Study and development of adsorption process of cobalt by wood ashes aiming at animal feed supplementation

• Grant number: 21/04142-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2021
• End date: August 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Fernanda Perpétua Casciatori
• Grantee: Ana Laura Manini Minto
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In order to meet the growing demand for food associated with population growth in a sustainable manner, a substantial increase in the production of animal protein in the world, through the formulation of nutritionally enriched feed, will be necessary. On the other hand, the processing industry releases high levels of pollutants to the environment, with emphasis on liquid effluents from the paint industries, rich in cobalt, which in turn is an essential mineral in the feeding of ruminants. In this context, in this Scientific Initiation project, the process of enriching a solid urban waste, ash from wood ovens, with cobalt from industrial effluents, will be studied, aiming at supplementing animal feed. For this purpose, the adsorption technique will be used, a low-cost and high-efficiency unit operation that allows the concentration of molecules in solution on the surface of the solid. Experimental tests will be performed, initially on a flask scale, to assess the adsorption capacity of cobalt by ashes. Then, using experimental planning, the effects of variables on the adsorption process in agitated flasks (solids load, pH, initial solution concentration, and temperature) will be evaluated. In this optimal condition, flask scale experiments will also be carried out to determine the kinetics and isotherms of the adsorption understudy, with model fitting. In the final stage of the project, the adsorption of cobalt by ashes in a packed bed will be evaluated, on a bench scale. The ash bed will be percolated by the solution containing cobalt in a closed system, varying the flow rate of the fluid and the time of circulation. Based on the parameters obtained on the flask scale, an attempt will be made to define the ideal residence time so that the process can be carried out continuously. It is expected, at the end of the project, to have developed an environmentally friendly process with an effective contribution to food security. (AU)