Laboratory waste (LabW) generated in practical classes of chemistry is a common problem in many educational institutions. The combination of sugar cane bagasse microparticles (BG) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or chitosan (CHI) led to the creation of new biobased adsorbents that could be molded into desirable shapes and sizes, facilitating their application as filters for the treatment of LabW. The LabW contained 17 elements and pH 1.0. The C<sub>0</sub> (mg/L) values determined by ICP-OES for each element are the following: Pb (10), Ca (91.3), Mg (21.0), K (5597), Na (2601), Sr (45.2), Cr (184), Mn (63.3), Fe (212), Co (15.6), Ni (24.8), Cu (356), Zn (19.8), Al (6.66), Ag (0.418), Au (0.0646) and Hg (1.05). The adsorbents presented high mechanical and chemical stability over a pH range of 1.0 to 9.0 due to the in-situ polymerization of dopamine or to the esterification with citric acid. Operating at flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, CMC/BG and CHI/BG adsorbents removed simultaneously more than 60% and 80% of all metal ions, respectively. The higher efficiency of CHI/BG adsorbents in comparison to CMC/BG adsorbents is due to the negatively charged metal-chloride complexes present in the LabW. The subsequent flocculation with a polycation removed completely all other metal ions, disclosing the potential of combining adsorption on biobased adsorbents and flocculation to treat complex wastewater from undergraduate laboratories.

Treatment of undergraduate laboratory waste: An interesting opportunity for sugar cane bagasse/polysaccharide based adsorbents

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.