Application of Date-Palm Fibres for the Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Many industries produce large quantities of wastewater. Effluents discharged from industries are often highly polluted and could be toxic to aquatic life. Recently, alternative methods for wastewater treatment have been extensively researched. Removal of different pollutants by adsorption on lignocellulosic materials proved to be a promising, cost-effective method. Large amounts of lignocellulosic materials are produced daily as waste materials of agri-food and wood industries, and large portion ends up on landfills. Such wastes are cheap and often available throughout the year, so their applications as adsorbents have multiple advantages: (i) waste decline and (ii) pollutant removal from wastewater. This chapter explores the use of date-palm fibres as low-cost adsorbent in wastewater treatment processes. Studies have shown that date-palm based adsorbents have the capability to remove various pollutants such as dyes, heavy metal ions and phosphates. Furthermore, the review provides important information about the adsorption capacities and the utility of date-palm fibers used as adsorbent for pollutant removal from wastewater.