adsorption of tar substances had been researched during the flotation process of phenolic wastewater in conditions close to industrial: the duration of flotation is 20 min; the wastewater temperature is 323 K; the intensity of air supply – 0.15 dm3/h. The calculations suggested that the adsorption of tarry substances is monomolecular in nature and described by the Langmuir’s theory of monomolecular adsorption. Results: The specific surface area of the adsorbents during the adsorption process of tarry substances from a phenolic industrial wastewater defined for the first time are following (m2/g): sodium bentonite clay – 1847; absorbite AG-5 – 1467; calcium bentonite clay – 728; valley peat – 603. For these adsorbents was also calculated the limit value of adsorption and constant of adsorption equilibria. The obtained values indicate a strong interaction between adsorbent and adsorbate, especially significant for the bentonite clay and absorbite. It was found, that sodium bentonite is more effective on all counts compared with absorbite, and recommended thus for industrial application.