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Nitrate adsorption onto surface-modified red mud in batch and fixed-bed column systems: equilibrium, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies

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Abstract

This research aimed to develop a novel composite as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of nitrate ion from aqueous solutions. The characterization of this composite (composition of red mud with dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB)) was performed by XRF, XRD, FTIR, and BET analyses. The most influential variables on nitrate adsorption, including contact time, solution acidity, adsorbent amount, and temperature were studied. The maximum amount of nitrate adsorbed onto the prepared adsorbent was obtained at pH 5.5 and contact time 30 min. The heterogeneous adsorption occurred during the uptake of nitrate. The results of kinetic study revealed that intra-particle diffusion was the major limitation for nitrate adsorption rate. The values of thermodynamic parameters illustrate the non-spontaneous, associative, and exothermic adsorption process. Increasing the temperature enhances the tendency of the process to non-spontaneously. Research on fixed-bed column has been done under different initial nitrate concentrations. The adsorption capacity of nitrate was increased with an increase in the initial concentration of nitrate. The results of column data were successfully explained using the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mining Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Ebrahim Allahkarami, Amirreza Azadmehr & Shayan Farrokhi

  2. Department of Chemistry, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

    Fahimeh Noroozi

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mining, Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, University of Johannesburg, P. O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa

    Mika Sillanpää

  4. Faculty of Science and Technology, School of Applied Physics, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Mika Sillanpää

  5. Chemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Mika Sillanpää

  6. School of Chemistry, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, 173229, India

    Mika Sillanpää

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  1. Ebrahim Allahkarami
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  2. Amirreza Azadmehr
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  3. Fahimeh Noroozi
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  4. Shayan Farrokhi
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  5. Mika Sillanpää
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Contributions

S.F. did the batch experiments, and S.F. and F.N. interpreted the results of batch experiments. A.A. managed the project. E.A., F.N., and A.A. wrote the manuscript. E.A. did the experiments for continuous adsorption process and interpreted them. E.A, A.A. and M.S. participated in the interpretation of results, review, and editing of the paper.

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Correspondence to Amirreza Azadmehr.

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Allahkarami, E., Azadmehr, A., Noroozi, F. et al. Nitrate adsorption onto surface-modified red mud in batch and fixed-bed column systems: equilibrium, kinetic, and thermodynamic studies. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 48438–48452 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19311-x

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