The Potential Application of Natural Clinoptilolite-Rich Zeolite as Support for Bacterial Community Formation for Wastewater Treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of natural zeolite as support for microbial community formation during wastewater treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal decomposition and differential thermogravimetric curves (TGA/DGT) techniques were used for the physicochemical and structural characterization of zeolites. The chemical characterization of wastewater was performed before and after treatment, after 30 days of using stationary zeolite as support. The chemical composition of wastewater was evaluated in terms of the products of nitrification/denitrification processes. The greatest ammonium (NH(4)(+)) adsorption was obtained for wastewater contaminated with different concentrations of ammonium, nitrate and nitrite. The wastewater quality index (WWQI) was determined to assess the effluent quality and the efficiency of the treatment plant used, showing a maximum of 71% quality improvement, thus suggesting that the treated wastewater could be discharged into aquatic environments. After 30 days, NH(4)(+) demonstrated a high removal efficiency (higher than 98%), while NO(3)(+) and NO(2)(+) had a removal efficiency of 70% and 54%, respectively. The removal efficiency for metals was observed as follows (%): Mn > Cd > Cr > Zn > Fe > Ni > Co > Cu > Ba > Pb > Sr. Analysis of the microbial diversity in the zeolite samples indicated that the bacteria are formed due to the existence of nutrients in wastewater which favor their formation. In addition, the zeolite was characterized by SEM and the results indicated that the zeolite acts as an adsorbent for the pollutants and, moreover, as a support material for microbial community formation under optimal conditions. Comparing the two studied zeolites, NZ1 (particle size 1–3 mm) was found to be more suitable for wastewater treatment. Overall, the natural zeolite demonstrated high potential for pollutant removal and biomass support for bacteria community growth in wastewater treatment.