Environmental pollutant removal tests by new materials synthesized from mineral tailings disposed in the region

Abstract Environmental pollution is a worldwide problem. The increasing of irregular mining, and in industrial activities in the secondary sector, has also contributed to triggering these impacts in the Amazon. The dumping of waste from these industries containing a high concentration of heavy metals and dyes in effluents ends up altering the characteristics of the rivers in the region. Thus, the development of removers of these pollutants, derived from tailings, stand out in the treatment of these wastewaters. The goal of this study was to carry out new removal tests of the dyes methylene blue and methyl orange by an activated sodium vermiculite and heavy metals Cr+6, Mn+7 and Cu+2 by a LDH Shigaite-type phase. The removal performance was quantified by UV-visible spectrophotometry. Activated sodium vermiculite removed 99% of methylene blue and was not active for methyl orange. LDH removed 97% of Cr+6 and 100% of Mn+7, with no significant results for Cu+2.