Cyclic process of simazine removal from waters by adsorption on zeolite H-Y and its regeneration by thermal treatment

► Bringing agrochemical concentration below the law limit allowed in wastewaters. ► Regenerating the adsorbent which can be used again in the cyclic process. ► Destroying the agrochemical molecules by combustion. Removal of the agrochemical simazine from polluted waters through adsorption by zeolite Y in its protonic form was studied. The investigated parameters were: pH, time, initial simazine concentration and solid/liquid ratio. An iterative process of simazine removal from waters is proposed, featuring: (i) final agrochemical concentration well below 0.05mg/dm3, the maximum concentration allowed by Italian laws in wastewaters; (ii) regeneration of the adsorbent by a few minutes thermal treatment in air at about 500°C, which results in the combustion of simazine without damage of the adsorbent; (iii) destruction of the agrochemical compound by combustion.