Efficient removal of hydrogen sulfide from wastewater using waste-tire-derived rubber particles

Abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is problematic because it corrodes the sewer system pipelines, industrial and home appliances and causes foul smelling in surrounding. On the other side, waste tires are also increasing solid waste and their appropriate disposal is quite challenging. Therefore, this study was conducted with dual aim to employ waste tire derived rubber particles (TDRP) for efficient removal of H2S, color and suspended particles from wastewater. Activation of crumb rubber was performed through the chemical method. ASTM methods such as E 897-88 R04, E 830-87 R04, E 949-88 R04 and D 1050-1 were used to characterize the volatile matter, ash, moisture and surface area of the prepared adsorbent. Results showed that in batch experiment with retention time (10–25 min) and dosing rate (1–4 g), the initial concentration of sulfides in wastewater (158 pm) was absolutely removed. Moreover, a significant reduction up to 67.35 and 96.34% was observed in color and turbidity, respectively. Treatment was also resulted in elevation of dissolved oxygen level from zero to 5.41 mg/L. Process was also performed using fixed-bed column filtration that was found more efficient for removal of turbidity and color up to 97.34% and 79%, respectively. However, concentration of sulfides was reduced up to 98.7%. Results showed that TDRP not only solved the problem of solid waste but proved as an efficient material to get rid of hydrogen sulfide in wastewater.