Evaluation of the Impact of Different Natural Zeolite Treatments on the Capacity of Eliminating/Reducing Odors and Toxic Compounds.

Vanda Liliana Babalau Fuss,Oana Cadar,Gabriel Bruj,Marius Roman,Anca Becze,Lucian Dordai

doi:10.3390/ma14133724

Vanda Liliana Babalau Fuss, Oana Cadar + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14133724

Copy DOI

Journal: Materials	Publication Date: Jul 2, 2021
Citations: 13	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation

Abstract

Unlike odorants that mask odors, natural zeolite acts as a molecular sieve that captures and eliminates odors. Different treatment methods can be applied to influence the properties of the natural zeolites. To enhance the odor adsorption capacities of the natural zeolite two types of treatment methods were applied: chemical (acid, basic) and thermal. The initial natural zeolites and the activated one were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX). Two experiments were performed to establish the odor adsorption capacity of the activated natural zeolites. The best zeolite for the adsorption of humidity, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide was the 1–3 mm zeolite activated through thermal treatment. For the adsorption of PAHs, the best zeolite was the one activated through basic treatment, with an adsorption capacity of 89.6 ng/g.

Highlights

The smell of a product is a complex, gaseous mixture that can contain hundreds of individual chemical components [1]
The aim of this research is to evaluate the capacity of the natural zeolites to adsorb odors (H2S, NH3) and toxic compounds (PAHs) from the household environment, after undergoing chemical and thermal treatments
This study confirms that natural zeolites are low-cost materials for odor control and removal

Summary

Introduction

The smell of a product is a complex, gaseous mixture that can contain hundreds of individual chemical components [1]. Malodors can have a direct impact on the health of humans and animals because they can contain harmful airborne substance [2,3]. With consumers that are more and more interested in eco-friendly solutions, optimizing the available natural resources is a simple way of ensuring odor control with little impact on the environment. Spoiled food smells are the results of bacterial decomposition of organic matter. The ability to sense these smells and recognize them as off-putting is essential in avoiding food intoxication [4,5]. People have found different ways to ensure food stability. One of them is to reduce the humidity of the environment where food was stored [6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion