Applications of concrete for copper sulfate removal in wastewater

The aim of this research is to remove Copper (II) sulfate as a heavy metal in wastewater by the concrete. The concrete adsorber was produced from commercial ready-mixed concrete and formed into a small and large cylindrical pellet. The ready-mixed concrete was characterized the crystal structure by X- ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that ready-mixed concrete consists of calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide. The Copper (II) sulfate solution was prepared at different 0.1 to 1.0 g/l concentrations. All solutions were measured the absorbance by UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The absorbance and concentration of Copper (II) sulfate solution were plotted as a calibration curve. Then, the 1.0 g/l of Copper (II) sulfate solution flowed through the concrete pellet for 120 min for metal adsorption testing. The amounts of concrete pellets at 10, 20, 30, and 40 g with small and large sizes were studied for Copper (II) sulfate absorbability. The Copper (II) sulfate solution after testing was investigated the absorbance by UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The remaining of Copper (II) sulfate concentration in wastewater was calculated to determine adsorption efficiency. The results showed that the Copper (II) sulfate concentration decreased with increasing concrete pellet. The small concrete pellet has a higher adsorption efficiency of Copper (II) sulfate than the large concrete pellet. This research successfully applies concrete as the heavy metal adsorber in wastewater.