Upcycling Chrysotile Asbestos Waste into High-Performance Wollastonite Chemisorbents for Demetallization and Desulfurization of Heavy Oil Residues
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The disposal of chrysotile asbestos waste poses significant environmental hazards, while heavy oil residues demand costly pretreatment to remove toxic metals and sulfur. This study presents a circular economy approach to convert acid-leached chrysotile asbestos waste into a functional chemisorbent for the simultaneous demetallization and desulfurization of heavy petroleum residues. Following hydrochloric acid leaching, the asbestos waste transformed into an amorphous, highly reactive silica-rich material. Through high-temperature synthesis (1100 - 1280 °C) with calcium and sodium carbonates, a wollastonite (CaSiO₃) and calcium silicate-based chemisorbent was produced. Comprehensive characterization using XRD, FTIR, TG-DTA, BET, and EPR confirmed that the synthesized material exhibits a remarkably high specific surface area (280 - 315 m²/g), substantial pore volume (1.213 cm³/g), and abundant active paramagnetic centers - far exceeding those of commercial zeolite. When tested in the thermal adsorption treatment of vacuum tar (380 - 410 °C), the chemisorbent achieved removal efficiencies of 40 - 55% for vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe), along with significant sulfur reduction. These results demonstrate a viable pathway for transforming hazardous asbestos waste into a value-added adsorbent, enabling cleaner heavy oil processing and reducing both industrial waste and refinery operating costs.
Institution: Kazakh-British Technical University
Language: English
Subfield: Inorganic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224005283