Application of zeolites for biological treatment processes of solid wastes and wastewaters – A review

1 FiguraThis review reports the use of zeolites in biological processes such as anaerobic digestion, nitrification, denitrification and composting, review that has not been proposed yet. It was found that aerobic processes (activated sludge, nitrification, Anammox) use zeolites as ion-exchanger and biomass carriers in order to improve the seattlebility, the biomass growth on zeolite surface and the phosphorous removal. In the case of anaerobic digestion and composting, zeolites are mainly used with the aim of retaining inhibitors such as ammonia and heavy metals through ion-exchange. The inclusion of zeolite effect on mathematical models applied in biological processes is still an area that should be improved, including also the life cycle analysis of the processes that include zeolites. At the same time, the application of zeolites at industrial or full-scale is still very scarce in anaerobic digestion, being more common in nitrogen removal processes.The authors acknowledge gratefully the financial support provided by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Project FONDEF ID1810053 and Project FONDECYT 1170103 of CONICYT. This work is dedicated to the memory of our well esteemed and wonderful colleague Dr. Silvio Montalvo Martinez who recently passed away