Removal of paraquat from synthetic wastewater using phillipsite-faujasite tuff from Jordan

A phillipsite-faujasite tuff (faujasite) from Jordan has been activated and characterized to evaluate its efficiency in removing paraquat from synthetic wastewater and to specify optimum conditions with maximum efficiency of the faujasite tuff. Noticed variation in CEC is indicated and explained by selectivity of the faujasite to K+ and Na+. Removal of paraquat by using faujasite directly gave average removal efficiency equal to 59%. Thermal activation of the samples enhances their performance. The higher is the temperature of activation the higher the efficiency. Treatment of paraquat effluent using faujasite is a good alternative. Na- or K-loading of the original sample give better results. Loading with Ca and Mg however is not recommended because they always exhibit lower efficiency, which might be related to their lower CEC value. Removal of paraquat from wastewater using charcoal and the non-activated faujasite increased efficiency to about 82%. Thermal activated faujasite at 200 degrees C and 300 degrees C increased the uptake up to about 93% and 99.5%, respectively. Therefore thermal activation of faujasite is necessary to improve its uptake performance. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.