An Innovative Cation Exchange Water Treatment Method Using Zeolite Synthesized from Industrial Waste

The efficient use of industrial wastes is currently a top focus in environmental engineering and sustainable techniques. Recently, a lot of interest has been shown in the conversion of abundant industrial wastes like fly ash and red mud into precious minerals, particularly zeolite structures. The article highlights the possible benefits of agricultural and environmental remediation in relation to the production of zeolites from fly ash and red mud. In the current study, zeolites were made using industrial wastes including red mud and fly ash. The Si/Al ratio was varied during the synthesis to produce three unique zeolite samples, through alkaline fusion procedure followed by a hydrothermal method. The amount of water introduced throughout the aging process controls the material's size. The sample was dried, and the type of zeolites produced were identified using SEM (scanning electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray diffraction), and EDAX (energy-dispersive X-ray analysis). The size of the zeolites was then calculated using the Scherrer formula. Calculations were used to determine the prepared zeolite's Si/Al ratio and cation exchange capacity (CEC). As determined by the calculations Z3 had the best CEC. The most effective Sample Z3 was used for removing heavy metal ions, i.e., Cr (vi) from wastewater which had its magnetic properties further improved based on CEC.