Removal of Organic Micro-Pollutants from Water Using Sewage Sludge Based Composite Adsorbents
type: CreativeWork
description: Millions of tons of sewage sludge, waste oil sludge and fish waste are produced annually, and improper treatment/disposal of these wastes have resulted in numerous environmental issues. On the other hand, these wastes are rich in organic materials, metals, and inorganic minerals and could be sustainable resources if utilized properly. The main purpose of this dissertation study was, therefore, to convert these wastes into composite adsorbents, and then use these adsorbents to remove various types of organic pollutants, emerging organic contaminants in particular, from wastewater and drinking water sources. It is hypothesized that a hydrophobic carbon phase in the composite material would promote the physical adsorption of non-polar organic compounds, and an increase in the pores similar to the sizes of the non-polar adsorbates would further enhance physical adsorption on the carbon phase. It is further hypothesized that a polar mineral phase in the composite material would promote the chemical adsorption of polar organic compounds via specific interactions between the polar surface and functional groups of the adsorbates, and further diversifying the surface chemistry (e.g., introducing more elements especially catalytic metals to the mineral phase) would further enhance chemical adsorption of the polar compounds. To increase carbon content and diversify surface chemistry of the sewage sludge derived composite materials, two types of wastes were added to sewage sludge: 1) waste oil from a shipyard that is rich in organic carbon and metals, and 2) fish waste from a local food market that is rich in organic content as well as P and other elements. Different pyrolysis temperatures and acid wash procedures were employed in an effort to increase material surface area and porosity. The performances of these different composite materials for the adsorption of various types of organic contaminants were then evaluated, under batch, column, and in some cases field conditions.…
abstract: Millions of tons of sewage sludge, waste oil sludge and fish waste are produced annually, and improper treatment/disposal of these wastes have resulted in numerous environmental issues. On the other hand, these wastes are rich in organic materials, metals, and inorganic minerals and could be sustainable resources if utilized properly. The main purpose of this dissertation study was, therefore, to convert these wastes into composite adsorbents, and then use these adsorbents to remove various types of organic pollutants, emerging organic contaminants in particular, from wastewater and drinking water sources. It is hypothesized that a hydrophobic carbon phase in the composite material would promote the physical adsorption of non-polar organic compounds, and an increase in the pores similar to the sizes of the non-polar adsorbates would further enhance physical adsorption on the carbon phase. It is further hypothesized that a polar mineral phase in the composite material would promote the chemical adsorption of polar organic compounds via specific interactions between the polar surface and functional groups of the adsorbates, and further diversifying the surface chemistry (e.g., introducing more elements especially catalytic metals to the mineral phase) would further enhance chemical adsorption of the polar compounds. To increase carbon content and diversify surface chemistry of the sewage sludge derived composite materials, two types of wastes were added to sewage sludge: 1) waste oil from a shipyard that is rich in organic carbon and metals, and 2) fish waste from a local food market that is rich in organic content as well as P and other elements. Different pyrolysis temperatures and acid wash procedures were employed in an effort to increase material surface area and porosity. The performances of these different composite materials for the adsorption of various types of organic contaminants were then evaluated, under batch, column, and in some cases field conditions.…
author: Ding, Rui
keywords: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Sciences, sewage sludge, leaching, adsorbent, pyrolysis, NOM, pharmaceuticals
date published: 2017-02-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:58:22Z
provider: City University of New York - Graduate Center
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York