Aplicação do processo fotocatalítico para tratamento do lixiviado de aterro sanitário da região dos Campos Gerais - PR

Abstract

The environmental question has been gaining visibility and with it, the search for correct residues disposal and for effluents adequate treatment. The disposal of solid residues at landfills generates a major volume of a complex effluent, known as leachate. The conventional treatments processes of effluents are not efficient for this specific residue. Considering this, the heterogeneous photocatalysis gets attention as a promising photocatalytic treatment when compared to conventional treatments, associating UV radiation with catalysts for degradation of organic complex pollutants.In this sense, the present paper for under graduation aims the leachate treatment, in a non-conventional way, using the heterogeneous photocatalysis process. For that, the leachate was collected in different points of the landfill, to evaluate the influence of the collecting point. For the photocatalytic reaction, diferente catalysts were used: titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO) and niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5). These catalysts past through a calcination process and were characterized using scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive system (SEM/EDS) and photoacoustic spectroscopy. The heterogeneous photocalatysis occurred through a batch process, on an isolated environment, and besides the collect point, the influence of the kind of catalyst used and the concentration of the photocatalysts. The reaction time was not a factor evaluaed in this study. The results indicated that the photocatalytic treatment (UV/TiO2) induces to importante modifications at the leachate matrix, when realized in laboratorial scale. For application as treatment at a landfill, it is necessary to realize a more deepened study.