Articles - Leather Technology Magazine Nº80

Blanca H. Hintermeyer¹, Silvana A. Muratona¹,², Eduardo L. Tavani²,*

¹ Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Económico-Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis, 25 de Mayo 384, (D5730EKQ) Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina
² Centro de Tecnología de Recursos Minerales y Cerámica (CETMIC), Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, CONICET, Camino Centenario y 506, C.C. 49, (B1897ZCA) M.B. Gonnet, Argentina
*E-mail: etavani@netverk.com.ar

Analysis of the adsorption process applied to the removal of chromium(III) dissolved in wastewaters from tanneries

Keywords: chromium(III), adsorption, wastewaters from tanneries, clay, zeolite, activated carbon, chitosan, alga, fungus.

ABSTRACT

Data published on the capacity of twelve adsorbents to remove the chromium(III) contained in wastewaters from tanneries were analyzed. The review included a detailed description of the main physicochemical characteristics of the adsorbents, highlighting those aspects that make it possible to explain the mechanism through which the separation occurs. Subsequently, whether the electric charge and the size of a complex ion affect the yield of the process was examined. The results
compiled showed that the electric charge is the property of greatest incidence on the attraction force of the chromium(III) bearing species. According to the fact that the substance used in the tannage is mainly a dimer and the practical interest of its presence in the medium studied, it was decided to focus on treatments that were carried out only with industrial effluents.
To conclude, the amounts of chromium(III) retained per gram of each adsorbent were compared. The highest removal was 185.9 mg/g and it was obtained with an acidophilic fungi from the neutralization liquid.