23 - Effects of zeolite-based nanoparticles on the biodegradation of organic materials

Abstract

The textile industry is one of the major industries worldwide and produces a huge amount of colored effluent. Conventionally, different methods have been used for the treatment of carcinogenic dyes, particularly azo dyes containing wastewater. But all conventional methods are limited to desired results due to less efficiency, high cost, and environmental consequences. However, the use of engineered nanoparticles, especially nanozerovalent iron particles (nZVI) has been considered in this regard, due to their high surface area and high reactivity. But due to magnetic and van der Waal attractions, nZVI particles tend to aggregate together, which significantly damages their reactivity, and also affects their fate in a natural environment. The present chapter focused on solutions for nanoparticle aggregation by their deposition on natural media like zeolite, and the utilization of these natural media supported nZVI in the form of liquid slurry, with sodium percarbonate (SPC) acting as an oxidant in a Fenton-like system for remediation of dye in textile effluent. Based on the accumulated data, we revealed that utilization of natural medium as a support for nZVI significantly decreased the aggregation of zerovalent iron nanoparticles and showed the maximum synthetic dye and actual dye effluents remediation within 30min. Overall, nZVI/SPC Fenton-like system proved to be a considerable option for organic effluent and groundwater remediation.