Silica gel was used as adsorbent for dyes in aqueous solutions. Afterwards, the silica gel with the adsorbed dye was heated to 600 °C, at which the dye combusted, leaving behind clean silica gel. This silica gel can be reused in the adsorption process. The operation leaves behind little waste products. It is an optimal procedure for educational and other research laboratories which are working with biological stains, food colorants and some non-commercial dyes.
Organic synthetic research laboratories generate a large amount of waste. Some of the waste is the silica gel used as the stationary phase in column chromatographic separations. Here, the authors discuss the possibility of recycling silica gel wastes thermally at 600 °C, at which temperature the remnant adsorbed organic material combusts. It could be shown that the recycled silica gel maintains its adsorption characteristics. The process could be repeated 10 times with any discernable deterioration of the separation properties of the silica gel for the product mixture of the reactions used in this research. In those cases where triphenyl oxide remained on the silica gel after the separation of the reaction mixture, such as after Wittig olefination and Appel-type reactions, an increase of phosphorus content was noted in the silica gel after thermal treatment. The original and recycled silica gel was partly analyzed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The process significantly reduced waste production in our laboratory and also led to a reduction in costs associated with acquiring new silica gel and with the management and the disposal of spent silica gel. A simple environmental impact assessment has been carried out.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.