Production of adsorbent material from water treatment plant sludge activated with yellow passion fruit peel

• Grant number: 22/16242-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Principal Investigator: Rosane Freire Boina
• Grantee: Raphaela Ferraz Freitas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In order to the water collected in a public supply source reach the established quality standards, it must undergo treatment, carried out at the Water Treatment Plants (WTPs). In conventional cycle WTPs, in the coagulation stage, WTP sludge is generated, a solid residue that has been effective for several functions, but is commonly treated as waste. There is also the directing of this material to water courses; and, on the other hand, its forwarding to a landfill can cause the cell's destabilization, as its clayey characteristic is capable of promoting the expansion or retraction of the deposited layer when exposed or not to moisture. This obstacle brings several problems, whether economic and environmental, or for human and animal health. Thus, transformative research in which waste is understood as a raw material should be widely encouraged. With that in mind, the objective of this research proposal is the development of a ceramic material capable of retaining pollutants present in aqueous solutions, having the WWTP sludge as a precursor. The material will be activated with the yellow passion fruit peel, a waste generated in large quantities in the country and with excellent functional properties for pollutant retention. In this way, it is expected to produce a resistant, safe and functional ceramic adsorbent material for the adsorption of aqueous pollutants, which will provide inputs for a change in solid waste management, especially in the sanitation sector.