D. Petruzzelli et al., Aluminum recovery from water clarifier sludges by ion exchange - Comparison of strong and weak electrolyte cation resins performances, REACT FUNCT, 38(2-3), 1998, pp. 227-236
Technical feasibility of an ion exchange based process for removal and reco
very of the coagulating principle (Al, Fe chemicals) from water clarifier s
ludges is illustrated. The innovation is a typical example of 'conservative
technology' applied to the solution of environmental problems, thus allowi
ng for the minimization of the environmental impact related to the disposal
of the solid wastes, through conditioning and detoxification of the sludge
s for land application, and simultaneous recovery of valuable products from
non-conventional sources. The paper illustrates laboratory scale comparati
ve experiments between weak (carboxylate) and strong (sulphonic) cation res
ins performances in reference to a typical acidic leachate from water clari
fier sludges (pH 3.5). Together with mechanistic interpretation of the mult
icomponent-polyvalent Al/Fe/Na ionic system involved, in this paper indicat
ions for process optimization are also given. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V
. All rights reserved.