Conversion of nonconventional aluminosiliceous sources into microporous adsorbents for water remediation

Abstract

Human activity has led to a high degree of industrialization, which has drastically increased in the last decades. Industrial growth has meant more waste generation and, at the same time, a negative environmental impact. Consequently, the need of searching for novel processes related to waste minimization and reuse arises, as is reflected in the increasing number of research works related to the reuse of industrial wastes in recent years. The present survey deals with the general evolution of the preparative methodologies employed for the recycling of aluminosiliceous wastes, particularly by hydrothermal zeolitilization. The study focuses on the reutilization of two distinctive industrial residues: the discarded catalysts coming from the cracking unities used in the oil industry and the fly ashes generated in coal energy production. Both materials are high volume wastes produced by the industrial energy sector. Their use as a negative-cost raw material in the synthesis processes of zeolite-containing microporous materials and their potential applications as adsorbents in environmental remediation technologies will be emphasized.