STUDY OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL FEATURES OF SORBENTS BASED ON NATURAL GRAPHITES FOR PURIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE WATER

The article contains a description of physical and chemical properties of the sorbents for wastewater treatmentobtained on the basis of natural graphite. Graphite is currently being studied in detail, and its properties and features are described in many publications. Under normal conditions, graphite is the most stable form of carbon. During the heat treatment, gaseous substances are formed in the crystal zones of oxidized graphite; itreduces the decomposition pressure in the range of 100-600 atm. As a result, the graphite layers are destructed and substituted for a foam-like structure. There is formation of the foam-like graphite characterizing the unique properties of a foaming agent. The foam graphite represents a lightweight foamlike carbon material consisting of wormlike particles. Each the particle consists of the alternating layers of graphite and air space. High porosity and different sizes of the pores allow the material to be used in different areas.
The practical application of the graphite-based sorbents is aimed at eliminating environmental, socioeconomic and recreational damage and protecting the environment. In particular, the foam-like graphite can be applied for removal of harmful impuritiesfrom the industrial waste water formed during oil refining.
Physicochemical features of the carbon-containing sorbents were studied using modern equipment including a Raman spectrometer (INTEGRA Spectra), an infrared spectrometer, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM, Hitachi S-4800, Japan).