Experimental research on adsorption of Cr(VI) from wastewater by sludge activated carbon

With sludge from domestic wastewater treatment plant and industrial wastewater treatment plant as raw material respectively, the sludge activated carbon adsorbent was prepared by zinc chloride activation process. The effect of volatile content of the sludge on the adsorption property of the activated carbon was primarily investigated; besides, according to the comparison test of the adsorption of Cr(VI) from wastewater by the said two types of sludge activated carbon, the effects of solution pH value, adsorption time and initial concentration of Cr(VI) on removal rate of Cr(VI) were discussed. The results showed that: the activated carbon adsorbent prepared by the sludge with higher volatile content had higher iodine value, the removal rate of Cr(VI) by the two types of sludge activated carbon both reached 99%, however, the optimal pH value, adsorption time and initial concentration for the two adsorbents were different because of the different raw materials.