Abstract
The high sorption capacity of compost indicates that it can be a cheap alternative to the currently used sorbents, also in the case of heavy metals. The sorption of zinc from aqueous solutions with the use of the selected compost types not meeting standards was carried out in accordance with the batch method in the constant contact conditions of a liquid (100 mL) and a solid (5,0 g) when the concentrations of Zn2+ were 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg·L-1. The efficiency of the process decreased with an increasing Zn2+ concentration and was strongly dependent on the quality of the compost and the composition of the initial compost mixture. For the highest concentration of zinc, the best efficiency (nearly 70%) was obtained in case of the commercial compost, while the lowest one (only 25%) in the case of the compost made only from green waste and prepared in a garden compost bin. The experimental results were described using the Freundlich isotherms and the obtained equation parameters show the adsorption process. It was found that compost can serve as an efficient sorbent with regard to zinc ions.
Highlights
The growing demand for cheap and efficient sorbents capable of removing various types of pollutants from water and sewage spurs multidirectional studies which aim at finding new materials with adsorptive properties [1,2,3]
Compost is a very promising product in this group: it is easy to make and cheap to produce, it is obtained from waste material produced in large numbers by people
In the study there were tested 3 different types of compost produced in the uncontrolled backyard or household conditions (K1 ÷ K3) and one commercial compost (K4)
Summary
The growing demand for cheap and efficient sorbents capable of removing various types of pollutants from water and sewage spurs multidirectional studies which aim at finding new materials with adsorptive properties [1,2,3]. Compost is a very promising product in this group: it is easy to make and cheap to produce, it is obtained from waste material produced in large numbers by people All this makes necessary for the verification of compost use as sorbent with regard to diversified types of pollutants [6, 7]. Regardless of the composting method and the quality and purity of substrates it is not uncommon to obtain compost which for various reasons should not or cannot be used to fertilize the soil [8] If it does not meet the respective requirements it becomes a useless waste material, and very often it is disposed of on landfill sites [9]. It was just such waste composts (not meeting standards) that were used in the experiment
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