Preparation of geopolymer membranes using clay and some industrial wastes to remove the organic load of pharmaceutical wastewater

The importance of geopolymeric materials has increased in recent years due to their high effectiveness in water treatment by multiple techniques such as adsorption and filtration. Therefore, research has increased related to the preparation of geopolymers from different raw materials. In this research geopolymeric membranes were prepared from Syrian clay by calcinted it at 600˚C for 120 min, then it was mixed with an activated alkaline solution (NaOH + Na₂SiO₃: SiO₂/Na₂O = 1.3). The effect of adding quantities of chamotte waste, ceramics waste, and glass waste on the properties of the geopolymeric membrane was studied. The porosity decreased significantly due to waste additions, the decrease in porosity led to a decrease in water flow, while the compressive strength of the membranes increased with the effect of waste addition. The prepared membranes were used to remove organic pollutants from pharmaceutical wastewater in two stages, the first stage was absorbed by the prepared membrane powder, and the second stage was filtration by the prepared membrane. The tests showed good efficiency in removing organic pollutants, and the results of the bacteriological tests indicated good effectiveness of the prepared membranes in removing bacterial contamination from the treated water sample.