Estudo da utilização da biomassa casca de palma forrageira seca em estufa para a remoção de gasolina contida em águas de descarte, utilizando o processo de adsorção.

Abstract

Changes in water quality can pose serious problems for both socioeconomic development and health of organisms that depend on it. Spill of fuels is one of the most recurrent accidents, offering serious risks of contamination to water sources, due to presence of hydrocarbons. Adsorption has been highlighted as an efficient and economical alternative process in removal of contaminants in solutions of liquids and gases. In this sense, objective of this work was to study adsorptive efficiency of cactus pear forage biomass (Opuntia fícus indica) using its bark, submitted to artificial convective drying, as adsorbent for removal of gasoline in water bodies. In the experimental methodology adopted to obtain biomass from cactus pear forage in particulate form, material is submitted to convective drying process in an oven at a constant temperature of 50 oC. In kinetics study, time from 5 to 60 minutes, with intervals of 5 minutes for each experiment, was evaluated, and at equilibrium, different concentrations of contaminants varying from 5 to 60%, with a variation rate of 5% for each test. In adsorption kinetics process was fast, with greater efficiency in time of 35 minutes, remaining constant between 35 and 55 minutes. At equilibrium, maximum adsorption capacity was 10.32 g.g-1. According to results, bark of cactus pear forage, submitted to drying at 50 oC, presents an efficiency in process of adsorption of compound gasoline.