NIT Rourkela Researchers Develop Low-Cost Ceramic Adsorbent for Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Rourkela, June 16(TNT): Researchers from the Department of Ceramic Engineering at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela on Tuesday claimed that they have developed a cost-effective and sustainable method for removing dye pollutants from industrial wastewater using a ceramic adsorbent made from industrial by-products.
The research was carried out by Associate Professor Prof. Sunipa Bhattacharyya along with research scholars Susant Mohapatra and Sourav Ranjan Satpathy.
The team developed a water-based ceramic adsorbent using fly ash, Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (GGBS) and kaolin clay to address the environmental challenge posed by industrial wastewater contamination.
Industries such as textiles, dyeing and printing generate large quantities of coloured chemical waste that can pollute water bodies, disrupt aquatic ecosystems and pose risks to human health.
Conventional treatment methods are often energy-intensive, costly and generate secondary waste streams.
The NIT Rourkela technology utilizes fly ash, a by-product of coal-fired thermal power plants, and GGBS, generated during iron and steel production, both of which pose disposal and environmental management challenges due to their large-scale generation.
By repurposing these industrial by-products, the researchers have developed a ceramic adsorbent specifically designed to remove Methylene Blue, a commonly used dye found in industrial effluents.
Prof. Bhattacharyya said a key innovation of the research was the use of raw kaolin clay instead of heat-treated metakaolin, which is commonly used in geopolymer-based adsorbents.
Eliminating the energy-intensive heating process has made the production method more sustainable and economically viable, she said.
Laboratory tests demonstrated more than 95 per cent efficiency in removing Methylene Blue dye from wastewater. The researchers estimated the production cost of the ceramic adsorbent at approximately ₹25 to ₹50 per kilogram, making it a commercially attractive alternative to conventional wastewater treatment technologies.
The findings have been published in the journal ChemistrySelect and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.
The research team plans to further develop porous shaped adsorbents using waste materials and evaluate their effectiveness in removing a wider range of pollutants.
The technology is expected to offer industries an affordable and environmentally friendly solution for wastewater treatment while promoting the reuse of industrial waste.
TNT KS
