Adsorption of humic acid onto pillared bentonite

Pillared bentonite, a clean and cost-effective adsorbent with high specific areas of 111.3 m²/g and high basalspacing of 1.98 nm, was prepared for the removal of humic acid from water. It is effective for the removal of humic acid with a high adsorption capacity of 537 mg/g, and adsorption is favored under acid conditions. Adsorption is dependent on ionic strength and dissolved NaCl enhanced adsorption. Over 97% removal was observed under natural pH conditions from humic acid solutions containing 10 mg/L Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺, which suggests that pillared bentonite can be an effective adsorbent for the removal of humic acid for drinking water purification. Pillared bentonite can be regenerated with NaOH, and the regeneration efficiency reaches 83% and 85% when the concentration of NaOH reaches 0.025 and 0.05 mol/L. The mechanism for adsorption of humic acid to pillared bentonite is discussed.