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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #319334
Title: Simultaneous utilization of soju industrial waste for silica production and its residue ash as effective cationic dye adsorbent

Author
item BHIMA, ARUN NAIDU - Chonbuk National University
item PARK, JUNG-HEE - Chonbuk National University
item CHO, MIN - Chonbuk National University
item YI, YOUNG-JOO - Chonbuk National University
item OH, SAE-GANG - Mine Reclamation Corp
item PARK, YOOL-JIN - Chonbuk National University
item Lovanh, Nanh
item KAMALA-KANNAN, SERALATHAN - Chonbuk National University
item OH, BYUNG-TAEK - Chonbuk National University

Submitted to: Journal of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2015
Publication Date: 8/15/2015
Citation: Bhima, A., Park, J., Cho, M., Yi, Y., Oh, S., Park, Y., Lovanh, N.C., Kamala-Kannan, S., Oh, B. 2015. Simultaneous utilization of soju industrial waste for silica production and its residue ash as effective cationic dye adsorbent. Journal of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering. 156(6):427-437.

Interpretive Summary: Industries, such as textiles, leather, rubber, plastics, and food, use different synthetic dyes to color their products and discharge the ensuing colored wastewater into the environment. These effluents cause significant problems by increasing chemical oxygen demand, toxicity due to their carcinogenic properties, and hinder light penetration, as they are highly colored, affecting the photosynthetic processes in aquatics. Moreover, some synthetic dyes are harmful to humans and ecosystems. Methylene blue (MB) is a synthetic cationic dye with wide applications in dyeing cotton, wool, and paper, and its long-term exposure can cause increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting, formation of Heinz bodies, and tissue necrosis in humans. Removal of MB from wastewater, therefore, is very important to protect the environment and to reduce the dye hazard to biotic communities. In this study, the utilization of soju industrial waste (alcoholic beverage residues) as biomass source for silica extraction, and the utilization of its residual ash as a low cost adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous waste stream were carried out. The results show that high percentage of pure amorphous nanosilica could be obtained from soju industrial waste via the acid dissolution–precipitation process and its residual ash is an effective adsorbent for dye removal from waste streams. Thus, the present study provides a potential eco-friendly and sustained way for enhanced transformation of potential agro-industrial wastes to value-added starting materials for different industrial applications as well as adsorbent materials for treatment systems of chemical pollution from aqueous wastes.

Technical Abstract: Soju industrial waste is an important biomass resource. The present study is aimed to utilize soju industrial waste for silica extraction, and residual ash as a low cost adsorbent for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solution. High percentage of pure amorphous nanosilica was obtained from soju industrial waste ash by the acid dissolution–precipitation process. The synthesized nanosilica and the residual ash were well characterized using various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and Field-emission electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The amorphous nature of nanosilica and its 99% purity were confirmed by XRD and EDS profile, respectively. TEM micrographs show the nano range (14–18 nm) of synthesized silica. The adsorption capacity of residual ash was evaluated as a function of initial dye concentration, pH, and contact time. The sorption equilibrium data were modeled with isotherms; Langmuir isotherm model fits well with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 232.5 mg/g at 30 °C. The adsorption kinetics was best fitted with pseudo-second-order model, suggesting that chemisorption plays a significant role in the adsorption process. The results showed that soju industrial waste is a potential waste for silica extraction and that its byproducts are effective adsorbents.