• Thermochemical Conversion of Paper Mill Sludge into Fe0-carbon Composite, and Its Application into Chromate Reduction

  • Park JuyeongㆍKim NaeunㆍKim EunjiㆍKwon Gihoon*

  • Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

  • 제지 슬러지 유래 영가철-탄소 복합체를 이용한 수중 6가 크롬 환원 연구

  • 박주영ㆍ김나은ㆍ김은지ㆍ권기훈*

  • 한양대학교 자원환경공학과

  • This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Cr(VI), a highly toxic and carcinogenic compound commonly found in industrial waste, poses severe environmental and health hazards. Conventional methods for reducing Cr(VI) often require costly noble metal catalysts, making them impractical for large-scale use. This study explored the thermochemical conversion of paper mill sludge into a zero-valent iron (ZVI)-carbon composite (biochar), an affordable and efficient catalyst for Cr(VI) reduction in water. During pyrolysis, amorphous iron compounds were converted into ZVI by the reductive gases (H2 and CO) released from organic materials. The resulting ZVI-carbon composite was highly efficient in Cr(VI) reduction in presence of formic acid, offering a sustainable and economically viable alternative to traditional methods. This approach not only addresses the environmental challenge of Cr(VI) contamination but also contributes to waste valorization, transforming waste into valuable industrial resources and promoting a circular economy.


Keywords: Waste valorization, Cr(VI) reduction, Zero-valent iron, Paper mill sludge, Formic acid

This Article

  • 2024; 29(6): 87-93

    Published on Dec 31, 2024

  • 10.7857/JSGE.2024.29.6.087
  • Received on Oct 23, 2024
  • Revised on Nov 25, 2024
  • Accepted on Nov 30, 2024

Correspondence to

  • Kwon Gihoon

  • Department of Earth Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

  • E-mail: kgh2195@hanyang.ac.kr