ETHANOL REMOVAL USING ZINC AND COPPER METALLIC CATALYSTS FROM THE WASTE WATER OF ETHANOLIC GASOLINE PRODUCTION

Nowadays, considering the ethanolic gasoline production growth worldwide, the necessity for eliminating the remaining ethanol in the waste water of the mentioned gasoline is noteworthy. In the present study, zinc and copper metallic catalyst was used to eliminate the by-produced ethanol. Different parameters such as: mass proportion of copper to zinc, total catalyst mass, pH, co-oxidative agent and temperature were optimized. After removal by catalyst, available ethanol in the samples was measured using gas chromatography (GC) instrument. In optimum conditions (mass proportion of copper to zinc 30:70%, 5grams of catalyst, 5.5 pH, temperature 20 ºC and contact time 60 minutes), the % removal was obtained about 85 %. The catalyst can be reused up to 5 times without significant property change. Results of this study have shown that the zinc and copper catalyst with hydrogen peroxide will make a proper way to removal of ethanol from the factory waste water producing ethanolic gasoline.