Design of zeolite filter for ammonium removal in wastewater

Abstract

The search for alternative methods that are less expensive and more friendly to the environment is a priority task for the world of science, and simple solutions based on the use of indigenous resources come into play. Natural zeolite is one of the materials that offer the possibility of reducing wastewater pollution, being an abundant mineral in some poor developing nations, hence its use is a cost-friendly and environmentally friendly alternative. In the work, the mineralogical characteristics of the zeolite are analyzed, making it a formidable filtering material of contaminated waters and the existence of deposits of this mineral in the province of Guayas, Ecuador. An environmental characterization of the Portoviejo river is carried out, where the pollution that is occurring is revealed through the existence of more than 300 effluents that discharge the wastewater into the river. The calculations are shown for the design of the zeolite filter that is proposed for the reduction of the contamination of the wastewater that is discharged to the Portoviejo river at the height of the Velazco Ibarra bridge of the city of the same name and a technical scheme of the filtering device based on the use of zeolite.