Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objective: Massive quantity of Raw Fly Ash (RFA) is generated during incineration due to rapid surge in global energy needs posing severe threat to natural balance owing to constraints associated with its storage and disposal. There exists a pressing and ongoing need to recycle RFA into novel mesoporous geopolymer that can sanitize aqueous medium from hazardous As (III) posturing bioaccumulation. Methodology: NaOH activated Fusion based Hydrothermal Technique (FUHT) was applied for synthesis of sodium zeolites from cost effective Si and Al source i.e. RFA. The characteristics like morphology and surface porosity, surface chemistry and crystallinity in conjunction with ion exchangeability of the Geopolymerized Sodium Zeolite (GSZ) were evaluated by SEM, FTIR, XRD and CEC techniques, respectively. We investigated that scavenging performance of the adsorbent for sequestration of As (III) via ICP-AES and optimized at pH ≈ 8 for 30 minutes by using 150 mg of adsorbent dose. Findings: Adsorption results confirmed that the developed sodium zeolite composites favor multilayer heterogeneous adsorption isotherm. Application: The effort towards industrial waste recycling into value added materials is an emergent move toward achieving a sustainable environment. 

Keywords: Adsorbent Materials, As (III) Removal, Fly Ash, Water Treatment, Zeolite Synthesis