Abstract

BAQUERO DULCEYR, Martha Isabel; STERLING LOPEZ, Adriana María  and  MERA BENAVIDES, Adriana Consuelo. Biological-photo catalytic combination for the treatment of complexometric waste materials generated in chemical and environmental analysis laboratories. Rev. Lasallista Investig. [online]. 2010, vol.7, n.1, pp.7-16. ISSN 1794-4449.

Introduction. The heterogenous photocatalysis is useful as a pre-treatment before the biological treatment of polluting agents which are resistant to biodegradation. The phytoremediation is used to degrade and to extract polluting agents from the environment. The combination of both techniques is a good alternative for the treatment of complexometric waste with complexometric indicators. Objective. To apply photo catalysis and phytoremediation to the complexometric waste generated in the Universidad del Cauca's laboratory of environmental and sanitary engineering. Materials and methods. A photoreactor was used for the photo-catalysis process and the conditions under which the highest degradation and mineralization percentages of the eriochrome black T (NET) indicator were analyzed. In plants were used. The control was made by the use of foliage counts and chemical analysis. Results. The optimal conditions for the treatment of waste with NET were: 0,3 g/L of TiO₂ catalyst, 80 ppm of H₂O₂ and an UV light exposure time of three hours, obtaining a degradation percentage of 86.85%. In the phytoremediation process, the removal of salts expected was not achieved. Conclusion. The use of adequate TiO₂ and H₂O₂ concentrations can achieve a good degradation percentage of the NET indicator contained in chemical waste. A more detailed study that allows the election of another type of biological treatment to complement the photo catalysis in order to achieve the salts removal, is recommended.

Keywords : Heterogenous photo catalysis; phytoremediation; waste; eriochrome black T (NET); degradation.

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