Comparative Studies on Application of Various Adsorbents in Textile Waste Water

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the potential of employing natural adsorbents, such as cashew nut shells, date seeds, orange peels, and coir pith, to mitigate COD levels in textile wastewater. The wastewater used for the study was sourced from a textile industry located in Salem. The investigation involved batch studies, wherein the effectiveness of each selected absorbent in reducing COD was assessed to determine the most efficient among the four sorbents. The initial concentration from the batch research served as a basis for identifying the optimal adsorbent, with the COD of the textile wastewater maintained consistently along with the initial dye concentration. To conduct the study, the adsorbent was incrementally introduced in 10 g portions into conical flasks. Over a10-minute period following a 20-minute contact time, the supernatant liquid from each conical flask was collected using syringes. The COD concentration in the obtained samples was determined using a standard methodology. Results revealed that date seeds exhibited the highest percentage of COD removal at 67%, followed by cashew nut shells at 45%, coir pith at 33%, and orange peels at 23%. The data obtained indicated that cashew nut shells and date seeds achieved the highest percentages of COD reduction, respectively. On the other hand, the Orange Peel Adsorbent displayed the least reduction in COD. Based on the collected findings, date seeds emerge as a promising adsorbent for effectively lowering COD in the treatment of textile wastewater.