Synthesis and application of silica and calcium carbonate nanoparticles in the reduction of organics from refinery wastewater

Oil refinery is one of the fast growing industries across the globe and it is expected to progress in the near future. The worldwide increase in the generation of refinery wastewater along with strict environmental regulations in the discharge of industrial effluent, persistent efforts have been devoted to recycle and reuse the treated water. The wastewater from the refining operation leads to serious environmental threat to the ecosystem. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize silica (SiO2) and calcium carbonate nanoparticles (CaCO3) in the reduction of organics from refinery wastewater. The synthesized nanoparticles were employed in the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from refinery wastewater by studying the influence of solution pH, contact time, dosage of nanoparticles and stirring speed on adsorption performance. From the batch experimental studies, the optimized processing conditions for the reduction of COD using SiO2 nanoparticles are pH 4.0, dosage 0.5 g, stirring speed 125 rpm and 90 min stirring time, and the corresponding values for CaCO3 nanoparticles are pH 8.0, dosage 0.4 g, stirring speed 100 rpm and 90 min stirring time. The study demonstrates that SiO2 and CaCO3 nanoparticles have a promising future in the reduction organics from refinery wastewater in different pH regimes.