• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.281-288
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Generally, ammonia occurs from agricultural waste disposal. Ammonia is known as a harmful substance to the human body and has a bad influence such as eutrophication on the ecosystem. It is possible to remove the ammonia by ammonia adsorption method using natural zeolite, without external influence. However, due to the natural zeolite shape, it is hard to reuse. METHODS AND RESULTS: Electrospinning method can produce fiber with constant diameter. Moreover, electrospinning method has no limitation for selecting the material to make the fiber, and thus, it is valuable to reform the surface of adsorbent. In this study, reusable membrane was made by electrospinning method. The highest removal efficiency was shown from the membrane with 20% of zeolite included, and it has been verified that it is possible to reuse the membrane through chemical treatment. The highest ammonia removal efficiency was about 92.4%. CONCLUSION: In this study, ammonia adsorption characteristics of zeolite fibers were studied. Electrospinning method can produce zeolite fiber with even distribution. Ammonia can be removed efficiently from ion exchange ability of the natural zeolite. The result of adsorption isotherm indicated that both Freundlich model and Langmuir model provided the best fit for equilibrium data. And study on desorption has demonstrated that the ion exchange from zeolite was reversible when 0.01 M NaCl and KCl solution were used.

• Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.2207-2219
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• 2018

Activated carbon (AC) was synthesized from Phoenix dactylifera stones and then modified by $CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic nanocomposite for use as a Cr(VI) adsorbent. Both $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ composite and AC were fully characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, TEM, TGA, and VSM techniques. Based on the surface analyses, the addition of $CoFe_2O_4$ nanoparticles had a significant effect on the thermal stability and crystalline structure of AC. Factors affecting chromium removal efficiency like pH, dosage, contact time, temperature, and initial Cr(VI) concentration were investigated. The best pH was found 2 and 3 for Cr adsorption by AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ composite, respectively. The presence of ion sulfate had a greater effect on the chromium sorption efficiency than nitrate and chlorine ions. The results illustrated that both adsorbents can be used up to seven times to adsorb chromium. The adsorption process was examined by three isothermal models, and Freundlich was chosen as the best one. The experimental data were well fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The half-life ($t_{1/2}$) of hexavalent chromium using AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic composite was obtained as 5.18 min and 1.52 min, respectively. Cr(VI) adsorption by AC and $AC/CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic composite was spontaneous and exothermic. In general, our study showed that the composition of $CoFe_2O_4$ magnetic nanoparticles with AC can increase the adsorption capacity of AC from 36 mg/L to 70 mg/L.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of soil and groundwater environment changed by wildfire on cesium adsorption and transport. Soil samples (A, B) used in the study were collected from Gangwon-do, where wildfires frequently occur, and the adsorption and transport of cesium in the samples were evaluated through batch and column experiments. As a result of the batch adsorption experiments with various concentrations of cesium (C_W ≈ 10~10⁵ ㎍/L), the adsorption distribution coefficient (K_d) of cesium was higher in sample A for all observed concentrations. It means that the adsorption capacity of sample A was higher to that of sample B, which was also confirmed through the parameters of adsorption isotherm models (Freundlich and Langmuir model) applied to the experimental results. The fixed bed column experiments simulated the actual soil and groundwater environment, and they showed that cesium was retarded approximately 43 and 27 times than a nonreactive tracer in sample A and B, respectively. In particular, a significant retardation occurred in the sample A. Although sample A contains little clays, total organic carbon (TOC) contents were 3 times greater than sample B. These results imply that particulate organic matter caused by wildfire might influence the adsorption and transport of cesium in the organic matter-rich soil and groundwater environment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.483-492
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• 2021

This study evaluated the removal efficiencies of methylene blue (MB) and humic acids (HA) using a rice husk (RH) biochar and powdered activated carbon (PAC). The pseudo-second-order model better presented the adsorption of MB and HA onto a RH biochar than the pseudo-first-order model. Furthermore, better description of the adsorption behavior of MB and HA by the Langmuir isotherm model (R² of the RH biochar: MB = 0.986 and HA = 0.984; R² of PAC: MB = 0.997 and HA = 0.989) than the Freundlich isotherm model (R² of the RH biochar: MB = 0.955 and HA = 0.965; R² of PAC: MB = 0.982 and HA = 0.973) supports the assumption that monolayer adsorption played key roles in the removal of MB and HA using the RH biochar and PAC. Batch experiments were performed on the effects of dosage, temperature, and pH. For all experiments, PAC showed higher efficiencies than RH biochar and MB adsorption efficiencies were higher than those of HA. Adsorption efficiencies increased with increasing amounts of adsorbents and temperature. As the pH increased, adsorption efficiencies of MB were increased while adsorption efficiencies of HA were decreased.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

This study explored the feasibility of calcium-rich food waste, Mactra veneriformis shells (MVS), as an adsorbent for phosphate removal, and its removal efficiency was enhanced by the thermal activation process. The CaCO3 in MVS was converted to CaO by thermal activation (>800 ℃), which is more favorable for adsorbing phosphate. Thermal activation did not noticeably influence the specific surface area of MVS. The MVS thermally activated at 800 ℃ (MVS-800), showed the highest phosphate adsorption capacity, was used for further adsorption experiments, including kinetics, equilibrium isotherms, and thermodynamic adsorption. The effects of environmental factors, including pH, competing anions, and adsorbent dosage, were also studied. Phosphate adsorption by MVS-800 reached equilibrium within 48h, and the kinetic adsorption data were well explained by the pseudo-first-order model. The Langmuir model was a better fit for phosphate adsorption by MVS-800 than the Freundlich model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of MVS-800 obtained via the Langmuir model was 188.86 mg/g. Phosphate adsorption is an endothermic and involuntary process. As the pH increased, the phosphate adsorption decreased, and a sharp decrease was observed between pH 7 and 9. The presence of anions had a negative impact on phosphate removal, and their impact followed the decreasing order CO₃^2- > SO₄²- > NO₃^- > Cl^-. The increase in adsorbent dosage increased phosphate removal percentage, and 6.67 g/L of MVS-800 dose achieved 99.9% of phosphate removal. It can be concluded that the thermally treated MVS-800 can be used as an effective adsorbent for removing phosphate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.367-376
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• 2022

One of biopolymer, β-glucan (BG) chains were crosslinked by citric acid under the heating condition for the adsorption of Pb and Cu ions in the aqueous solution. The variation of functional groups on BG itself and crosslinked β-glucan (CBG) with their surface adsorption characteristics were investigated by FTIR and SEM-EDX. Adsorption kinetic results showed that adsorption of Pb and Cu onto the CBG followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and intra-particle diffusion model. The Langmuir adsorption model was depicted better adsorption characteristics than the Freundlich model. The adsorption capacities of Pb and Cu onto the CBG estimated by the Langmuir model were 59.70 and 23.44 mg/g, respectively. This study suggested that CBG may act as an eco-friendly adsorbent for the adsorption of Pb and Cu in the aqueous solution.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.184-192
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• 2023

Microplastics are generated by the breakdown of plastic wastes in agricultural soil and residual pesticides in agricultural soil can adsorb on microplastics. In this study, the sorption characteristics of procymidone (PCM) and one of its metabolites, 3,5-dichloroaniline (DCA), on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastics were investigated. The sorption and desorption tests were carried out for 72 h using LDPE or PVC microplastic films to study the sorption isotherms of PCM and DCA and kinetics for sorption and desorption of PCM. The results show that the sorption data of PCM and DCA were better described by the Freundlich isotherm model (R²=0.7568-0.9915) than the Langmuir isotherm model (R²=0.0545-0.5889). The sorption potential of PVC for both PCM and DCA was greater than that of LDPE. The sorption data of PCM on PVC and LDPE were fitted better to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model than the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The PCM sorption on LDPE was about three times faster than that on PVC. Both microplastic films released the sorbed PCM back to water, and more PCM was released from PVC than LDPE, but the desorption rate was faster with LDPE than PVC. Overall, the results show that different microplastics have different sorption characteristics for different chemicals. Also, the sorbed chemicals can be released back to environment suggesting the potential of contaminant spread by microplastics. Thus, the management practices of microplastics in agricultural soil need to consider their interaction with the chemical contaminants in soil.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 2023

Arsenic is a highly toxic element, and its contamination is widespread around the world. The natural materials with high selectivity and efficiency toward pollutants are important in wastewater treatment technology. In this study, the mesoporous synthetic hectorite was synthesized by facile hydrothermal crystallization of gels comprising silica, magnesium hydroxide, and lithium fluoride. Additionally, the naturally available clay was modified using zirconium at room temperature. Both synthetic and modified natural clays were employed in the removal of arsenate from aquatic environments. The materials were fully characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) analyses. The synthesized materials were used to remove arsenic (V) under varied physicochemical conditions. Both materials, i.e., Zr-bentonite and Zr-hectorite, showed high percentage removal of arsenic (V) at lower pH, and the efficiency decreased in an alkaline medium. The equilibrium-state sorption data agrees well with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms, and the maximum sorption capacity is found to be 4.608 and 2.207 mg/g for Zr-bentonite and Zr-hectorite, respectively. The kinetic data fits well with the pseudo-second order kinetic model. Furthermore, the effect of the background electrolytes study indicated that arsenic (V) is specifically sorbed at the surface of these two nanocomposites. This study demonstrated that zirconium intercalated synthetic hectorite as well as zirconium modified natural clays are effective and efficient materials for the selective removal of arsenic (V) from aqueous medium.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.58-70
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• 2023

The improper management of radioactive waste or accidents caused by natural disasters can result in the release of radioactive materials into the surrounding environment, potentially leading to soil and groundwater contamination by radionuclides. In this study, adsorption-desorption behaviors of the radionuclides (cobalt and strontium) in natural soil, montmorillonite, Mn-PILC, Fe-PILC, and fishbone were investigated. Several models were used to predict adsorption isotherms of radionuclides on various absorbents. Adsorption isotherms of cobalt and strontium in several adsorbents were examined at pH 5.5. The amount of sorbed cobalt and strontium were represented fishbone > natural soil > Mn-PILC > Fe-PILC > montmorillonite and natural soil > Mn-PILC > fishbone > Fe-PILC > montmorillonite, respectively. Adsorption datas were fitted with several models such as Freundlich, Langmuir, Sips, Redlich-Peterson, Khan, and Generalized model. The results of curve fitting showed R²> 0.98 in all of adsorption models, except Sr²⁺ adsorption onto montmorillonite. For modified clays (Mn-PILC, Fe-PILC), it is suggested that, unlike natural soils and fish bones, there are not only single adsorption mechanisms but also adsorption mechanisms based on chemical adsorption and surface charge. In the case of fish bones, due to the relatively higher adsorption capacity than modified clays and its characteristic of significant desorption, it is expected more suitable for the removal of radionuclides in aquatic environments than for the immobilization of radionuclides in soil.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.163-173
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• 2023

The presence of high amounts of organic and inorganic contaminants in textile wastewater is a major environmental concern. Therefore, the treatment of textile wastewater is an urgent issue to save the aquatic environment. The disposal of large quantities of untreated textile wastewater into inland water bodies can cause serious water pollution. In this study, synthetic dye wastewater samples were prepared using orange dye in the laboratory. The synthetic samples were then treated by a batch adsorption process using the prepared activated carbon (AC) from date pits. The wastewater parameters studied were the pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), electrical conductivity (EC) and salinity. The activated adsorption process showed that the maximum removal efficiencies of electric conductivity (EC), salinity, TDS and TSS were 65%, 92%, 89% and 90%, respectively. The removal efficiencies were proportional to the increase in contact time (30-120 min) and AC adsorbent dose (1, 3 and 5 g/L). The adsorption profile indicates that 5 g/L of adsorbent delivers better results for TDS, EC, TSS and salinity at contact time of 120 min. The adsorption characteristics are better suited to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model than to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were well suited for describing the adsorption or contact behavior of EC and TSS within the studied system.