Unlocking the adsorptive effectiveness of naturally occurring heulandite zeolite for the removal of PO 4 3- and NO 3 - anions from wastewater

The mitigation of high levels of phosphate (PO ) and nitrate (NO ) ions in water bodies, particularly in agricultural wastewater, holds paramount importance in curbing eutrophication within aquatic ecosystems. Herein, using experimental and computational techniques, the study explored the potential...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental monitoring and assessment 2024-12, Vol.197 (1), p.78
Main Authors: Wanyonyi, Fred Sifuna, Orata, Francis, Ramasami, Ponnadurai, Ngeno, Emily, Shikuku, Victor, Gembo, Robert O, Mutua, Gershom Kyalo, Pembere, Anthony
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Anions - chemistry
Kinetics
Nitrates - analysis
Nitrates - chemistry
Phosphates - analysis
Phosphates - chemistry
South Africa
Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods
Wastewater - chemistry
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry
Zeolites - chemistry
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Summary:The mitigation of high levels of phosphate (PO ) and nitrate (NO ) ions in water bodies, particularly in agricultural wastewater, holds paramount importance in curbing eutrophication within aquatic ecosystems. Herein, using experimental and computational techniques, the study explored the potential of naturally occurring South Africa heulandite (HEU) zeolite for the removal of PO and NO ions from synthetic wastewater in batch mode. The percentage removal of PO and NO was 59.15% and 51.39%, respectively, whereas the corresponding maximum adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was 0.0236 and 0.0206 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics of both anions by HEU fitted well in the pseudo-first-order (PFO) kinetic model indicating a physisorption-mediated rate-determining step. It was revealed that the adsorption process was multi-mechanistic spontaneous and exothermic. Molecular simulations using Monte Carlo (MC) and density functional theory (DFT) methods also provided insights into the adsorption mechanisms.
ISSN:1573-2959