Temperature-Induced Desorption of Methyl tert-Butyl Ether Confined on ZSM-5: An In Situ Synchrotron XRD Powder Diffraction Study

Application of zeolites in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) for in-situ groundwater remediation: A critical review

Permeable reactive barrier (PRB) is one of the most promising in-situ groundwater remediation technologies due to its low costs and wide immobilization suitability for multiple contaminants. Reactive medium is a key component of PRBs and their selection needs to consider removal effectiveness as well as permeability. Zeolites have been extensively reported as reactive media owing to their high adsorption capacity, diverse pore structure and high stability. Moreover, the application of zeolites can reduce the PRBs fouling and clogging compared to reductants like zero-valence iron (ZVI) due to no formation of secondary precipitates, such as iron monosulfide, in spite of their reactivity to remove organics. This study gives a detailed review of lab-scale applications of zeolites in PRBs in terms of sorption characteristics, mechanisms, column performance and desorption features, as well as their field-scale applications to point out their application tendency in PRBs for contaminated groundwater remediation. On this basis, future prospects and suggestions for using zeolites in PRBs for groundwater remediation were put forward. This study provides a comprehensive and critical review of the lab-scale and field-scale applications of zeolites in PRBs and is expected to guide the future design and applications of adsorbents-based PRBs for groundwater remediation.

Evaluation for the Removal Efficiency of VOCs and Heavy Metals by Zeolites-Based Materials in the Wastewater: A Case Study in the Tito Scalo Industrial Area

The current study was designed to demonstrate the efficiency of selected zeolites in the immobilization of heavy metals and volatile organic compounds from water in the industrial area of Tito Scalo (Basilicata Region in Southern Italy). The efficiency of zeolite materials has been evaluated by analyzing real water samples, by a multi-technique approach. Gas chromatography (GC) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were selected for the detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals respectively, and then by thermal analysis (TG, DTA) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) to verify the presence of contaminants in the structural channels of the adsorbents. ZSM-5 zeolite (MFI topology) was suitable for volatile organic compounds, showing removal efficiencies 87%. 13X (FAU topology) was more selective for in situ abatements of heavy metals, with efficiencies up to 100%. After VOCs and heavy metals removal, structure refinements of loaded zeolites highlighted variations of both lattice parameters and extraframework content confirming the pollutants immobilization in the framework microporosities. The occurrence of these species was also confirmed by DTA curves showing different phenomena explained on the basis of the nature and number of extraframework species hosted in the zeolite micropores.

High-Silica Zeolites as Sorbent Media for Adsorption and Pre-Concentration of Pharmaceuticals in Aqueous Solutions

The present work focused on the use of high-silica commercial zeolites as sorbent media for pharmaceuticals in an aqueous matrix. As drug probes, ketoprofen, hydrochlorothiazide, and atenolol were selected, because of their occurrence in surface waters and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Pharmaceuticals adsorption was evaluated for two Faujasite topology zeolites with Silica/Alumina Ratio 30 and 200. The selected zeolites were demonstrated to be efficient sorbents towards all investigated pharmaceuticals, thanks to their high saturation capacities (from 12 to 32% w/w) and binding constants. These results were corroborated by thermal and structural analyses, which revealed that adsorption occurred inside zeolite’s porosities, causing lattice modifications. Finally, zeolites have been tested as a pre-concentration media in the dispersive-solid phase extraction procedure. Recoveries higher than 95% were gained for ketoprofen and hydrochlorothiazide and approximately 85% for atenolol, at conditions that promoted the dissolution of the neutral solute into a phase mainly organic. The results were obtained by using a short contact time (5 min) and reduced volume of extraction (500 µL), without halogenated solvents. These appealing features make the proposed procedure a cost and time saving method for sample enrichment as well as for the regeneration of exhausted sorbent, rather than the more energetically expensive thermal treatment.

Kinetic and equilibrium modelling of MTBE (methyl tert-butyl ether) adsorption on ZSM-5 zeolite: Batch and column studies

The intensive use of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as a gasoline additive has resulted in serious environmental problems due to its high solubility, volatility and recalcitrance. The feasibility of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) with ZSM-5 type zeolite as a reactive medium was explored for MTBE contaminated groundwater remediation. Batch adsorption studies showed that the MTBE adsorption onto ZSM-5 follows the Langmuir model and obeys the pseudo-second-order model with an adsorption capacity of 53.55 mg g^-1. The adsorption process reached equilibrium within 24 h, and MTBE was barely desorbed with initial MTBE concentration of 300 mg L^-1. The mass transfer process is found to be primarily controlled by pore diffusion for MTBE concentrations from 100 to 600 mg L^-1. pH has little effect on the maximum adsorption capacity in the pH range of 2-10, while the presence of nickel reduces the capacity with Ni concentrations of 2.5-25 mg L^-1. In fixed-bed column tests, the Dose-Response model fits the breakthrough curve well, showing a saturation time of ∼320 min and a removal capacity of ∼18.71 mg g^-1 under the conditions of this study. Therefore, ZSM-5 is an extremely effective adsorbent for MTBE removal and has a huge potential to be used as a reactive medium in PRBs.