Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Wastewater: A Column Filtration Study Using Date Palm Stems

The primary objective of this study is to propose an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method to eradicate hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) from the wastewater at the Ben Chaabane treatment plant, located in Blida state, Algeria, using an agro-industrial by-product: Date stems. This innovative approach seeks to capitalize on readily available and economically viable materials for wastewater treatment. The investigation focused on optimizing various experimental parameters, including contact time, solid support height, and feed rate, to maximize the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal in a dynamic setting using a fixed bed of Date stems. Our research findings indicate that the process can eliminate Cr(VI) with a remarkable efficiency exceeding 90%. Specifically, after a contact duration of 90 minutes, coupled with operational conditions of a 1 cm fixed bed height and a 1 ml/min feed rate, the Cr(VI) removal efficacy reached an astounding 99.26%, corresponding to a residual concentration of 0.031 mg/L. This value is significantly below the Algerian discharge standard of 0.1 mg/L. Given these encouraging results, our study offers a viable and practical solution to address the challenge of heavy metal contamination in wastewater at the Ben Chaabane treatment facility.