NOVEL ALGINATE/BENTONITE HYDROGELS: APPLICATION IN WASTEWATER REMEDIATION

M.D. NINAGO; M.M.S. LENCINA; M.F. HORST; V. LASALLE; M.A. VILLAR

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Workshop; II Workshop on Bio-degradable Polymers and Biocomposites III Workshop BIOPURFIL, Bio-based Polyurethane Composites with Natural Fillers; 2015

Facultad de Ingeniería, UBA

The use of bentonite for heavy metal and organicdyes removal in water system is an economical andhighly efficient alternative against the usuallyapplied purification methods. However, during thepost-treatment stage two important limitations arefound: (I) upon contact with water, bentonite swellsand forms highly stable colloidal suspensions, beingdifficult to separate from the aqueous system and(II), their suspensions clogged filtration columnshindering water from flowing through [1]. Immobilizationof clay sorbents is the approach adoptedto mitigate clogging and post-treatment separationproblems. In this work, we report the use of calciumalginate hydrogels with and without enologicalbentonite for water remediation. In this case, cadmium(Cd(II)), a toxic heavy metal, was selected asa model contaminant. This research includes thecharacterization of