Efficiency of Zeolite Coated with Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles for Removal of Humic Acid from Aqueous Solutions

The most important effect of natural organic materials in water is reacting with disinfectants and creating disinfectant by-products that are mostly carcinogenic. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum conditions for removal of humic acid (HA) by zeolite coated with nZVI nanoparticles (Zeolite/nZVI) from aqueous solutions. In this study, after synthesis of zeolite/nZVI, its structure and morphology were examined using FTIR, BET, XRF, and FESEM techniques. The effects of HA concentration, composite content, pH, and reaction time were evaluated. The experimental data were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetic models. Finally, the thermodynamic parameters of enthalpy (ΔΗ°), entropy (ΔS°), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG°) were calculated. The results of the analyses confirmed the accuracy of the composite structure. Its specific surface area by using BET method was 203.43 m2/g. The HA removal efficiency was obtained at 92.98% in optimum conditions of 50 mg/L concentration, 2 g/L composite dose, pH = 3, and reaction time of 60 min. The results of the isotherm and kinetic study showed that the HA adsorption process follows the Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.9707) and pseudo-second-order kinetic. The maximum adsorption capacity of the composite was determined at 23.36 mg/g by Langmuir model. Thermodynamic parameters indicate that the adsorption of HA endothermic and the reaction cannot be done spontaneously. Zeolite/nZVI composite had good removal efficiency after five times of recycling. The present study showed that zeolite/nZVI can be used as an effective adsorbent for removal of HA from aqueous solutions