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- Adsorption · Heavy metal removal · Mazandaran wood and paper factory · Nanoadsorbent · Zeolite–agar adsorbent
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Separation and Clarifi cation of Mazandaran Wood and Paper Factory Effl uent to Remove Heavy Metals Using Zeolite–Agar Nanoadsorbent Immobilized by Cibacron Blue Dye Ligand
Abstract
Mazandaran wood and paper factory (MWPF) is the largest paper producer in the north of Iran. To supply raw materials
for producing paper products, a forest which is located near this factory is used. The primary pollutants of this factory are
solid substances, toxic substances, color, and dissolved oxygen in the water. Removing solid materials, and chemical and
biological oxygen demand (COD and BOD) reduction are among the most signifi cant problems in excluding pollution. In
this study, a pretreatment process is done using aluminum chloride, impurities and initial turbidity of MWPF effl uents are
reduced, and COD and BOD values are removed up to 87% and 93%, respectively. After that, by a zeolite–agar adsorbent,
the MWPF effl uent is subjected to a continuous adsorption process, and during this cycle, more than 98% of heavy metals
(HM) in the effl uent are removed. The design of these tests was done by Design Expert Software. After conducting 16 trials,
the optimal conditions for eliminating HM, including 2 mg/l zeolite–agar adsorbent, pH 4, temperature 40 °C, and contact
time 90 min, have been obtained. In addition, the eff ect of temperature, contact time, pH, and adsorbent concentration on
the HM removal percentage was investigated, and the results showed that the operating temperature has the most negligible
eff ect on the HM removal effi ciency. UV, XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses were also assessed to describe the conditions better
and examine the synthesized adsorbent more accurately. The adsorption equations showed a better agreement with the
Langmuir model, which indicates the appropriate porosity of the nanoadsorbents.
