Abstract:
Organic compounds entering the soil and groundwater system is considered a serious
problem because it has some acute and long term toxic effects. Phenol is an important
substance for chemical synthesis. The removal of phenols from wastewater is a serious
problem, as phenol is present in most industrial wastewater. Wastewater treatment from
phenol is described here. The study has investigated the absorptive abilities of zeolites
as sorbents available in Armenia. The technological stability of zeolites as sorbents is
determined first by characteristics such as mineral and chemical composition and
sorptional ability, and then by mechanical and physical characteristics and following
from them, filtering properties. Natural zeolites, e.g. zeolite-containing tufas are
considered to be a promising material for raising the quality of raw material and semifinished
and finished products in the field of drink production. The results of the
research revealed the phenolic removal from wastewater treatment and further chemical
conversion of sorpted on zeolites phenol via alkylation and ozonation reactions. The
goal of chemical conversion is to recover zeolites for reuse in adsorption processes. It
has been found that some natural zeolites such as clinoptilolite is a good adsorbent for
phenol adsorption from organic and water solutions. The chemical conversion is better
for alkylation of sorpted phenol by alcohols. In the output of this reaction the industrial
importance of methyl- or ethyl derivatives of phenol has been observed. The ozonation
gives the possibilities to destroy phenol until it becomes an un-toxic compound. The
present research shows the ability of removing phenol from water solutions by natural
zeolites, and the possibilities of recycling zeolite and using sorpted phenol.
