Bagasse Fly Ash Research Articles

Management of Sugar Industrial Wastes through Vermitechnology

The present paper discusses the role of earthworms in recycling of sugar industrial wastes. The wastes generated from sugar industry are pressmud, bagasse, bagasse fly ash, sugar cane trash, sugar beet mud, sugar beet pulp, molasses etc. These wastes when mixed with other organic substrates become ideal mixtures for growth of earthworms. These wastes if stored in open field’s causes contamination in the environment and may cause several diseases in public health. But the governments have been unable to tackle the menace of solid waste pollution due to dearth of appropriate technologies, finance and space. Therefore, environment friendly and cost effective technologies for nutrient recycling or remediation of wastes are being advocated as an alternative means for conserving and replenishing natural resources of the ecosystems. Vermicomposting is one such technology that synergises microbial degradation with earthworm’s activity for reducing, reusing and recycling waste materials in a shorter span of time. Earthworm technology can convert sugar industrial wastes into valuable fertilizing material. The final product (vermicompost) produced during the process of vermicomposting is nutrient rich organic fertilizer with plant available nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. In the present study an attempt has been made to document the role of earthworms in reuse of sugar industry waste.

Barium interleaved and Si/Al enhanced sugar industry waste for confiscation of nitrobenzene from aqueous solution

Nitrobenzene (NB) is widely used in the chemical industry. It is also utilized in the manufacture of perfumes, synthetic resins, pesticides, drugs and so on. It is discharged in the aqueous waste and subsequently accumulates in the environment which brings about harmful effects on human health and other lives. It causes carcinogenic, mutagenic effect, headache, skin and eye irritation. Its continuous exposure leads to liver damage and anemia. Low cost adsorbent bagasse fly ash (BFA)-sugar industry waste is an alternative opportunity for adsorption. Microwave synthesized Barium interleaved-EMZBFA-Ba (Electrolyte treated Microwave assisted Zeolite of Bagasse Fly Ash with Barium interleaved) with improved Si/Al ratio-EMZBFA-30-Ba (Electrolyte treated Microwave assisted Zeolite of Bagasse Fly Ash having Si/Al ratio 30 with Barium interleaved) has been synthesized from Bagasse Fly Ash. PXRD (Powdered X-ray Diffraction), XRF (X-ray Fluorescence), FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation), SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) and BJH (Barrett-Joyner-Halenda) techniques were used to characterize the adsorbents. The optimized parameters like pH (2), agitation time (120min), initial sorbate concentration (100mg/L), adsorbent dose (2g/l) and temperature (303K) have been adjusted. The NB removal efficiency was observed at the adjusted parameters which showed average sorption capacity (qe) of 27.56mg/g, 36.12mg/g, 39.26mg/g, for BFA, EMZBFA-Ba, and EMZBFA-30-Ba respectively. Frendulich model was best suited for sorption process when the kinetic studies show pseudo second order rate of sorption. Intraparticle diffusion and surface adsorption were suitable for extraction of NB through mainly hydrogen bonding interaction of NB and BFA, EMZBFA-Ba, and EMZBFA-30-Ba.

Microwave-Synthesized Barium-Impregnated Siliceous Zeolitic Material Derived from Bagasse Fly Ash for Uptake of Aniline

Aniline has been present in wastewater discharged from chemical manufacturing industries which has great impact on human health and environment. Bagasse fly ash (BFA) is a sugar industry waste and synthesized into zeolitic materials used for elimination of aniline from aqueous solution. The microwave-assisted technique employed for transformation of BFA into zeolitic material which was EMZBFA-Ba (electrolyte-treated microwave-irradiated zeolite of bagasse fly ash-barium). It was further modified with Si/Al ratio 30 (EMZBFA-30-Ba) to enhance its hydrophobicity for better sorption of aniline. The synthesized zeolites were characterized by X-ray fluorescence analysis, powdered X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Barrett–Joyner–Halenda, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and scanning electron microscopy. The characterized materials result confirmed the existence of major minerals such as harmotome, analcime and barium chloroaluminosilicate zeolitic materials. Barium was incorporated into zeolite for structure directing and crystallinity improvement which also enhanced sorption of aniline. The efficacy of removal of aniline was tested at optimum sorption conditions which do have average sorption capacity of 39.06, 45.02 and 48.59 mg/g for BFA, EMZBFA-Ba and EMZBFA-30-Ba, respectively. Langmuir and Freundlich model fitted for sorption process, while the kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second-order rate, intraparticle diffusion and surface sorption were suitable for sorption of aniline. From thermodynamic study, the major interactions of sorbate and sorbent were hydrogen bonding, dipole forces and chemical bond because these strong forces of interaction sorbents may not be highly regenerated.

The influence of bagasse fibre and fly ash on the long-term properties of green cementitious composites

Both the long-term physical and mechanical properties of new green cementitious composites reinforced with bagasse fibre and steel fibre with ultra high volume of fly ash are investigated in this paper. Newly cast specimens were cured in the lab for the first 28days, then these specimens were moved outside to be cured in weather conditions for up to 10months. The physical properties (including bulk density, apparent porosity and water absorption), mechanical properties (such as compressive strength, Young’s modulus and modulus of rupture) are investigated experimentally at the age of 28days, 3months, 6months and 10months. SEM tests are also conducted to study the microstructure of the new composites. Through comparison with the mechanical behaviour of the composites at the age of 28days, the long-term effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the composites are discussed, and the impact of fly ash content and bagasse fibre content on the composites under the weathering conditions are also analysed. The experimental results show that the compressive strength, Young’s modulus, modulus of rupture and tensile strength of the composites decrease with the reduction of the content of fly ash and bagasse fibre, but bending toughness of the material increases with fly ash content and peaks as fly ash to cement ratio achieves 2.0. The mechanical properties of the new composites are found to be comparable to those of conventional concrete and they are very promising green and sustainable construction and building materials for the next generation infrastructures.

Adsorptive removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid from aqueous solution using bagasse fly ash as adsorbent in batch and packed-bed techniques

Among the several synthetic herbicides available currently, 2,4-D is a commonly used herbicide to control broadleaf weeds in agriculture and forestry. However, its increasing use in agricultural and nonagricultural activities has resulted in increasing concentrations of 2,4-D being detected in water bodies. Thus, there is a need to identify methods to remove 2,4-D to protect the environment. Among the various methods used for 2,4-D removal, adsorption is found to be effective, and several adsorbents have been studied to remove 2,4-D from aqueous solutions. In this study, we used bagasse fly ash (BFA), a common industrial waste generated in large amount worldwide, for 2,4-D removal from aqueous solution using batch and continuous packed-bed adsorption. In the batch adsorption process, the effects of initial concentration, contact time, temperature, pH, and particle size of BFA were studied. The packed-bed performance of BFA was investigated by varying the influent concentration (50–150 mg/L), flow rate (1.2–4 mL/min), and bed height (4.5–9 cm). Isotherm and thermodynamic parameters are determined for batch adsorption, whereas the performance of continuous adsorption is evaluated by different packed-bed models. The particle-size effect indicated the higher removal of 2,4-D on the bigger particles of BFA due to greater BET surface area and carbon-to-silica ratio than smaller particles. The maximum percentage removal (37.04) is achieved for an influent concentration of 50 mg/L, flow rate of 1.2 mL/min, and bed height of 6.5 cm. For the first time ever, the deactivation kinetic model was applied for the solid–liquid adsorption system and it showed the best fit among the selected models. The bed capacity (m2/g) of BFA is three times greater than synthetic activated carbon for adsorption of 2,4-D. This informs that the BFA can be used as an adsorbent for 2,4-D removal from aqueous solution.

Decentralized Low Cost Wastewater Treatment Plant Based on Phytoremediation and Bagasse Fly Ash as Natural Filtering Media

Decentralized Low Cost Wastewater Treatment Plant Based on Phytoremediation and Bagasse Fly Ash as Natural Filtering Media

Synthesis of TiO2@ Activated Bagasse Fly Ash Nanocomposite as a Photocatalyst for Removal of Dyes and Heavy Metals from Wastewater

Synthesis of TiO2@ Activated Bagasse Fly Ash Nanocomposite as a Photocatalyst for Removal of Dyes and Heavy Metals from Wastewater

Effect of High Performance Concrete in PCC Structure by Partial Replacement of Agricultural Waste

Background/Objectives: The experimental investigations are carried out to study the effect of agricultural waste in PCC structure by partial replacement of cement and aggregate with wastes. The agricultural and industrial wastes used are Bagasse Ash, Fly ash and Coconut shell. Here the Bagasse ash and coconut shell has been physically characterized, and partially replaced by weight of cement and aggregate in concrete. Methods/Statistical Analysis: This study has been aimed to evaluate the strength of the concrete by performing standard tests like compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength at the age of 3, 7 and 28 days and physical properties test were also conducted and compared. The bagasse ash and coconut shell have been replaced partially with the concrete of about optimum of 25% respectively. Instead of cement, bagasse ash is utilized with varying proportions and the strength values are evaluated and tabulated. Similarly coconut has been utilized with the conventional concrete for the replacement of coarse aggregate. Findings: The strength parameters are evaluated with the specimen of bagasse ash and coconut shell.In this study, bagasse ash has been partially replaced with the cement to determine the physical and chemical properties of the concrete and then it is compared with the conventional concrete. Similarly coconut shell has been replaced partially with the coarse aggregate for evaluating the strength parameters. In past research, the bagasse ash replacement was given the results of about 90% with 15% of replacement of cement with bagasse ash.In this present study, obtained the optimum strength of about 80% with the replacement of bagasse ash as of about 25%. The utilization of more than 25% of bagasse ash in concrete, strength is gradually reduced with the target strength of conventional concrete. Applications/Improvements: Further research in this study is to use the chemical admixture to improve the bonding strength,then the strength might have been increased with that of conventional concrete. The major application of this concrete is to use as a constructional material for the non structural elements like kitchen slab, man hole cover and compound walls.

Adsorptive removal of diuron on biomass ashes: a comparative study using rice husk ash and bagasse fly ash as adsorbents

This study describes the use of two types of biomass ashes (BMAs) as adsorbents for diuron removal. Two BMAs, namely rice husk ash (RHA) and bagasse fly ash (BFA), were used in this study, and their adsorption behavior and adsorption mechanism were compared based on various characteristics, such as surface area, pore diameter, and volume. It was found that the particle size and the composition of these BMAs, especially the content of carbon and silica, primarily affect the adsorption kinetics and capacity. Compared with RHA, BFA has more carbon content (47.37%), and therefore shows higher adsorption capacity (43.48 μmol/g). In addition, BFA has larger external surface area and exhibited faster kinetics at the initial adsorption stage; by contrast, RHA due to its larger pore diameter allows for faster pore adsorption and surpasses the initial kinetic rate of BFA. For the same particle size (0.354–0.251 mm), the equilibrium capacity of BFA was found to be four times greater than that of RHA; in addition, the surface area of BFA is two times more than that of RHA, suggesting that BFA has more active sites than RHA. It was found that solution pH influences adsorption mechanism of diuron molecule on BMA. The uptake capacity of BFA and RHA is 10 times greater than natural adsorbents such as soil and is comparable with synthetic adsorbents such as activated carbon and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. To our knowledge, removal of diuron using ashes has not been reported previously.

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Handling Wastes in Sugar Industries

The global sugarcane production is about 1.91 billion tons annually and is concentrated in tropical regions, particularly in developing nations in Latin America and Asia. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), there are over 100 countries producing sugarcane today. The increase in sugarcane production implies a proportional increase in sugar industry wastes. As a consequence of such increasing trend, sugar industries are facing severe environmental problems due to the lack of sustainable solutions for their waste management. Therefore, immediate attention is required to find a proper way of management to deal with sugar industry wastes and effluent in order to minimize environmental pollution and associated health risks. In this paper, different sources of solid and liquid wastes from sugarcane agriculture and associated sugar agro-industries are reviewed and valorization approaches of these different wastes are discussed. Some of the important resource recovery options from sugar industry wastes, which have been discussed in this review, include ethanol production, recovery of chemicals, use of bagasse and bagasse fly ash as adsorbents in water treatment and building materials. Technologies associated with the treatment of wastewater from sugar industries and efficient ways of utilization of this treated water in agriculture with special attention to measurement of crop water use efficiency are reviewed in view of our own research activities carried out in the past.

Treatment of surfactant-stabilized oily wastewater using coalescing bed of bagasse fly ash (BFA) as a low-cost filter medium: modelling and optimization of process parameters

In the present study, surfactant-stabilized oily wastewater was separated using a low-cost agricultural waste, bagasse fly ash (BFA) in a packed coalescing bed. Factors such as pH (A), BFA bed height (B) and flow rate of emulsion (C) were the most significant process parameters, affecting the oil separation efficiency by the BFA coalescing bed. The effect of the above parameters on the removal efficiency of BFA coalescing bed was investigated by three-level-three-factor (33) Box–Behnken Design model using response surface methodology. A second-order polynomial model equation was proposed with a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.9942), which explained the parametric interactions significantly well. About 84.8% of oil removal efficiency was achieved under optimal parametric conditions: pH0 3, 100 mm bed height and 0.145 dm3/min flow rate. BFA, being almost a free waste material, can be effectively used for the treatment of oily wastewaters.

Mechanical behaviours of green hybrid fibre-reinforced cementitious composites

New green cementitious composites reinforced with bagasse fibre and steel fibre with ultra-high volume of fly ash are developed in this paper. The mechanical properties of bagasse fibre such as the tensile strength, Young’s modulus and stress–strain relationship are determined via conducting single fibre tensile test. Mechanical behaviours of the new composites, including compressive strength, Young’s modulus, bending behaviour and uniaxial tensile behaviour, are investigated experimentally. The influence of the content of bagasse fibres and fly ash on the mechanical behaviour of the composites is also evaluated. The obtained results show that the compressive strength, Young’s modulus, modulus of rupture and tensile strength of the composites decrease with the deduction of the content of the fly ash and bagasse fibre, but the bending toughness and tensile ductility of the material increase with fly ash content and peak as fly ash to cement ratio achieves 2.0. It is found that the mechanical properties of the composites are comparable to those of conventional concrete and are very promising green and sustainable construction and building materials and have strong potential to be used in engineering practice.

Germination behavior of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) seeds in bagasse fly ash incorporated medium

Germination and growth performance of Azadirachta indica seedlings were evaluated in a range of growth media with and without bagasse fly ash as a component. The results revealed that the highest germination of 97 per cent was recorded in seeds sown in bagasse fly ash + sand + farm yard manure 2:1:1 ratio followed by seeds sown in bagasse fly ash + red earth + farm yard manure 2:1:1 ratio (88 per cent). The lowest was recorded in sand medium (78 per cent). Seeds sown in red earth registered highest root length (13.30 cm) and dry matter production (0.93g/5seedling). The results on seedling vigour were reflected a similar trend as for germination. From this experiment, it could be concluded that among the different media evaluated for germination test, bagasse fly ash mixed with sand or red earth along with farm yard manure 2: 1:1 ratio found to the best in terms of germination and initial seedling vigour of Azadirachta indica.

Activated carbon monoliths by pressureless technique for environmental applications

Carbon monoliths have been prepared through simple procedure by carbonization in inert atmosphere at 550°C from commercial activated carbon and from unburned carbon in waste bagasse fly ash, using two different kinds of phenolic resin binders. The bagasse fly ash was collected from sugar mills where bagasse is used as a biomass based fuel for cogeneration. Commercial activated carbon based monoliths where 5 and 10 wt % of the activated carbon had been replaced by iron oxide (hematite) were also prepared. Results indicate that BET surface area decreases upon carbonization and loading of hematite. Scanning electron microscopy studies shows that the iron oxide is well distributed over the monoliths and X‐ray diffraction shows that it is reduced to magnetite during carbonization. Temperature programmed reduction experiments show that the iron oxides on the monoliths are redox active. The monoliths based on commercial activated carbon show 80% removal of phenol in diluted phenol based water solutions whereas unburned carbon derived monoliths showed 51% removal in similar solution. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1420–1426, 2015

Effect of biochars and microorganisms on cadmium accumulation in rice grains grown in Cd-contaminated soil.

Cadmium (Cd) contaminated in rice grains is a serious problem because most Asians consume rice on a daily basis. Rice grown in Cd-contaminated soil normally did not have high concentration of Cd. However, soil samples used in this study had high concentrations of Cd. The purpose of this study was to clearly see the effects of biochar and microorganism addition in rice growing in Cd-contaminated soil. The initial Cd concentration in Cd-contaminated soil used in this study was about 650 mg kg(-1). Cadmium concentration in rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of 1% (w/w) different biochars such as sawdust fly ash (SDFA), bagasse fly ash (BGFA), and rice husk ash (RHA) was investigated. The results showed that SDFA was the best biochar in terms of reducing cadmium accumulation in rice grains when compared to BGFA and RHA under the same conditions. In addition, rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of various nonpathogenic microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Beauveria bassiana were also studied. The results showed that the addition of 2% (v/v) microorganisms can reduce Cd accumulation in grains. It was found that grains obtained from Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of P. aeruginosa had the lowest cadmium concentration compared to the ones from soil amended with other strains. This was due to the fact that P. aeruginosa adsorbed more Cd itself into its cells than other strains. The rice plants grown in Cd-contaminated soil with the addition of biochars and microorganisms were also compared. The results showed that adding 2% (v/v) microorganisms seemed to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains better than adding 1% (w/w) biochars. In addition, the amounts of calcium and magnesium in rice grains and the dry weight of plant in Cd-contaminated soil amended with P. aeruginosa were the highest in comparison to other microorganisms, biochars, and the soil without any amendments (Cd-soil control). It might be possible that microorganisms can cause leaching of Ca, Mg, etc. from contaminated soil and compete with Cd to be uptaken by plants. This would cause the increase in plant dry weight and higher mineral nutrients accumulation in grains. Both biochars and microorganisms are suitable for reducing the amount of Cd in rice grains. The application should depend on farmers, biochars available in nearby areas, etc. Therefore, microorganisms and biochars can be used to solve the problem of cadmium contamination in rice grains.

Formation and characterisation of aerobic sludge aggregates in a lab-scale activated sludge system

Sludge aggregates were developed under ambient conditions in the aeration tank of a lab-scale activated sludge system. Different strategies were employed to accelerate the aggregation process viz.: i) initiating aggregation with large-dense flocs; ii) supplementing sewage with food-waste leachate containing readily biodegradable substrates; iii) periodic aerobic starvation; iv) addition of support materials to nucleate aggregate formation. Four identical reactors were set-up, each with a different support material viz.: R1: control; R2: unburnt carbon from bagasse flyash; R3: commercial activated carbon; R4: zeolite 4A. Optical and scanning electron microscopy, supported by particle size measurement by sieving indicated the development of aggregates with mean diameter of 0.5 mm in all the four reactors after 90 days of continuous operation. The aggregates showed improved physical properties (high cell-surface hydrophobicity, high integrity coefficient, low sludge volume index, high settling velocity) and chemical properties (high extracellular polymeric substances or EPS content). The process resulted in an average of 72% to 76% COD reduction with a biomass concentration of 8 to 9 g/L in the reactor. Interestingly, introduction of the support materials into the aeration tank did not enhance the aggregation process.

Comparative studies on adsorptive removal of indole by granular activated carbon and bagasse fly ash

In the present article, comparative studies were performed for the adsorptive removal of indole by granular activated carbon (GAC) and bagasse fly ash (BFA) in batch system. Experiments were conducted to study and optimize various operational parameters such as adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, and temperature. BFA was found to work more effectively over wide pH range for indole removal than GAC. Optimum dose and equilibrium time for GAC were found to be 20 g L−1 and 7 h, whereas, respective values for BFA were 7 g L−1 and 3 h. The adsorption equilibrium was well described by Redlich and Peterson isotherm. Kinetic data was best represented for pseudo-second order kinetic model. Indole adsorption onto GAC and BFA was found to be endothermic in nature. Values for entropy change and heat of adsorption for GAC were found as 101.30 kJ mol−1 K−1 and 12.42 kJ mol−1 whereas for BFA respective values were 198.88 kJ mol−1 K−1 and 32.22 kJ mol−1. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 492–503, 2015

Adsorption of acrylonitrile from aqueous solution using bagasse fly ash

The adsorption of acrylonitrile (AN) by bagasse fly ash was studied at the temperature of 303K with different initial concentrations of AN (50, 100, 200, and 500mg/l). Removal and the effect of initial pH, adsorbent dosage (m), and contact time (t) on the kinetics of the sorption process were also studied. Optimum conditions for AN removal were found to be m≈4g/l of solution and the equilibrium time ≈5h. Three kinetic models viz. the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Intra-particle diffusion models were tested to study the dynamics of the AN-BFA system. Results show that the adsorption process was best represented by the pseudo second-order equation. It was also observed that the isosteric heat of adsorption is high at very low coverage and decreases steadily with an increase in qe indicating that BFA has energetically heterogeneous surfaces. The spent BFA loaded with AN can be disposed off in the boilers/incinerators, or can be used for the production of fuel-briquettes, so as to utilize the energy of the BFA and AN.

Detoxification of hexavalent chromium using hydrothermally modified agricultural detritus into mesoporous zeolitic materials

The present study reports the removal of hexavalent chromium by bagasse fly ash (BFA) – an agricultural detritus and synthesized modified zeolitic materials. The native BFA was successfully converted into mesoporous zeolitic materials with (ECZBFA) and without electrolyte (CZBFA) media using hydrothermal treatment. The proximate analysis and physicochemical analysis were determined by wet analysis methods. The instrumental techniques like XRF, FTIR and SEM were used to determine the chemical composition of sorbents, functional groups and its surface morphology, respectively. The optimum pH, contact time, sorbent dose, initial concentration of Cr(VI) and effect of temperature on sorption were investigated thoroughly to optimize the uptake condition. Pseudo second order model and diffusion models like film diffusion and pore diffusion models were well characterized for Cr(VI) sorption on sorbent. Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Redushkwich and Temkin isotherm were used to understand the efficiency of zeolitic materials and its nature of sorption. Out of the three mesoporous sorbents ECZBFA shows better uptake capacity of Cr(VI) than that of CZBFA and BFA. The uptake of Cr(VI) was studied by batch and column method.

Defluoridation of Groundwater using Low Cost Adsorbent like Bagasse Dust, Aluminium Treated Bagasse Flyash, Bone Powder and Shell Powder

Excessive fluoride concentrations have been reported in groundwaters of more than 20 developed and developing countries including India where 19 states are facing acute fluorosis problems. Various technologies are being used to remove fluoride from water but still the problem has not been rooted out. The present study was undertaken for the determination of fluoride ions in drinking water in the Agra's urban as well as rural region. Batch tests on groundwater samples from the different sites as St. John's College Chemistry Department, Trans Yamuna, Gokulpura and Dareshi that contained 2.0, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.2 mg/l of fluoride respectively were conducted using bagasse dust (BD), bagasse flyash (BF), aluminium treated bagasse flyash (ABF), buffalo bone powder (BP) and clam shell powder (SP). The tests were also carried out with 1.9, 3.8, 4.75 and 9.50 mg/l NaF solutions. The work aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using these biomaterials for the removal of fluoride ions from groundwater to make it fit for drinking or industrial use. Defluoridation was in the order of SP > BP > ABF > BF > BD over a wide range of initial concentration 1-10 mg/l at sorbent dose range 1-20 g/l, pH 6.0, temperature 25°C, rpm 150 for 5 h. The sorption increased with increasing contact time and sorbent dose but the equilibrium was attained after 4 h for most of the sorbents. Groundwater samples showed 2 to 10% lower removal as compared to standard NaF solutions under similar conditions. The clam shell was found to be the best of all the fluoride removing agents studied here.