REAPROVEITAMENTO DA TORTA DE MORINGA OLEÍFERA LAM. PARA TRATAMENTO DE MATRIZ MULTIELEMENTAR

Abstract

Introduction: Faced with the problem of environmental pollution, with emphasis on the availability and maintenance of good quality of water resources, as well as the correct allocation of solid waste, there is a demand for low-cost and versatile technologies for wastewater treatment. Biosorption using agro-industrial residues has been investigated as a possibility to address this issue, due to the ability of the functional groups of biosorbents to allow bonds and formation of complexes with metals. Objetive: In this work, the objective was to investigate the potential of the cake from the extraction of biodiesel from the oilseed Moringa Oleífera Lam. in the removal of heavy metals from multielement matrices. Methodology: For this, the seeds of the species were collected, submitted to the production of biodiesel and, then, the cake was applied in biosorption tests, conducted under agitation, using 1 g of biosorbent, for 1 h in a matrix composed of 1 ppm of each one of the metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn). The capture of metals was monitored by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and the plant matrix was also characterized by the X-Ray Fluorescence technique, regarding the possible natural occurrence of the respective metals. Results: Metal removal ranged from 25% to 80%, with emphasis on Cu and Pb, in which 80% was captured for both. It was also identified the presence of Cu and Zn in the biomass, possibly absorbed through the soil. Conclusion: Considering that industrial effluents have a wide range of metals, it is believed that other chemical components and parameters inherent to biosorption can interfere in the process. Therefore, more conditions need to be evaluated to maximize the scale and make the use of biosorbents viable.