Use of chitosan in the remediation of water from purification of biodiesel

Abstract This article evaluates the efficiency of the degradation of pollutants present in water from the purification of biodiesel, characterized by high content of chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), oils and greases, methanol, soap, and glycerol. The treatment process proposed was of the photo-Fenton type using iron immobilized in chitosan. The characterization of the material was performed according to degree of deacetylation (DD) and thermal stability (TG). The results revealed a DD of 66.5% and that the material undergoes decomposition in three temperature stages: 100; 150-350 and above 350 °C. The evaluated parameters were: COD, suspended solids, oils and greases, color and turbidity. After a 180-minutes long treatment, the removal percentage was 94.52, 70, 55, and 60% respectively. These results indicate that the photo-Fenton process can be an alternative for pre-treatment this type of effluent.