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American Journal of  
Chemistry and Pharmacy (AJCP)

Adsorption of  some heavy metals from wastewater using fine sand and Zeolite
Benjamin.  I.1*, Rose. E. Kukwa1, Teghtegh. F. Samoh2, John. O. Ajegi3, Terhile. M.  Iortile1 , 

Tor  P. Ngunoon4, Solomom. D. Igbawase1, Christopher. N. Abah.1    

Volume 1 Issue 1, Year 2022
ISSN: 2834-0116 (Online)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajcp.v1i1.385
https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajcp

Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: July 11, 2022

Accepted: July 18, 2022

Published: July 20, 2022

In this study, successive columns containing different types of  solid state materials were used 
to investigate the treatment efficiency of  soya bean oil mill wastewater (soap stock) using 
heavy metals analysis. Soap stock is a liquid waste obtained from soya bean oil industry from 
the neutralization process which has several environmental   issues due to its high amount 
of  organic and inorganic pollutants. Soap stock emerges from the refining process when oil 
is treated with a dilute alkali solution separating the FFAs as soaps.  In this present study, an 
attempt was made at  treating the wastewater using successive columns containing different 
types of  solid state materials. The wastewater was passed through successive columns of  
fine sand, Zeolite and Zeolite/fine sand composite.. This treatment method decreased the 
toxic concentration of  heavy metals assessed which include Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni  and Cd  by mean 
percentages  of  96.60%, 100%, 62.0%, 16.10% and 96.60%  respectively. Most contaminants 
were removed in the Zeolite/sand composite column possibly as a result of  ion exchange ca-
pacity in addition to   high sorption affinity of  Zeolite on its active sites. This simple Zeolite 
based method enable us to obtain   environmentally friendly treated soya bean oil water that 
can be safely used for irrigation purposes.

Keywords
Zeolite, Heavy Metals, Soap 
Stock, Physical Precipitation, 
Fine Sand, Column

1 Department of  Chemistry, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria.
2 Department of  Chemistry, University of  Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
3 College of  Education Oju, Benue   State, Nigeria.    
4 Department of  Chemistry, Joseph   Sarwuan   Tarka University, Makurdi,  Nigeria.
* Corresponding author’s e-mail: ishwahlizer@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION
Wastewater obtained from edible refined oil processing 
industries is a major issue of  environmental concern 
particularly in under-developed or developing countries. 
The waste streams that come out from such oil refinery 
create serious environmental problem such as great 
threat to aquatic life due to its high organic content and 
among other issues. Hence its treatment is essential prior 
to its disposal. The choice of  effluent treatment method 
depends on the organic content present in the effluent 
and its discharge conditions (Rose et al, 2020). Vegetable 
oil effluent entering the sewer system consists mainly 
of  fats, oils, greases (FOG), sulphate and phosphates 
resulting in both high inorganic and organic loading for 
the receiving wastewater works (Rose et al, 2020).
Edible oil industrial wastewaters usually come from 
the degumming, deacidification, deodorization and 
neutralization steps. In the neutralization step sodium 
salts of  free fatty acid (soap stocks) are produced whose 
splitting through the use of  sulphuric acid generates 
highly acidic and oily wastewaters. Its  characteristics 
depend largely on the type of  oil processed and on the 
process implemented that are high in chemical oxygen 
demand(COD), oil and grease, sulphate and phosphate 
content, resulting in both high inorganic as well as organic 
loading of  the relevant wastewater treatment (Rose et 
al, 2020). Moreover, vegetable oil refinery wastewater 
is known to contain chemical compounds like phenol, 
heavy metals from bleaching earth, catalysts used in the 
hydrogenation process, oxidizable substances and fats 
and oils. Because of  quantity and characteristic variations 
and complexity, wastewater treatment to meet the desired 
effluent standards is complicated, and the choice of  

methods of  wastewater treatment depends on many local 
conditions and therefore, cannot be standardized (Rose 
et al, 2020).
Different methods of  treating edible oil mill wastewater 
have been reported, such methods include aerobic 
treatment, anaerobic digestion, reverse osmosis, electro 
dialysis, ultrafiltration and composting (Ahmaruzzaman, 
2008) However, a cost effective and environmentally 
friendly method for the treatment of  Oil processing 
Wastewater is not yet found. Building an effective 
treatment technology for oil processing Wastewaters is 
not economically feasible due to the cost implications. 
Recently, a zeolite based treatment method was developed 
for the treatment of  olive mill wastewater which seemed 
to be a promising technology in the treatment of  oil 
processing wastewaters (Ahmaruzzaman, 2008). This 
study adopts a similar zeolite based method in the 
treatment of  soya bean oil mill wastewater known as 
soap stock. Adsorption has many advantages over the 
other processes of  edible oil waste water because it has 
the characteristics of  convenience, easy operation and 
simplicity in design. It has a wide application for removal 
of  different pollutants. Other important advantages of  
this process include: low operation cost, high flexibility, 
simple design and operation, easy automation, lack 
of  sensitivity to toxic pollutants and the capability of  
operation at very low concentration, environmentally 
friendly, less investment in terms of  initial cost 
(Anagnostopoulos et al, 2013)
The most important criteria in adsorption processes 
is to find a low cost adsorbent that is widely available, 
having high adsorption capacity, possess rapid rate of  
removal and having low adverse effect on the treated 

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water. Many adsorbents have been investigated reported 
for the treatment of  edible oil wastewater but Zeolite has 
been proved to be more effective (Anagnostopoulos et 
al, 2012)

LITERATURE REVIEW
Edible vegetable oils are derived from the seed of  such 
plants as soya bean, corn, palms, groundnut, olive tree, 
rapeseed/canola, linseed, cottonseed, castor, rice bran 
and sunflower. The oils are fatty acid esters of  glycerol, 
commonly called triglycerides. The production of  edible 
vegetable oils can be separated into two phases: extraction 
and refining (Anagnostopoulos et al, 2012)
.The oils are extracted from the seeds by mechanical or 
hydraulic pressing or solvent extraction. The crude oil 
that results from the extraction process must be refined to 
make the oil acceptable for edible purposes. There fining 
process removes components such as free (unesterified) 
fatty acids, phosphatides, unsaponifiable components 
such as sterols and tocopherols, carotenoids, chlorophyll 
(color), and metals (Anari al, 2010) Some by-products of  
low commercial value are obtained from vegetable oil 
refining processes. Important amounts of  by-products 
such as soap stocks (SS), deodorizer fatty acid distillates 
(FAD) and acid oil (AO) are produced from the oil 
refining processes. These by-products are harmful to the 
environment if  they cannot be used for any beneficial or 
industrial activity (Anari al, 2010).
Soap stock emerges from the refining process when oil is 
treated with a dilute alkali solution separating the FFAs as 
soaps. This wet lipid mixture is separated from the crude 
oil by centrifugation. It is generated at a rate of  about 6 % 
of  the input of  oil entering the refining operation and its 
cost represents 1/10 of  the refined oil cost. Soap stock is 
quite acidic, with pH values between3.50- 5.50.
This residual is also referred to as residual oleins (Auta 
et al, 2013). Neutralization process result in a by-
product known as stock soap  consist of  the sodium 
soaps of  free fatty acids (FFAs) present within the oil. 
Soap stocks always require subsequent treatment. The 
traditional method of  treating soap stock is known as 
soap splitting. The soaps tock is split into fatty acids and 
water by acidification with strong acids usually H2S04. 
This is often considered an attractive solution because it 
is relatively simple (Auta & Bansal et al, 2009). Soap  stock 
is the least valuable by-product from oil processing, and it 
is generated at a rate of  about 6% of  the volume of  crude 
soya bean oil refined, amounting to as much as 0.8 million 
MT in the United States annually. 
Typically, Soya bean oil mill wastewater is composed of  
the water from the tissue of  the fruit, the water used 
for the various stages of  oil production, soya pulp, 
mucilage, pectin, and oil, among other things, suspended 
in a relatively stable emulsion. Moreover, it contains 
toxic organic and inorganic compounds. In general, soya 
bean oil mill wastewater is characterized by an intensive 
violet dark brown  to black color, strong specific soya  oil 
smell, high degree of  organic pollution (chemical oxygen 

demand (COD) of  220 g/L and biochemical oxygen 
demand (BOD) of  110 g/L), pH of  4.5-5.6, 45 g/L of  
organic compounds in total, high electrical conductivity 
(EC), high content of  polyphenols (24 g/L), reduced 
sugars (60% of  the dry weight), and high solid matter 
content (Bhatnagar & Borrega et al, 2013). Soya bean 
oil mill is an acidic effluent with a high nutrient content 
that can be used to fertilize soil; however, it is very rich 
in toxic phenolic compounds. In recent years, there has 
been increased attention directed toward finding the best 
methods to treat vegetable oil wastewater and toward 
recycling both the organic matter and nutritive elements 
in the crop production system. Some vegetable oil mill 
wastewater characteristics are favorable for agriculture, 
because this effluent is rich in water, organic matter, N, P, 
K, and Ca; however, other characteristics are unfavorable 
for agriculture, including the presence of  phenolic 
compounds (Carro, L et al, 2010)
The atomic structures of  zeolites are based on three-
dimensional frameworks of  silica and alumina tetrahedral 
that is, silicon or aluminum ions surrounded by four 
oxygen ions in a tetrahedral configuration. Each oxygen 
atom is bonded to two adjacent silicon or aluminum 
ions, linking them together, clusters of  tetrahedral form 
boxlike polyhedral units that are further linked to build up 
the entire framework. In different zeolites the polyhedral 
units may be equidimensional, sheetlike, or chainlike. The 
aluminosilicate framework of  a zeolite has a negative 
charge, which is balanced by the cations housed in the 
cagelike cavities (Chakrabarti, S, et al, 2008).  Zeolites 
have much more open, less dense structures than other 
silicates; between 20 and 50 percent of  the volume of  
a zeolite structure is voids. .Zeolites are safe, naturally 
occurring crystalline aluminosilicate that have a three-
dimensional structure; aluminum, silicon and oxygen 
which are arranged in a regular structure of  [SiO4]- and 
[AlO4]-tetrahedral units that form a framework with 
small pores (also called tunnels, channels or cavities) of  
about 0.1 - 2 nm diameter running through the material. 
In these small channels, solid, liquid and gaseous 
substances can be trapped. High ion exchange capacity, 
the molecular sieve properties and the relatively high 
surface area make zeolite a promising adsorbent media 
for treating effluent with different suspended solids 
(Dang et al, 2009) Zeolites have wide application as gas 
and odor filter, as a part of  animal feed, and as ammonia 
removers from different wastewaters. The metallic ions 
sorbent behavior of  natural zeolite has been also studied 
by several researches, and it has been recognized as a 
promising sorbent for heavy metals (Galá, J et al, 2013).
Another characteristics of  zeolite is their large surface 
area (20-50 m2/g by natural species, however above 
1000 m2/g by synthetic ones). Both physisorption and 
chemisorption bounding may occur within the zeolite 
voids during the removal of  pollutants.  Zeolites, now-
a-days can be used in almost all pollutants removal 
processes such as atmospheric, municipal or industrial 
wastewaters treatment and purification (Hansen, C.L et 

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al, 2007)
Heavy metals are also present in the soya bean oil mill 
wastewater.  Heavy metals are elements having atomic 
weights between 63.5 and 200.6, and a specific gravity 
greater than 5.0.  Most of  the heavy metals are dangerous 
to health or to the environment. Heavy metals in industrial 
wastewater include lead, chromium, mercury, uranium, 
selenium, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, silver, gold, and nickel 
(Ismail, B et al, 2013). The main threats to human health 
from heavy metals are associated with exposure to lead, 
cadmium, mercury and arsenic. These metals have been 
extensively studied and their effects on human health 
regularly reviewed by international bodies such as the 
World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural 
Organization. Acute heavy metal intoxications may 
damage central nervous function, the cardiovascular 
and gastrointestinal (GI) systems, lungs, kidneys, liver, 
endocrine glands, and bones.  Non-biodegradable 
contaminants pose a serious health and environmental 
hazard and removal of  these wastes cannot be achieved 
using secondary methods (Jambulingam et al, 2007) 
Hence, tertiary/advanced wastewater treatment methods 
such as ion exchange, precipitation, membrane separation, 
electrolysis and adsorption can be used to remove these 
recalcitrant wastes. So far, a number of  efficient methods 
have been developed for heavy metal removal.  Some 
researchers has reviewed various methods for the removal 
of  heavy metals such as chemical precipitation, ion 
exchange, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, ultrafiltration, 
nanofiltration, coagulation, flocculation and floatation.  
Generally, these processes are efficient in removing 
the bulk of  metals from solution at high or moderate 
concentrations. However, chemical processes produce a 
large amount of  metallic sludge, making metal recovery 
difficult (Jayarajan, M et al, 2011 & Johar, N et al, 2012). 
For these reasons, adsorption technology has gained a 
wider application due to its inherent low cost, simplicity, 
versatility and robustness. Adsorption is commonly used 
technique for the removal of  metal ions from various 
industrial effluents (Khan, N.A et al, 2004 & Diez, V et 
al, 2012)

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study Area
This research work was conducted in Makurdi town, 
the headquarters of  Benue State. Makurdi town is the 
headquarters of  Makurdi Local Government Area and 
capital of  Benue State. The town is located between 
latitude 7°38’N - 7°50’N, and longitude 8°24’E and 
8°38’E and 104 meters elevation. It is situated in the 
Benue valley in the North Central region of  Nigeria. It 
is traversed by the second largest river in the country, the 
River Benue.

Collection and preservation of  soap stock
Exactly 5 liters of  fresh Soap stock was collected (using 
plastic container) at Seraph oil mills, Nigeria Limited, 
which is located at Km 7 Gboko Road Makurdi, Benue 

State. The   Soap stock was then transported immediately 
to Chemistry laboratory at Benue State University and 
was stored at room temperature prior to analysis.

Sample Digestion 
The digestion method described by Anwar e tal (2014) 
was adopted with slight modification. 50mL of  the sample 
was measured and transferred into beaker containing 
10mL of  concentrated HNO3. The sample was boiled 
slowly on a hot plate to 20mL. Another 5mL of  conc.
HNO3 was t hen added and heated until digestion was 
completed. The sample was filtered and transferred into 
100mL volumetric flask and made to mark with distilled 
water. The digests was used for flame photometry and 
heavy metals analysis of  the wastewater (Anwar, A et al, 
2014)

Physical Precipitation of  soap stock
Physical separation was carried out using glass cylinders 
with diameter 10 cm and length 20 cm. After 5 h of  
gravity separation, two kinds of  suspended solids were 
observed: a floating part and a precipitated part. The 
floating part was decanted and the precipitate filtered 
using filter paper and a less turbid sample was obtained 
(Anwar, A et al, 2014).

Soya Bean Oil Mill Wastewater Treatment Using 
Successive Steps
The soya bean oil mill wastewater (Soap stock) was passed 
through three designed treatment steps, following physical 
separation. Each treatment consists of  successive column 
containing different solid-state materials. The columns 
were made of  transparent glass material with an internal 
diameter of  2 cm and a length of  20 cm. The columns were 
sealed from the bottom using two pieces of  gauze fabric 
firmly held by strings and tape. The columns were packed 
with solid state materials to 15 cm height. The packing 
process was done in 5 cm increments to avoid segregation 
of  particles. The columns were mounted vertically on a 
wooden holder in the laboratory. Each treatment system 
was replicated three times. The contact times between 
the soya bean oil mill wastewater and solid-state materials 
were 1 h for fine sand, 2 h for zeolite and 4h for the fine 
zeolite/sand composite. The physicochemical parameters 
used to evaluate the treatment efficiency for each method 
were pH, phosphate, turbidity, sulphate, nitrate and metal 
ions concentration (Anwar, A et al, 2014).

Characterization of  Zeolite Y
Zeolite Y was synthesized and characterized using 
PXRD, EDS and FTIR. The PXRD used was a Bruker 
D8 Advance diffractometer operating with a copper 
X-ray tube, a monochromator with a Linx Eye detector. 
The PXRD data were collected using Cu Kα1 (1.5406A) 
radiation, over the 2θ range between 5 - 60° using a step 
size of  0.022° for 43 minutes. The EDS spectrum was 
produced on an EDAX Pheonix, EDX with a Carl Zeiss 
1530 VP spectrometer. The samples were sprinkled onto 

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12mm aluminium stubs using “carbon sticky tabs”. These 
were then gold coated using an Emitech SC 7640 gold/
palladium sputter coater to reduce the static charges 
during the analysis. The PerkinElmer paragon 1000 
FTIR spectrophotometer was used to collect FTIR data 
for the sample. The sample was prepared by making 
discs of  a small amount of  the sample (T 3 mg) in KBr 
and measurements were carried out over IR region of  
1200-400cm-1 for the zeolite. A background spectrum 
was measured before the sample to compensate for 
atmospheric conditions around the FTIR instrument

Determination of  heavy metals in soap stock using 
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
The concentrations of  heavy metals in the wastewater 
(soap stock) were analyzed before and after treatment to 
assess the decrease in concentrations of  the pollutants 
using atomic Absorption Spectrometry 

Zinc
Approximately11.24g of  zinc oxide was dissolved in de-
ionised water and diluted to 1L in a volumetric flask. 1 
ppm, 2 ppm, 3ppm, 4 ppm and 5ppm solutions were made 
from the stock solution. The AAS was the calibrated at a 

wavelength of  213.9 nm under lamp current of  5 mA 
using fuel acetylene (Diez, V. et al, 2012).

Lead
About 1.5g of  lead nitrate Pb(NO3)2was dissolved in de-
ionized water and diluted to 1L in a volumetric flask . 1 
ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm 4 ppm and 5 ppm were prepared 
from the stock. The AAS was calibrated at 217.0 nm 
wavelength, spectra bond of  1 nm and current of  5 mA 
using acetylene and air as fuel (Diez, V. et al, 2012).

Nickel
About 4.0g of  Ni (NO3)2.6H2O was dissolved in 
deionised water and diluted to 1L in a volumetric.1 ppm, 
2 ppm, 3 ppm 4 ppm and 5ppm were prepared from 
the stock solution. The AAS was calibrated at 213.9 nm 
wavelength, spectra bond of  1 nm and current of  5 mA 
using acetylene and air as fuel (Diez, V. et al, 2012).

Cadmium
Exactly 2. g of  cadmium nitrate was dissolved in 250 mL 
of  de-ionized water and diluted to 1 L in a volumetric 
flask. 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm and 5 ppm were 
prepared from the stock solution. The AAS was calibrated 

Table 1: Characterization data of  fine sand using X-ray 
fluorescence spectrometer
Compounds/elements % Weight
SiO2 92.49
Al2O3 7.44
Fe2O3 ND
CaO 0.06
MgO 0.09
K2O ND
Key ND:  Not detected 

Table 2: Elemental composition of  the synthesized 
Zeolite Y (EDS)
Elements % Weight
0 48.7±0.07
Na 9.2±0.04
Al 11.5±0.0
Si 30.7±0.1
Si/Al 2.7

Figure 1: PXRD pattern for zeolite Y (experimental pattern) matched with the reference pattern 01-070-4285 (vertical 
tick marks), anhydrous formula (Na54.91Al56Si136O384).

at a wavelength of  228.8 nm at a spectra bond of  0.4 nm 
and lamp current of  3.5 mA using fuel acetylene.

Copper
1g of  copper was dissolved in 25 mL of  HCl. Few drops 
of  nitric acid was added and diluted to 1 L in a volumetric 

flask with de-ionzed water. 1 ppm, 2 ppm, 3 ppm, 4 ppm 
and 5 ppm were prepared from the stock solution. The 
AAS was calibrated at a wavelength of  309.3 nm and 
spectra band pass of  0.4 nm, lamp current of  10 mA 
using fuel acetylene and nitrous oxide.

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Figure 2: FTIR spectrum for the synthesised zeolite Y

Table 3: Heavy metals concentration in the soap stock Soya Bean Oil Mill before and after treatment
Heavy 
metals 
(mg/L)

Untreated 
wastewater

Physical 
pre-cipitation

Fine sand 
treatment

Zeolite 
treatment

Zeolite/sand 
treatment

FAO 
(2010)

EPA 
(2011)

Pb 0.7555±0.00 0.1475±0.00 0.103±0.00 0.0760±0.00 0.0260±0.00 0.5 0.01
Cu 0.2850±0.00 0.0350±0.00 0.0260±0.00 0.0050±0.00 ND 0.1 0.02
Zn 1.3505±0.00 1.1505±0.00 1.0725±0.00 0.5975±0.00 0.5135±0.00 1.0 0.5
Ni 0.0465±0.00 0.0355±0.00 0.0580±0.00 0.0400±0.00 0.0390±0.00 0.01 0.02
Cd 0.1455±0.00 0.0815±0.00 0.0195±0.00 0.0620±0.00 0.0270±0.00 0.01 0.02
Key: ND= Not detected

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Chemical composition of  fine sand
The chemical composition of  the fine sand used in this 
present study was determined by X-ray fluorescence 
spectrometer (ARL 9900 OASIS Model) as shown in 
(Table 1). Silicon dioxide was found to be the predominant 
oxide, 92.49%. Other oxides present were Al2O37.44%, 
CaO 0.06% and MgO 0.09%. The silicon to aluminum 
ratio of  the fine sand used was 12.40. This characterization 
data obtained is in line with earlier investigation reported 
(Alluri et al, 2007).

PXRD
The PXRD data compared against the ICDD database 
for the theoretical phases showed good agreement that 
the targeted Zeolite Y was formed as clearly seen from 
the matched patterns (fig. 1).The PXRD patterns for the 
Zeolite Y was a single crystalline phase with high degree 
of  crystallinity. 

Synthesis of  Zeolite Y
SEM-EDS
The elemental composition of  zeolite Y was determined 
using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDAX Pheonix 
model) as shown in (Table 2). The result revealed that Zeolite 
Y consist of  48 7% Oxygen, 9.2% Sodium, 11.2% Aluminum 
and 30.7% Silicon. The Si/Al ratio (2.7%) calculated was 
found to be in good agreement with the data obtained from 
PXRD (2.4%) as calculated from the molecular formula of  
the Zeolite Y (Na54.91Al56Si136O384).

FTIR
A broad band was observed in the region 1019 cm-1 
which was attributed to the asymmetric vibrations of  
Si-O bridging and Si-O non-bridging bonds. The band in 
the range 717 cm-1 is due to the symmetric stretching of  
internal vibrations while the internal vibrations due to the 
bending of  the T-O tetrahedra occurred between 455 cm-
1. Vibrations of  the double six rings (D6R) connecting 
the sodalite cages occurred between 579 cm-1 while that 
around 626 cm-1 is assigned to the symmetric stretching 
of  external T-O linkages in the Zeolite. The band at 1150 
cm-1 was attributed to the asymmetric stretching of  
external T-O linkages in the Zeolite respectively.
 Adsorption of  heavy metals 
The results presented in table 3 showed a decrease in the 
concentration of  heavy metals using the zeolite-based 
technique.

Lead
For the raw wastewater sample 0.7555±0.00mg/L was 
obtained, 0.1475±0.00mg/L for physical precipitation, 
0.103±0.00mg/L for sand filter, 0.0760±0.00mg/L for 
Zeolite filter and 0.026±0.00mg/L for Zeolite/sand filter 
respectively. The decrease in the values could be attributed 
to the ion exchange and absorption affinity of  the Zeolite 
material used. The values obtained were within that of  
maximum allowable concentration (MAC) limits by FAO 
(2011) and EPA (2016) for irrigation water with values 
ranging from 0.5 to 0.01mg/L (Babel, S al, 2003)

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Copper
For the raw wastewater sample 0.285±0.000mg/L was 
obtained, 0.035±0.00mg/L for physical precipitation, 
0.026±0.00mg/L for sand filter, 0.005mg/L for Zeolite 
filter and was less than the detectable limit using the 
Zeolite/sand filter. The decrease in the values could be 
attributed to the ion exchange and adsorption properties 
of  Zeolite. The values obtained were within the 
maximum allowable concentration limits by FAO (2011) 
for irrigation water (Babel, S al, 2003)

Nickel 
About 1.04465±0.00mg/L was obtained for the raw soya 
bean oil mill wastewater sample, 0.0355±0.00mg/L for 
physical precipitation, 0.058±0.00mg/L for sand filter, 
0.040±0.00mg/L for Zeolite filter and 0.039±0.00mg/L 
for Zeolite/sand filter. The result shows a gradual 
decrease in the pollutant load from the raw wastewater 
to the final Zeolite/sand filter treatment, reducing the 
concentration within the maximum allowable limit of  
0.2mg/L for agricultural water. Similar results were also 
reported for oil refinery wastewater treatment using the 
Zeolite and carbonaceous adsorbents (Kwon J.S et al & 
Muthukumaran et al, 2010)

Zinc
About 1.3505±0.00mg/L was obtained for raw soya 
bean oil mill wastewater sample, 1.1505±0.00mg/L for 
physical precipitation, 1.0725±0.00mg/L for sand filter, 
0.5975±0.00mg/L for Zeolite and 0.5135±0.00mg/L for 
Zeolite/sand filter. These values are within the maximum 
allowable concentration limit of  1.00- 2.00mg/L for 
irrigation water. Similar works were also reported by 
some researchers on adsorption of  heavy metals from 
water and wastewater using low cost adsorbents from 
agricultural by-products (Pitakpoolsil et al & Varga et al 
2013)

Cadmium
For the raw wastewater sample, 0.1455±0.000mg/L was 
obtained 0.0815±0.00mg/L for physical precipitation, 
0.0195±0.00mg/L for sand filter, 0.062±0.00mg/L for 
Zeolite filter and 0.027±0.00mg/L for Zeolite/sand 
filter. The value obtained at the Zeolite/sand composite 
filter is in accordance with the recommended values of  
0.01-0.002mg/L by FAO and EPA (2011). Similar results 
were also reported on heavy metal removal of  edible oil 
content in wastewater by advanced oxidative process 
(Aslan, S. et al 2001 & Chipasa et al 2009).

CONCLUSION
The treatment of  soap stock was using successive steps 
that are raw wastewater, physical precipitation, sand 
treatment, Zeolite treatment and Zeolite/sand composite 
using solid state materials and testing the treatment 
efficiency using heavy metals analysis proved to be 
effective for edible oil effluent.  This study found that the 
filtering abilities of  Zeolite/sand composite works better 

for soya bean oil mill wastewater treatment. The simple 
Zeolite-based method can be used for the soya bean oil 
mill wastewater treatment as an environmentally friendly 
and cost effective method.  The treatment efficiency on 
the removal of  heavy metals such as Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni and 
Cd using AAS gave a good heavy metal reduction from 
the wastewater.

REFERENCES
Ahmaruzzaman, M. (2008). Adsorption of  phenolic 

compounds on low-cost adsorbents: A review. Journal 
of  Advanced Colloid Interface Science,1(2), 48-67. 

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