USE OF TALC AS CLARIFIER OF LIQUID EFLUENTS

The aim of this paper is to analyze the use of talc as dye adsorbent for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with pigments. Crystal violet adsorption was studied as a colorant model, using two samples of talc from different sources (Argentina and Australia) and different geomorphological features. Suspensions having the same mineral/dye solution ratio were prepared. The adsorbed quantity of dye was determined from supernatant by UV Spectroscopy and from mineral, using Thermogravimetrical Analysis and Infrared Spectroscopy. Langmuir isotherm fitted with higher precision the experimental data obtained for the Australian talc, meanwhile Freundlich model predicted better the adsorption behavior for the Argentinean sample. The results showed that, despite the content of impurities, the Argentinean talc acts as a good adsorbent dye, offering an economic alternative to materials commonly used for this purpose.