Use of Corn Waste for Gray Water Treatment in Batch and Continuous Systems

In this research a technology for removing surfactants is developed for gray water in rural areas, using agricultural and agroindustrial corn waste mixed in a biofilter. The corn wastes adsorption capacity was analyzed. All residues were compared respect to the removal of surfactants, and the biomass with higher adsorption was examined in the Bio-filter. The functional groups, identified by FTIR analysis, present in corn residues are CO, OH, CH, and are composed of important quantities of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin that are involved in the adsorption process. As results, in the batch system, a greater removal was achieved when using leaves and stems of corn. By obtaining the best particle size values, the biomasses were analyzed in the continuous system through a packed bed system, presenting a higher surfactant removal rate when the biomass was collected. Corn residues are efficient removing the surfactants present in a sample of real gray water.