Synthesis of Zeolite a From Kaolin and Its Adsorption Potential for the Removal of Pb, Cr, and Cd from Refinery Wastewater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ari.v4i1.6504Keywords:
Chromium, Kaolin, Synthesis, Wastewater, Zeolite AAbstract
This study investigated the synthesis of Zeolite A from kaolin and evaluated its adsorption potential for the removal of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) from refinery wastewater. Kaolin was subjected to a series of chemical treatments, followed by hydrothermal synthesis to produce Zeolite A, which was then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) which showed it crystallinity nature with visible sharp peak at 2 theta, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showing peaks at varying wavelength at 3384, 3236, 2868, 1628 and 1560 cm-1 respectively and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis showing 370.497m2/g and a pore diameter at 2.94nm with smooth with well-formed crystalline faces seen from the scanning electron microscope analysis. The adsorption efficiency of the synthesized zeolite was tested under various conditions, including initial metal concentration. The results showed that the synthesized Zeolite A exhibited a high surface area and well-defined mesoporosity, making it highly effective in adsorbing Pb, Cr, and Cd ions, the Si /Al ratio of the as-synthesized zeolite nanoparticles was 1.33 with percentage removal of Pb as 28.43%, Cd as 5.54% and Cr was 100% from the refinery wastewater.
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