Comparative analysis on adsorption properties and mechanisms of nitrate and phosphate by modified corn stalks

Adsorption of nitrate and nitrite anion by modified maize stalks from aqueous solutions

The newly developed aminated maize stalk (AMS) was prepared by a chemical process using charred maize stalk (CMS). The AMS was used for the removal of nitrate and nitrite ions from aqueous media. The effects of initial anion concentration, contact time, and pH were studied by the batch method. The prepared adsorbent was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM , and elemental analysis. The concentration of the nitrate and nitrite solution before and after was determined with the help of a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The maximum adsorption capacities were found to be 294.11 mg/g for nitrate and 232.55 mg/g for nitrite, respectively, at pH 5 for both ions attaining equilibrium within 60 min. The BET surface area of AMS was found to be 25.3 m²/g with a pore volume of 0.02cc/g. The pseudo-second-order kinetics model fit well, and the adsorption data supported the Langmuir isotherm. The findings revealed that AMS has a high capability for removing nitrate (NO₃^-) and nitrite (NO₂^-) ions from their aqueous solutions.

Synthesis, Adsorption Isotherm and Kinetic Study of Alkaline- Treated Zeolite/Chitosan/Fe3+ Composites for Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solution-Anion and Dye Effects

In the present study, alkaline-treated zeolite/chitosan/Fe³⁺ (ZLCH-Fe) composites were prepared and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and pH of zero point of charge (pH_zpc) to remove nitrates from water. The process was carried out using an adsorption method with a varied initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial nitrate concentration and contact time. The pH_zpc demonstrated that the ZLCH-Fe surface had a positive charge between 2 and 10, making it easier to capture the negative charge of nitrate. However, the optimal pH value is 7. After 270 min, the maximum adsorption capacity and percent removal reached 498 mg/g and 99.64%, respectively. Freundlich and pseudo-second-order were fitted to the adsorption isotherm and kinetic models, respectively. An evaluation was conducted on the effects of anions-SO₄^2- and PO₄^3--and dyes-methylene blue (MB) and acid red 88 (AR88)-upon nitrate removal. The results indicated that the effect of the anion could be inhibited, in contrast to dye effects. However, the optimal pH values were changed to 10 for MB and 2 for AR88, resulting in a hydrogel formation. This might be indicated by the protonation of hydroxyl and amino groups resulting from a chitosan nitrate reaction in the AR88 solution.

Amine-grafted walnut shell for efficient removal of phosphate and nitrate

The presence of emerging pollutants such as PO₄^3- and NO₃^- in water bodies has attracted worldwide concern about their severe effects on water bodies and the health of humankind in general. Therefore, to preserve the health of humankind and environmental safety, it is of the essence that industrial effluents are treated before they are discharged into water bodies. Amine functionalized walnut shells (ACWNS) were synthesized, characterized, and then tested as a novel adsorbent for PO₄^3- and NO₃^- removal. The effects of pH, dosage, initial phosphate concentration, interference ions, and temperature on the removal of phosphate and nitrate were investigated. Notably, the adsorption of PO₄^3- and NO₃^- was exothermic and spontaneous, with a maximum uptake capacity of phosphate and nitrate, at 293 K, 82.2 and 35.7 mg g^-1, respectively. The mechanism by which these ions were adsorbed onto ACWNS could be electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model fitted the PO₄^3- and NO₃^- adsorption, while Freundlich and Langmuir models best fitted the PO₄^3- and NO₃^- adsorption, respectively. Furthermore, in the binary system, the uptake capacity of phosphate decreased by 14.4% while nitrate witnessed a reduction in its uptake capacity of 10.4%. ACWNS has a higher attraction towards both ions and this could be attributed to the existence of a variety of active areas on ACWNS that exhibit a degree of specificity for the individual ions. Results obtained from real water sample analysis confirmed ACWNS as highly efficient to be utilized for practical remediation processes.

A review on the use of chitosan and chitosan derivatives as the bio-adsorbents for the water treatment: Removal of nitrogen-containing pollutants

Chitosan and its derivatives have been widely used as the adsorbents for different types of water pollutants. This review paper lists various physically and chemically modified chitosan-based adsorbents such as chitosan beads, cross-linked chitosan, chitosan-polymer composites, chitosan-inorganic material composites, and chitosan-metal complexes for the removal of nitrogen-containing pollutants (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and ammonium ions) from aqueous solutions. It covers preparation strategies, the effect of modification on adsorbent structure, and the impact of adsorption variables using batch and fixed-bed column studies. In addition to demonstrating the applications of chitosan and its derivatives in the removal of nitrogenous pollutants from water, it helps researchers understand the influence of modification of chitosan on its adsorption capacity as well as physical and chemical properties.

Biodegradable chitosan-ethylene glycol hydrogel effectively adsorbs nitrate in water

Nitrate, existing as inorganic anions in water, possesses high water-solubility and has caused lots of contaminations around the world. It is thus extremely urgent to develop an effective method to effectively remove nitrate from water in a sustainable way. In this study, chitosan-ethylene glycol hydrogel (CEGH) was synthesized using the repeated freezing-thawing procedure. A range of batch sorption experiments were conducted to evaluate CEGH as a nitrate sorbent. The adsorption isotherms of nitrate onto CEGH followed the Langmuir model with coefficient of determination of 0.98 and a maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of 49.04 mg/g, which is higher than that of other adsorbents. The adsorption of nitrate onto CEGH was affected by pH value and temperature. The results indicate that the main removal mechanism was polarity of CEGH molecules given by functional group O-H and N-H and hydrogen bond interaction between CEGH and nitrate molecules under acidic conditions. Therefore, CEGH, a biodegradable carbon-rich adsorbent, can be widely applied to remove nitrate in wastewater treatment and water body remediation.

Phosphorus removal from aqueous solution using modified walnut and almond wooden shell and recycling as soil amendment

Modified walnut wooden shell (MWWS) and almond wooden shell (MAWS) as novel anion exchangers were used to remove phosphorus (P) from aqueous solution. The raw and modified agricultural wastes were characterized using total N, total P, FT-IR spectra, SEM, BET, and EXD analysis. The effect of different parameters such as pH (4 to 8), contact time (5 to 600 min), and adsorbent dosage (1 to 8 g L^-1) on P adsorption was investigated. Adsorption of P onto MWWS and MAWS was studied using the batch technique with different concentration of P (5 to 200 mg L^-1) at 25 ± 2 °C. The P adsorption isotherms were fitted with the Freundlich and Langmuir equations. The k and n values were 1.57 mg g^-1 and 1.88 for MWWS and 1.91 mg g^-1 and 2.24 for MAWS, respectively. The maximum P adsorption capacities for MWWS and MAWS were 22.73 and 14.71 mg g^-1, respectively. The desorption-regeneration experimental results indicated about 4% and 3% reductions in MWWS and MAWS P adsorption efficiency after four consecutive regeneration cycles, respectively. The data well fitted with Pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R² ≥ 0.99), indicating that chemical interactions dominate the P adsorption process. Incubation studies showed the rate of P release in treated soil with P-loaded modified biosorbents was higher than control. Therefore, the MWWS and MAWS can potentially be used as an excellent adsorbent in remediation of contaminated waters by P and then recycled to soil.