MIIX Virtua

Salt solutions especially ones containing heavy metals are common chemical compounds used in school laboratories and experiments due to a lot of topics in the secondary school curricular are based around knowledge of these compounds. However, the disposal of said solutions are often not ideal as they are disposed of into large plastic barrels as containers which will then be sent to certain companies that will process the waste, which in itself is very costly. The use of plastic as a container is concerning as more and more plastics are made just to fulfill the demands of the increasing amount of salt solution waste. The accumulation of these compounds in these barrels often releases gas that is harmful to health. The salt solutions which consist of heavy metals can’t be disposed of by draining or flowing them into sewers as they are very toxic and dangerous to the environment. Thus, developing an efficient, cheap and effective method to remove heavy metals from aqueous solution waste is essential as a means to prevent further water contamination. To address this problem, this research proposes a method to remove heavy metals from aqueous solution wastes by the implementation of clinoptilolites in laboratory sinks and drains. Clinoptilolite is a type of zeolite which is highly abundant with excellent adsorption properties, making it an effective medium for water treatment. Ultimately, the implementation of this approach will result in significant benefits, as it is a cheap, safe and highly accessible method for water treatment. Keywords: Clinoptilolite, adsorbent, school laboratories, salt solutions, heavy contamination, water treatment