Color Removal from Pulp Mill Effluent Using Coal Ash Produced from Georgia Coal Combustion Power Plants
Location
Atrium
Session Format
Poster Presentation
Research Area Topic:
Engineering and Material Sciences - Civil
Co-Presenters and Faculty Mentors or Advisors
Dr. George Fu, Ph.D., P.Eng
Abstract
Two primary environmental pollution concerns currently face Southeastern Georgia: coal fly ash (CFA) from coal power plants, and the effluent from pulp mills. This effluent not only discolors surface waters into which it is discharged, but has also been proven to negatively impact the dissolved oxygen and carbon necessary for aquatic life. Due to their prevalence in Southeastern Georgia, pulp mill effluent was selected as a test adsorbate for CFA. Although currently viewed as trash, CFA possesses beneficial properties that allow it to effectively adsorb pollutants from effluent. In addition, because CFA is a waste product destined for landfills, it is available at for free. The purpose of this project was to use these two waste products synergistically via adsorption to cost-effectively mitigate the environmental hazard posed by CFA and pulp mill effluent.
The primary research objective was to define adsorption treatment parameters that would result in the maximum removal of color from pulp mill effluent samples at the lowest CFA dosage and process cost. Experimentation consisted of batch adsorption studies and the following test parameters were varied to determine their effect on removal capacity: agitation speed (RPM), CFA dosage, initial effluent pH, CFA particle size, and contact time. In addition, a kinetic study and an isotherm study were conducted using the optimal conditions defined in previous studies, and the data was fitted to existing adsorption models.
A cost-effective adsorption process resulting in 80% color removal was defined using an adsorbent dosage of 100 g CFA per liter of effluent with no pH adjustment. The adsorption process reached equilibrium after 24 hours. Additionally, the collected data exhibited a close fit to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and the Ho kinetic model. In summary, this study found that CFA can effectively remove color from pulp mill effluents at minimal cost.
Keywords
Adsorption, Pulp mill effluent, Coal ash, Color, Wastewater treatment
Presentation Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Start Date
4-24-2015 10:45 AM
End Date
4-24-2015 12:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Willett, Christopher B., "Color Removal from Pulp Mill Effluent Using Coal Ash Produced from Georgia Coal Combustion Power Plants" (2015). GS4 Georgia Southern Student Scholars Symposium. 27.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2015/2015/27
Color Removal from Pulp Mill Effluent Using Coal Ash Produced from Georgia Coal Combustion Power Plants
Atrium
Two primary environmental pollution concerns currently face Southeastern Georgia: coal fly ash (CFA) from coal power plants, and the effluent from pulp mills. This effluent not only discolors surface waters into which it is discharged, but has also been proven to negatively impact the dissolved oxygen and carbon necessary for aquatic life. Due to their prevalence in Southeastern Georgia, pulp mill effluent was selected as a test adsorbate for CFA. Although currently viewed as trash, CFA possesses beneficial properties that allow it to effectively adsorb pollutants from effluent. In addition, because CFA is a waste product destined for landfills, it is available at for free. The purpose of this project was to use these two waste products synergistically via adsorption to cost-effectively mitigate the environmental hazard posed by CFA and pulp mill effluent.
The primary research objective was to define adsorption treatment parameters that would result in the maximum removal of color from pulp mill effluent samples at the lowest CFA dosage and process cost. Experimentation consisted of batch adsorption studies and the following test parameters were varied to determine their effect on removal capacity: agitation speed (RPM), CFA dosage, initial effluent pH, CFA particle size, and contact time. In addition, a kinetic study and an isotherm study were conducted using the optimal conditions defined in previous studies, and the data was fitted to existing adsorption models.
A cost-effective adsorption process resulting in 80% color removal was defined using an adsorbent dosage of 100 g CFA per liter of effluent with no pH adjustment. The adsorption process reached equilibrium after 24 hours. Additionally, the collected data exhibited a close fit to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and the Ho kinetic model. In summary, this study found that CFA can effectively remove color from pulp mill effluents at minimal cost.
