Production of high permeable filtration sponges from carbon rich-fly ash using novel binder of polyvinyl acetate for sewage water treatment.

High permeable filtration sponges from carbon rich-fly ash was fabricated using novel binder of polyvinyl acetate and urea formaldehyde (UF) resin for sewage water treatment performing innovative practices. The novel binder used is the polyvinyl acetate (PVA) since there is an issue for agglomerating fly ach particles by other glues. Furthermore, sieving fly ash encounters problems due to their positive surficial static charges that causes particles’ agglomeration preventing their sieving. Accordingly, a novel sieving technique was invented and performed in this study, namely hydro-sieving. Moreover, to make the binder more permeable after its curing and hardening, the blend of fly ash and the glues used (PVA and UF).
Crude fly ash was collected from a Saudi desalination plant had high carbon content (79.91%) and was ranked ‎as a carbon-rich fly ash (CRFA). Since this material had a wide range of particle size, separation it into ‎homogeneous fractions, without distortion in its porous structure, may be essential for some recycling ‎applications such as carbon foam. Utilization of the conventional methods for its graduation may reveal ‎to either finer particle due to sample friability by shaking effect or coarser ones due to particles ‎agglomeration. To overcome these shortages, sieving of CRFA in the presence of water (hydro-sieving) was ‎used to separate it into different fractions. Particle size estimated from the standard sieves was coincided ‎to that estimated from the analogous SEM micrograph among the seven separated fractions confirming, ‎beside the intact porous structure, the method efficiency. Ash content was decreased from 7.03% to 3.42% ‎for the crude CRFA and the fraction with particle size ranged between 63-88µm, respectively as a result of ‎using water in the graduation process. Elemental composition of the CRFA fractions was investigated by ‎proximate and ultimate analysis. The CRFA tends to agglomerate in spherical porous clusters having ‎different sizes and pore diameters. Cluster diameter was directly related to the pore diameter and inversely ‎related to the pore density. Anatomical structure of coconut shell-activated carbon was featured by ‎sclerenchyma cells. The vessels possess two different types of border pits (single and scalariform) beside ‎water steam-activated pores. After collecting the fly ash, it was mechanically briquetted into sponges using
The method for making a carbonaceous sponge-like sorbent includes mixing a Volume of carbon-rich fly ash with a binder. The carbon-rich fly ash may be air dried prior to mixing with the binder. For example, the volume of fly ash can be placed in a hopper and a binder can be added to the fly ash by spraying or the like. The binder can be polyvinyl acetate emulsion. The binder and the fly ash can be mixed in the hopper by a mechanical stirrer to form a carbonaceous mixture. The carbonaceous sponge-like sorbent can then be transferred to a dryer for drying and curing the binder.
https://ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadBasicPdf/11078624?requestToken=eyJzdWIiOiJiMDhkMjFlNC04YzQxLTQyYjctOTI5ZS0wZDEwNzU1NjhlZjciLCJ2ZXIiOiI5NzljODczMS1iOTJjLTQyYTgtYTkzZi0zYzFlN2FiN2U2MzEiLCJleHAiOjB9