New method for the adsorption of organic pollutants using natural zeolite incinerator ash (ZIA) and its application as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective adsorbent

Rapid development of civilization together with the evolution of industry has caused deep changes in the quality of the environment in which the human beings live. The enhancing demands for a healthy environment, particularly for the removal of pollutants from industrial and municipal wastewater, are a major reason to search for new materials. Zeolites are potential materials and can conveniently be used as adsorbents for the removal of environmental pollutants. The present research offers a green approach to investigate the removal efficiency of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and azo dyes from wastewater using zeolite derived from incinerator waste (ash) as an effective, economical, and environmentlly friendly suitable material as an adsorbent. The significance rests on the use of hazardous waste into a useful resource (adsorbent). Batch adsorption studies are conducted and results are analyzed by UV-vis spectrophotometer. The results depicted the performance of zeolite incinerator ash (1mg/kg) in removing 98, 97, and 96% of anthracene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, respectively, and up to 90% removal of the dyes upon adsorbate-adsorbent contact for 10min. Thus, the zeolite made from natural waste materials possess unique porous properties and offer promise for the removal of organic pollutants. The recovery ability can also be tested and evaluated to determine the reusability of the adsorbent. This is an additional benefit which reduces the need for extracting materials from the environment to be used in the industrial processes.