Removal of chromium from tannery wastewater by rice husk ash nanosilica

A study on the removal of hexavalent chromium by adsorption of rice husk nanosilica was attempted. The usage of chromium causes immense pollution as it is used in the leather industry, metal finishing, electroplating, and chromate preparations. To understand the adsorption capacity and its behavior, as well as the adsorption potential of rice husk nanosilica, the effluent used in this experiment is tannery wastewater. The experiment was conducted in tannery industrial wastewater using nanosilica extracted from rice husks ash for various pH, contact time, and adsorbent dosages. The result shows 88.3% chromium removal using rice husk ash nanosilica (RHANS) at pH 4, 1.75 mg adsorbent dosage, and 50 min of contact time. Removal of chromium by this method was a more economical and alternative process. RHANS was selected due to its source availability and antimicrobial properties.