The removal of manganese ions from industrial wastewater using local Saudi and commercial bentonite clays

Abstract

Manganese compounds exist naturally in the environment as solids in soils and small particles in water. Human industrial activities and the burning of fossil fuels increase the manganese concentration in the air. Studies have shown that exposure to manganese has extremely dangerous, toxic effects on humans, resulting in ailments such as the “metal fume fever” which produces symptoms such as metallic taste in the mouth, headache, fever and chills, anxieties, chest tightness, and cough. This has led many researchers to try different techniques to eliminate this harmful metal from the environment. Among methods, adsorption is one of the most effective and efficient for the removal of contaminants, such as heavy metals, from wastewater. We focused on local (from Saudi Arabia) and commercial (from India) bentonite clay to verify the importance of natural bentonite clay as an adsorbent for water treatment. While other purification techniques are expensive, bentonite clay is cheap, natural, and accessible. Therefore, we investigated how the concentration of the solution pH, temperature, adsorbent amount, contact time and bentonite procedure (washing and heat treatment) affect the removal process. Our results demonstrated success in the local bentonite clay's adsorptive capacities, and we encourage the generalization of its use in the Saudi kingdom's industries.