Aplicação de processos oxidativos avançados homogêneos e heterogêneos na degradação de efluentes de curtume

Abstract

This study investigated the application of advanced oxidative processes for the homogeneous and heterogeneous degradation of a tanning effluent. The catalytic activity of a solid oxide containing manganese was evaluated in the heterogeneous systems. The experiments were performed in a photocatalytic batch reactor in laboratory scale. The solid used was the commercial product Birm®, consisting mainly of crystalline silica, silicate, aluminum and manganese dioxide. The adsorption results using Birm® in synthetic sewage adjusted to the models of Langmuir and Freundlich and established that the adsorption capacity of the Birm ® is low. The synthetic and real tannery effluents were assessed by the degradation kinetics of photochemical homogeneous (H2O2/UV) processes and heterogeneous (UV/H2O2/Birm®) at different pH, concentration of H2O2 and catalyst. The degradation kinetics of the ES followed in law and kinetics order of pseudofirst showing that the Birm® presented no catalytic activity in appreciable color degradation of the synthetic effluent. But when the solid was evaluated for the degradation of the real tannery effluent, it proved to be active, with kinetics of degradation occurring more efficiently than the homogeneous system (H2O2/UV) one. In both effluents there was a catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. However, the decomposition in ES resulted in inactive products for the catalytic oxidation or free radicals, which possibly were disabled in difusional ways and didn t react with the effluent. The increasing of the concentration of nitrate and sulfate also demonstrated a good the treatment of tanning effluent.