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Coal Bottom Ash as Sorbing Material for Fe(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) Removal from Aqueous Solutions

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Abstract

Investigations were undertaken to study sorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution onto coal bottom ash. X-ray diffraction analysis of coal bottom ash indicated presence of feldspar (KAlSi3O8–NaAlSi3O8–CaAl2Si2O8), mullite (Al6Si2O13), and magnetite (Fe2+Fe3+ 2O4). Toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) revealed that heavy metal ions such as Fe(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), As(III), As(V), Pb(II), and Cd(II) could be leached out from coal bottom ash. Continuous column test with the bottom ash showed negligible heavy metal ion leach-out at pH 6.0, although at pH 4.2 some heavy metal ion leaching, mainly of Mn(II), was observed. Batch sorption studies with individual heavy metal ions (Fe(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Mn(II)) revealed that the heavy metal ion sorption onto coal bottom ash could be described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. Sorption isotherm studies revealed that Langmuir isotherm could adequately describe the heavy metal ion sorption onto coal bottom ash with maximum adsorption capacity (q m) ranging from 1.00 to 25.00 mg/g for various heavy metal ions. Removal of heavy metal ions by coal bottom ash is attributed to both adsorption and hydroxide precipitation of heavy metals due to the presence of different oxides (i.e., SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, CaO) in coal bottom ash.

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Acknowledgments

This research was undertaken when Varinporn Asokbunyarat was a doctoral student at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand. Part of this work was undertaken at the University of Paris-Est, Paris, France. Valuable assistance by Dr. David Huguenot (Université Paris-Est) in ICP heavy metals analysis, Ir. Gilles Catillon in XRD analyses, and Prof. Yves Fuchs (Université Paris-Est) for SEM–EDS analysis of bottom ash is gratefully acknowledged. This research was conducted from funding of the French Government under the SDCC/France-AIT Network project and DUPC-funded EVOTEC project from the Netherlands. This support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klongluang, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    Varinporn Asokbunyarat & Ajit P. Annachhatre

  2. Laboratoire Géomatériaux et Environnement (EA 4508), Université Paris-Est, UPEM, 77454, Marne-la-Vallée, France

    Eric D. van Hullebusch

  3. Department of Environmental Engineering and Water Technology, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, P.O. Box 3015, 2601 DA, Delft, The Netherlands

    Piet N. L. Lens

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  1. Varinporn Asokbunyarat
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  2. Eric D. van Hullebusch
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  4. Ajit P. Annachhatre
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Correspondence to Ajit P. Annachhatre.

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Asokbunyarat, V., van Hullebusch, E.D., Lens, P.N.L. et al. Coal Bottom Ash as Sorbing Material for Fe(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) Removal from Aqueous Solutions. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 143 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2415-5

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