Innovative comparable study for application of iron oxyhydroxide and manganese dioxide modified clinoptilolite in removal of Zn(II) from aqueous medium

• Published in: Journal of environmental chemical engineering 2018-10, Vol.6 (5), p.6489-6503
• Main Authors: Hawash, Hamada B.I., Chmielewska, Eva, Netriová, Zuzana, Majzlan, Juraj, Pálková, Helena, Hudec, Pavol, Sokolík, Robert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aqueous solution; Characterization; Modified zeolites; Zn(II) removal
• ISSN: 2213-3437; 2213-3437
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2018.09.024

[Display omitted] •Applications of new methods for removal of zinc metals ions from aqueous medium.•Modification of microporous clinoptilolite framework improves uptake capacity.•Efficiencies of modified clinoptilolite for removal of Zn(II) > 99.5%.•Properties of clinoptilolite structure play an important role in adsorption process.•Characterization and study of kinetic models for interpretation of results. The occurrence of inorganic pollutants especially heavy metals in aquatic environment has been a worldwide issue, and there is a need to develop methods for its removal from polluted water. The present study is devoted to the development of novel adsorbents based on zeolite materials for removal of zinc cations by modifying raw materials with iron oxyhydroxide and manganese dioxide compounds. Characteristics of developed materials were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and their elemental composition by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy EDS, X-ray diffraction patterns, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), and specific surface area by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) as well as determination of Zn(II) by capillary isotachophoresis (ITP) analyzer. The results indicated that innovative modification of natural clinoptilolite with FeO(OH) and MnO2 significantly enhance zinc cations adsorption capacity of newly developed materials. Elevated Zn(II) concentration on the surface of MnO2 crystals and amorphous FeO(OH) indicates these compounds are responsible for increasing uptake capacity. Developed adsorbents improved performance in comparison with their unmodified counterparts, with a dramatic increase Zn(II) adsorption capacity up to 99.65% in the case of modified MnO2 clinoptilolite. Adsorption of Zn(II) on unmodified and modified aluminosilicates follows Freundlich, Langmuir, Redlich–Petersen and Temkin isotherms. Experiments of zinc adsorption were carried out in a batch system.