Developing Sorption Materials for Wastewater Purification from Surfactants Using Various Binding Agents

The article proposes an absorption method for wastewater purification from surfactants using energy waste, the thermal power plant's water treatment sludge, as a secondary material resource. Notably, today, the amount of production waste grows annually, which causes the contamination of the atmospheric air, water bodies, and soils, and has a detrimental impact on public health and the environmental situation. At the same time, scientific research by Russian and international authors suggests the advisability of utilizing industrial waste as secondary material resources, including sorption materials. The impact of the type of binding agent on the sorption properties of materials obtained from the thermal power plant's water treatment sludge generated in the course of liming and coagulation of natural water in clarifiers to replenish losses has been studied. Experimental data on the efficiency of wastewater purification from surfactants with the developed sorption materials are provided. The diphilic properties of surfactants contained in wastewaters have been noted. The dependence of the surface tension of sodium dodecyl sulfate on the concentration of surfactants has been presented. According to the study results, the most advisable binding agents allowing for the purification of contaminated wastewaters from surfactants based on the concentration of a contaminant are identified. The requirements for the binding agents, which are the sorption capacity, insolubility, hydrophobicity, buoyancy, and environmental safety, have been determined. A method of formation of granules is selected, and the optimal amount of the introduced binding agents ensuring the maximum efficient wastewater purification is determined. The material made on the basis of water treatment sludge using paraffin as a binding agent has the maximum sorption capacity.