Fast removal of ammonium nitrogen from aqueous solution using chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite composite

In this work, a novel composite adsorbent with three-dimensional cross-linked polymeric networks based on chitosan (CTS) and attapulgite (APT) was prepared via in situ copolymerization in aqueous solution, and its efficacy for removing ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) from synthetic wastewater was investigated using batch adsorption experiments. In the adsorption test, the pH effect, adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and desorbability were examined. A comparison between as-prepared adsorbent and clay, powdered activated carbon (PAC), and other reported adsorbents was also carried out. The results indicate that as-prepared composite adsorbent is pH-dependent and has faster adsorption kinetics and higher adsorption capacity. At natural pH, the composite adsorbent with 20 wt.% APT can adsorb 21.0 mg NH₄⁺-N per gram, far higher than the other adsorbents involved. The adsorbed NH₄⁺-N can be completely desorbed by 0.1 mol/L NaOH within 10 min. All information obtained give an indication that the composite can be used as a novel type, fast-responsive and high-capacity sorbent material for NH₄⁺-N removal.     

Removal of basic and acid dyes from aqueous solutions by a waste containing boron impurity

In this study, batch experiments were carried out for the sorption of basic blue 41 (BB 41), and acid blue 225 (AB 225) onto boron waste (BW) from boron enrichment plant. The operating variables studied are the initial dye concentration, contact time, solution pH, and adsorbent dosage. The experimental equilibrium data were analyzed by using various adsorption isotherm models and the results have shown that the adsorption behavior of AB 225 and BB 41 could be described well reasonably by Langmuir and Temkin isotherms, respectively. Kinetics studies indicated that the adsorption of both dyes follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. The sorption of basic dye increased at high pH values, whereas the opposite was true for acidic dye. The results indicate that BW could be employed as low-cost alternatives to the commercially available adsorbents in wastewater treatment for the removal of acid and basic dyes.     

Adsorption behaviour of Cu and Cd onto natural bentonite

The adsorption behaviour of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ onto bentonite was studied as a function of temperature under optimized conditions of amount of adsorbent, particle size, pH, concentration of metals, and shaking time. The adsorption patterns of metal ions onto followed the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms. This included adsorption isotherms of single-metal solutions at 298-333 K by batch experiments. The thermodynamic parameters such as variation of enthalpy ΔH, variation of entropy ΔS and variation of Gibbs free energy ΔG were calculated from the slope and intercept of lnK_o vs. 1 / T plots. The adsorptions were endothermic reactions. The results suggested that natural bentonite was suitable as sorbent material for the recovery and adsorption of metal ions from aqueous solutions.     

Removal of Remazol Brilliant Blue R dye from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto immobilized Scenedesmus quadricauda: Equilibrium and kinetic modeling studies

The green algae Scenedesmus quadricauda was immobilized in alginate gel beads. The immobilized active (IASq) and heat inactivated S.quadricauda (IHISq) were used for the removal of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (CI 61200, Reactive Blue 19, RBBR) from aqueous solutions in the concentration range 25-200 mg L^− 1. At 150 mg L^− 1 initial dye concentration the IASq and IHISq exhibited the highest dye uptake capacity at 30 °C, at the initial pH value of 2.0. At the same initial dye concentration in the batch system the adsorption capacity was determined for IASq as 44.2; 44.9 and 45.7 mg g^− 1 in 30, 60 and 300 min, respectively. After 300 min the adsorption capacity hardly changed during the adsorption time. The IHISq of adsorption capacity was observed as 47.6; 47.8 and 48.3 mg g^− 1 in 30, 60 and 300 min, respectively. After 300 min the adsorption capacity was not changed for 24 h. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Flory-Huggins isotherm models were used to fit the equilibrium biosorption data. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich equations have better coefficients than Temkin and Flory-Huggins equation describing the RBBR dye adsorption onto IASq and IHISq. The monomolecular biosorption capacity of the biomass was found to be 68 and 95.2 mg g^− 1 for IASq and IHISq, respectively. From the Dubinin-Radushkevich model, the mean free energy was calculated as 6.42-7.15 kJ mol^− 1 for IASq and IHISq, indicating that the biosorption of dye was taken place in physical adsorption reactions. The experimental data were also tested in terms of kinetic characteristics and it was determined that the biosorption process of dye was well explained with pseudo-second-order kinetics.     

Study of the adsorption of phenol by two soils based on kinetic and isotherm modeling analyses

Various natural adsorbents, which have been in used for removal of pollutants, in general, and phenol, in particular, are mostly directed towards improving the adsorption capacity of the adsorbents by various pretreatments (chemical, thermal or biological), which necessarily lead to increase in the cost as well as in the level of difficulties in regeneration/disposal of the adsorbent. The present studies, on the other hand, are aimed towards evaluating the feasibility of using two common soils as potential low-cost adsorbents for the removal of phenol from its aqueous solution, in their natural forms (i.e., without any pretreatment). Accordingly, experiments were carried out (in batch mode) for optimization of the adsorption parameters (such as pH, contact time, equilibrium time and adsorbent dosage), for varying initial phenol concentrations. The results showed that the maximum phenol adsorption capacity was found at pH ~6, under a constant temperature of 30 ± 2 °C (at 6-hour equilibrium period). Several kinetic models (viz. Lagergren first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intra-particle diffusion) as well as isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich and Peterson and Sip) were applied to the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order model was found to be the most suitable model describing the adsorption of phenol by two soils (which indicated this adsorption as a chemisorption process). On analysis of equilibrium isotherms for the adsorption of phenol by two soils, Redlich-Peterson and Sip isotherms were found to be the best representative for phenol-sorption on two selected, soil adsorbents.     

Water and phosphoric acid uptake of poly [2,5-benzimidazole] (ABPBI) membranes prepared by low and high temperature casting

Phosphoric acid-doped membranes based in poly[2,5-benzimidazole] (ABPBI) were obtained by a new low temperature casting procedure and by the classical high temperature casting from methanesulfonic acid. These membranes, which can be suitable for application in direct methanol proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, were studied in relation with their phosphoric acid doping level by measuring the free and bonded acid. The water isotherms were also determined for the low and high temperature casted ABPBI membranes. Both, acid and water sorption properties, were compared with those determined in poly [2-2′-(m-fenylene)-5-5′ bibenzimidazole] (PBI) membranes. The water sorption of the ABPBI membranes over the range of all water activity is described by the modified BET equation, commonly known as Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB) and a two-parameters empirical isotherm. The acid uptake behaviour of the membranes prepared by low and high temperature casting are related with differences in their supramolecular structure.     

Water sorption isotherms and phase transitions of sodium caseinate–lipid films as affected by lipid interactions

The water content–water activity–glass transition temperature relationships for sodium caseinate films containing glycerol were analyzed in caseinate based films containing oleic acid (OA) or beeswax (BW). Changes in the lipid phase transitions were also analyzed. Glass transitions of caseinate matrices as a function of water activity were modified by the presence of glycerol that plasticizes at low a_w values to a great extent, but which limits the water plasticization effect. Incorporation of oleic acid in the film also induced changes in the water plasticization effect, thus indicating that lipid interactions with polymeric matrix occur, which was also reflected in the lipid melting behavior. OA binding produced a weakening effect in the matrix. When the lipid was beeswax, no notable protein–lipid interactions were revealed from the phase transition analysis. So, different characteristics of film matrix fillers (active or inactive) can be deduced from phase transition analysis and allow us to explain the greatly different impact of these on the film properties.     

Desorption Isotherms for Stone Fruit

The desorption isotherms of peach, plum, and nectarine were obtained using the gravimetric method. The experimental data were fitted with Chung-Pfost, Oswin, and GAB models using nonlinear regression. The coefficient of determination, analysis of variation, distribution of residuals, and mean relative deviation were measured to determine the validity of each model. Of the models tested, the five-parameter GAB model was found to give the best representation of the data. The isothermal data were also used to calculate the energy required for evaporation from the product surface, by means of Othmer plots, resulting in a moisture-dependent equation for the heat of desorption.     

Equilibrium studies for the adsorption of acid dye onto modified hectorite

The adsorption of Acid dye, C.I. Acid Red 151 from aqueous solution onto modified hectorite at different concentrations and pH has been studied. Hectorite clay has been modified using two cationic surfactants, cetyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride and cetylpyridinium chloride. Present experimental study shows that acidic pH favours enhanced adsorption. The adsorption isotherms are described by means of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption capacity has been found to be 208.33 and 169.49 mg g(-1) for the modified cetyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride-hectorite (CDBA-hect) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CP-hect), respectively.     

Analysis of distributed thermal management policy for energy-efficient processing of materials by natural convection

Natural convection is the governing phenomena in many material processing applications. The conventional method of uniform heating at the bottom wall of an enclosure may result in inadequate thermal mixing and poor temperature distribution leading energy wastage. In this work, an alternative, energy-efficient method of distributed heating of the cavity is studied and compared with the isothermal bottom wall heating case in enhancing the thermal mixing and improving the temperature distribution in the cavity. Steady laminar natural convection of various fluids of industrial importance (Pr = 0.015, 07, 10, 1000) in the range of Ra = 10³–10⁵ is studied in a differentially heated cavity and in two cases of discretely heated square cavities. Detailed analysis is carried out by visualizing the heat flow by heatlines. The thermal mixing and temperature uniformity in each case are quantified in terms of cup-mixing temperature and root-mean square deviation (RMSD), respectively. It is found that thermal management policy of distributed heating significantly influences the thermal mixing and temperature uniformity in the enclosures. In a case with multiple discrete heat sources, a remarkable uniformity in temperature across the cavity is achieved with moderate thermal mixing.