Evaluation of the effectiveness of elimination of heavy metals from petrochemical wastewaters by zeolites

Industrial development results in the increased production of wastewaters entering the environment and carrying toxic substances, for instance heavy metals. One method of eliminating heavy metals from wastewaters is by using natural and synthetic zeolites. The aim of the present study was to check the effectiveness of aluminosilica zeolites in eliminating heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Mn) from petrochemical wastewaters. The research system consisted of columns, each filled with a specific type of zeolite, through which the wastewaters were filtered. In this experiment the wastewaters from the Plock Petrochemical plant and three types of zeolite: synthetic K-Na zeolite (3A), synthetic Ca-Na (5A) and natural zeolite rock containing about 90% of clinoptilolite (ZN), were used. The study confirms the effectiveness of the chosen zeolites in eliminating heavy metals from such specific wastewaters as petrochemical wastewaters. The nature of wastewaters influenced the observed decrease of concentration of heavy metals in petrochemical wastewaters.