Environmental legislation in the country always requires more stringent standards for effluent generating industries. Companies must adapt to these laws making the industrial processes more efficient and less polluting. Burning coal in power plants produces bottom ash. This material returns to the coal producers and constitutes an environmental liability to the company. In this study, bottom ash was used in tests for the hydrothermal synthesis, under alkaline conditions, to generate zeolite Na-P1. Analyses by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and cation exchange capacity with standard solution of ammonium chloride confirmed to the generation of zeolite Na-P1, and the value of the cation exchange capacity of the equivalent was 23.7 mg g-1. Three industrial effluents from three different companies were collected and evaluated. Tests for ammonia adsorption in a fluidized bed reactor were performed in the three effluents. The results for the final ammonia concentration showed a reduction of 49% ±2, and the values obtained are in terms of equivalent of 21.8 mg g-1, 22.9 mg g-1 e 22.7 mg g-1. CONAMA Resolution numbers 357/2005 and 430/2011 determining values for water quality standards to the various substances. The value for ammonia is 20 mg L-1N/NH3. Considering the difficulties to reduce the ammonia nitrogen concentration in certain industrial effluents, new technologies are being implemented, such as the synthesis of zeolite from coal bottom ash. This study showed that zeolite Na-P1 has good potential for adsorption to reduce the ammonia nitrogen content from industrial effluents.
Na-P1 zeolite; adsorption; ammonia nitrogen; industrial effluent
