Contribution of halloysite as nanotubular clay mineral on mechanism and adsorption rate of Cd(II) onto nanocomposites alginate-halloysite

In this work nanocomposites based on alginate (Alg) and halloysite as a nanotubular clay (Hy) were developed. Characterization techniques reveal that Hy/Alg nanocomposites are cation exchangers with predominantly negative charge density and good thermal stability. The adsorption equilibrium of Cd(II) in aqueous solution onto Hy/Alg nanocomposites revealed that by increasing the mass of halloysite in the nanocomposite, the adsorption capacity diminished significantly due to the halloysite-alginate interactions. Maximum adsorption capacities of 8, 65, 88, and 132 mg/g of Cd(II) were obtained for samples Hy, Hy/Alg 50%, Hy/Alg 95%, and Alg, respectively. In addition, the adsorption equilibrium of Cd(II) on the Hy/Alg bionanocomposites was affected by the pH and temperature of the solution, demonstrating the presence of electrostatic interactions during adsorption and that this is an exothermic process. The controlling mechanism of adsorption was cation exchange influenced by electrostatic forces. The Cd(II) adsorption rate studies were interpreted by the diffusion-permeation model and reveal that the presence of Hy in the structure of the nanocomposites enhances the permeation coefficient, that is, the adsorption rate was increased. The values of the permeation coefficient varied from 1.95 × 10^-7 to 8.50 × 10^-7 cm²/s for Hy/Alg 50% and from 1.70 × 10^-7 to 3.55 × 10^-7 cm²/s for Hy/Alg 95%.

Novel biosorbent with high adsorption capacity prepared by chemical modification of white pine (Pinus durangensis) sawdust. Adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions

The natural sawdust (NS) from white pine (Pinus durangensis) was chemically modified by a hydrothermal procedure using citric, malonic and tartaric acids. The adsorption capacity of modified sawdust (MS) towards Pb(II) was considerably enhanced due to the introduction of carboxylic groups on the surface of MS during the modification, and the adsorption capacity was almost linearly dependent on the concentration of carboxylic sites. The NS surface was acidic, and the MS surface became more acidic after the modification. At T = 25 °C and pH = 5, the maximum adsorption capacity of the optimal MS towards Pb(II) was 304 mg/g, which is exceptionally high compared to NS and other MS reported previously. The adsorption capacity of MS was considerably reduced from 304 to 154 mg/g by decreasing the solution pH from 5 to 3 due to electrostatic interactions. The adsorption of Pb(II) on MS was reversible at pH = 2, but not at pH = 5. The contribution percentage of ion exchange to the overall adsorption capacity ranged from 70 to 99% and 10-66% at the initial pH of 3 and 5, respectively. Hence, the adsorption of Pb(II) on MS was mainly due to ion exchange at pH = 3 and to both ion exchange and electrostatic attraction at pH = 5.

Removal of the antibiotic metronidazole by adsorption on various carbon materials from aqueous phase

The adsorption of the antibiotic metronidazole (MNZ) on activated carbon (F400), activated carbon cloth (ACF), mesoporous activated carbon (CMK-3), and carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) was investigated in this work. The effect of the adsorbent-adsorbate interactions as well as the operating conditions (ionic strength, solution pH, temperature, chemical modification of the adsorbents by HNO3 treatment, and water matrix) on the adsorption capacity were analyzed to substantiate the adsorption mechanism. The adsorption capacity markedly varied as function of the carbon material, decreasing in the following order: F400>ACF>F400-HNO3>CMK-3>MWCNT>MWCNT-HNO3, and depended not only on their surface area and pore size distribution, but also on their chemical nature. The adsorption of MNZ was influenced by the solution pH, but was not significantly affected by the ionic strength and temperature. The adsorption of MNZ was enhanced when the MNZ solutions were prepared using wastewater. Therefore, the electrolytes present in the wastewater cooperated rather than competed with the MNZ molecules for the adsorption sites. Desorption equilibrium data of MNZ on all carbon materials demonstrated that the adsorption was reversible corroborating the weakness of the adsorbent-adsorbate interactions.

Removal of ammonium from aqueous solution by ion exchange on natural and modified chabazite

The ammonium exchange capacity of a natural chabazite was studied in this work. The XRD analysis of the zeolite sample revealed that the main zeolitic phase was chabazite. The textural properties were determined by the N(2)-BET method and the surface morphology and charge were examined using a scanning electron microscope and a zetameter, respectively. The ion exchange equilibrium data were obtained in a batch adsorber and the Langmuir isotherm fitted plausibly well the equilibrium data. The effects of the temperature and pH on the ammonium exchange capacity of chabazite were investigated and the capacity increased augmenting the temperature from 15 to 35 °C and pH from 3 to 6. The natural chabazite was modified by a hydrothermal treatment using NaCl and KCl solutions and it was found that the modification influenced the ammonium exchange capacity of the chabazite. The ammonium capacity of natural chabazite was compared with that of a natural clinoptilolite and it was concluded that the chabazite capacity was 1.43 times higher than that of clinoptilolite.

Diffusion of phenol through a biofilm grown on activated carbon particles in a draft-tube three-phase fluidized-bed bioreactor

Diffusion of phenol through a biofilm attached to activated carbon particles was investigated. The biofilm was grown on activated carbon particles in a draft-tube three-phase fluidized-bed bioreactor operating in a fed-batch mode. It was found that phenol did not adsorb on the biofilm and that the diffusion coefficient of phenol within the biofilm varied from 13 to 39% of its corresponding value in water. The diffusion coefficient of phenol within the biofilm was reduced by increasing the biofilm density. An extensive literature review of diffusion of substrates through biofilms indicated that this conclusion could be extended to biofilms grown on flat surfaces, rotating cylinders, and even bioflocs.

Kinetic Modelling of Naphthalenesulphonic Acid Adsorption from Aqueous Solution onto Untreated and Ozonated Activated Carbons

The adsorption rate of 1-naphthalenesulphonic (NS), 1,5-naphthalenedisulphonic (NDS) and 1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulphonic (NTS) acids onto activated carbon (AC) was studied in this work. In addition, the effect of oxidizing the AC with ozone on the rate of adsorption was investigated. The adsorption equilibrium data as well as the concentration decay data for the naphthalenesulphonic acids (NSAs) were obtained in a batch adsorber. The Freundlich, Langmuir and Prausnitz–Radke isotherms were fitted to the experimental adsorption equilibrium data when it was found that the Prausnitz–Radke isotherm gave the best fit. The experimental concentration decay data were interpreted via a diffusional model which considered the adsorption rate at a surface site, external mass transport and intraparticle diffusion. The results revealed that intraparticle diffusion was the controlling mechanism in the diffusional model and that this model predicted the experimental data satisfactorily. The effective diffusion coefficients of the NSAs could be estimated using the tortuosity factor equation together with tortuosity factors for the ACs ranging from 3.7 to 5.5.

Comparison of isotherms for the ion exchange of Pb(II) from aqueous solution onto homoionic clinoptilolite

The ion exchange equilibrium of Pb(II) on clinoptilolite modified with NH(4)Cl and NaCl can be represented by two types of isotherms. The first one is the ion exchange isotherm based upon the constant of thermodynamic equilibrium for the ion exchange reaction; however, the fitting procedure for this isotherm can be very tedious due to all the calculations involved and additional thermodynamic data. The second one is the Langmuir isotherm. The use of the Langmuir isotherm to represent ion exchange equilibrium has increased in recent last years since it adequately fits the equilibrium data and, furthermore, its calculation is much simpler. A comparison between the two isotherms showed that they fitted the experimental data reasonably well, but the Langmuir isotherm is much simpler and easier to use.