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Journal of Environmental Waste Management and Recycling | Volume 1
March 05-06, 2018 | London, UK
Recycling & Waste Management
5
th
International Conference on
I
ndustrial activities generate solid, liquid, and gaseous
wastes which negatively impact the environment, and,
as such, there is a worldwide concern about reducing the
pollution of the ground, water, and air. Furthermore, during
the preparation and the consumption of food, tons of solid
vegetable residues are discarded. One way of minimizing the
negative impact of human activities is found in the recycling
of both industrial and vegetable residues by developing
sustainable technologies that reduce the generation of
solid wastes, producing new low-cost materials that can
be used in the treatment of industrial waste water. There
are diverse techniques used to treat industrial effluents
such as coagulation-flocculation, advanced oxidation
and electrochemical processes, membrane filtration, and
adsorption, among others. Adsorption using activated
carbon has proven effective in the elimination of industrial
pollutants present both in waste water and air. The materials
which are commonly used to produce activated carbon are
wood, animal bones, coconut shell, and mineral carbon.
The use of wood in the production of activated carbon
generates unregulated logging of trees, and the extraction
of mineral carbon originates devastation of the landscape
leaving enormous holes, removed soil, and debris from
exploitation in mines. Hence, the use of vegetable residues
is a sustainable alternative in the preparation of activated
carbons because, using waste materials such as prickly pear
peels, broccoli stems, white and black sapote seeds, and
avocado peels or seeds, as well as many others, it reduces
the generation of solid residues. Furthermore, by carefully
controlling the conditions of activation and carbonization, it
is possible to prepare activated carbons with high specific
surface areas which have proven highly efficient in the
elimination of organic and inorganic compounds present in
waste water such as dyes and heavy metals, respectively.
e:
alalpeci@hotmail.comVegetable wastes for the preparation of activated carbons and their application in the treatment of waste
water
Alejandra Alicia Peláez Cid
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico