New Insights on the Simultaneous Removal by Adsorption on Organoclays of Humic Acid and Phenol

The exploitation of thermal water as a heat source in houses and apartments (during winter) is a widely used alternative to natural gas. However, this type of water may contain organic contaminants, which must be removed before releasing the used water into rivers and lakes. Because of the presence of a wide range of pollutants (including phenolic compounds and humates), efficient, cheap removal processes are needed. In order to demonstrate their capability in thermal water cleaning, clay minerals were applied for the removal of phenol and humic acid via adsorption. To determine the most efficient removal strategy for the aforementioned pollutants, the following parameters were investigated: the type of the clay mineral, the organophilization strategy (in situ or pre-organophilization), and the individual or simultaneous removability of the model pollutants. The current study revealed that the applied low cost, in situ prepared clay mineral adsorbents are applicable in the removal of pollutants from thermal water.