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ZEOLITES: EFFECTIVE WATER PURIFIERS
Citation:
Shevade, S., R G. Ford*, P. M. Kaiser*, AND J T. Wilson*. ZEOLITES: EFFECTIVE WATER PURIFIERS. Presented at 226th ACS Nat'l. Mtg, New York, NY, September 07 - 11, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Zeolites are known for their adsorption, ion exchange and catalytic properties. Various natural zeolites are used as odor and moisture adsorbents and water softeners. Due to their acidic nature, synthetic zeolites are commonly employed as solid acid catalysts in petrochemical industries and oil refineries.
Arsenic, lead and cadmium are inorganic water pollutants that cause harmful effects to human health. MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether), a popular gasoline additive, imparts bad odor and taste to drinking water and is a suspected carcinogen. Arsenic is observed in ground water within the northeast and western portions of the U.S. The USEPA will be implementing new arsenic MCL for drinking water by 2006. MTBE is also observed at gasoline spill sites in metropolitan cities in the U.S. including California, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Illinois. In the near future, state regulatory agencies propose implementing stringent laws on the use of MTBE in gasoline.
Numerous investigations have been carried out on the cation exchange properties of zeolites. In this research we studied the anion exchanger nature of zeolites for arsenic removal along with its cation exchanger behavior. The acidic nature of the zeolites has also been used to eliminate MTBE from water via room temperature acid hydrolysis. The use of zeolite mixtures for simultaneous removal of inorganic and organic water contaminants at moderate reaction conditions provides a performance advantage for synthetic zeolites as new generation water purifiers.