Industrial waste-an economical approach for adsorption of heavy metals from ground water

Abstract

A by product from steel industry mainly known as blastfurnace slag is a waste product which was tested for the removal of As(III),from ground water. Steel slag is a commercial waste material mainly consistingof SiO2, Al2O3 and CaO, the former twochemicals being major components of zeolites and the latter a major componentof Hydroxyapatite (HAP). Arsenic is highly toxic, mobile and predominantspecies present in groundwater. Batch experiment was performed to determine thefeasibility of steel industry waste as an adsorbent for treatment of heavymetal present in ground water at a wide range of pH 3-12. The results suggestthat steel slag is a suitable candidate for As(V) remediation and economicallyviable to apply in the areas where cost of a purification process is high.