An environmentally sustainable way for effective water purification by adsorptive red mud cementitious composite cubes modified with bentonite and activated carbon

Abstract

More practical, easy-to-design, inexpensive, environmentally-sustainable, and environmentally-friendly approaches are needed for access to clean water. The utility of red mud, which is considered hazardous waste, combined with bentonite and activated carbon in cement pastes has been investigated for effective water treatment method. Improvement rates of 51.7% and 90.27% was achieved in removing heavy metals such as, cobalt and barium, which is very toxic for human health from the raw dam water using adsorptive red mud cement paste cubes modified with bentonite and activated carbon, and these can be an important alternative for treating industrial wastewater originating from production in industrial facilities and factories. Designed adsorptive cubes used as a water softening tool, have brought dam water to drinking water standards in terms of its physical, chemical, and biological properties. These red mud cement pastes can be used in sand filters in existing water treatment plants or be used in pervious concrete roads with its porosity structure 2.12 times higher than that of control paste to prevent rainwater pollution, minimize floods in sewer systems, and reduce the pollution load of the wastewater treatment plant.