Abstract
Sol-gel method was used to prepare efficient modified alum and/or iron coagulants supported on silica matrix and then characterized. FTIR analysis has shown that alum and iron were linked to silica gel, and the surface morphology was observed in the micro-nano-scale by scanning electron microscopy. Alum and/or iron-silica coagulants were more efficient compared with traditional coagulants to overcome the problem of drainage of dairy pollutants in sewage from agricultural veterinary research and training station (AVRS) at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. The pH of the samples was 7.00 during the coagulation process. The maximum removal of turbidity of pollutants of 95.50% was obtained by iron-silica gel due to nano-scale size and large surface area. The electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and total hardness were increased with a relative standard deviation (r.s.d) +/- 2%. In terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 50% disposal of organic materials was obtained using iron-silica gel coagulant. As for the biodegradable treatment, the maximum removal of turbidity of pollutants was recorded at 49.60%. In terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 30.0% disposal of organic materials was obtained. The EC, TDS, and total hardness were increased with a relative standard deviation (r.s.d) +/- 2%, so there is no significant difference compared to the untreated sample. In conclusion, at lower concentration, iron-silica nanoparticles show faster growth to effective size of flocs, but at higher concentration the nanoparticles show higher 3D dimension and efficient recovery of the turbidity and organic residues of the milk effluents compared to biological treatments.
Sol-gel method for preparation Fe or Al incorporated in silica matrix.