Use of a Smart Natural Material to Remove Zinc and Cadmium from Water

Abstract

The use of available waste materials as adsorbents of heavy metals from industrial wastewaters was investigated. Metallic ions of Zn and Cd are some of the most difficult contaminants to remove from the aqueous streams in the environment. This paper proposes a novel process for the removal of these elements from water using smart dry sludge. The technique uses solid sludge supplied by the water treatment plant of the city of Al-Ain, located in the Emirate of Abu-Dhabi of United Arab Emirates. The proposed technique could be used at low cost and with great efficiency in the purification of drinking water. The method used in this research was developed in order to develop a comprehensive technique that reduces heavy metal concentration to an acceptable level. The SEM was used to explore the surface of the sludge to ensure the availability pores that may add additional advantages for retention of heavy metals. The proposed method shows great efficiency and the end concentrations of the product reached an acceptable leve