Two kinds of activated carbons modified by Na＋ impregnation after pre-treatments involving oxidation by nitric acid or acidification by hydrochloric acid （denoted as AC/N-Na and AC/HCl-Na, respectively）, were used ...Two kinds of activated carbons modified by Na＋ impregnation after pre-treatments involving oxidation by nitric acid or acidification by hydrochloric acid （denoted as AC/N-Na and AC/HCl-Na, respectively）, were used as adsorbents to remove NH4＋-N. The surface features of samples were investigated by BET, SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The adsorption experiments were conducted in equilibrium and kinetic conditions. Influencing factors such as initial solution pH and initial concentration were investigated. A possible mechanism was proposed. Results showed that optimal NH4＋-N removal efficiency was achieved at a neutral pH condition for the modified ACs. The Langmuir isotherm adsorption equation provided a better fit than other models for the equilibrium study. The adsorption kinetics followed both the pseudo second-order kinetics model and intra-particle kinetic model. Chemical surface analysis indicated that Na＋ ions form ionic bonds with available surface functional groups created by pre-treatment, especially oxidation by nitric acid, thus increasing the removal efficiency of the modified ACs for NH4＋-N. Na＋-impregnated ACs had a higher removal capability in removing NH4＋-N than unmodified AC, possibly resulting from higher numbers of surface functional groups and better intra-particle diffusion. The good fit of Langmuir isotherm adsorption to the data indicated the presence of monolayer NH4＋-N adsorption on the active homogenous sites within the adsorbents. The applicability of pseudo second-order and intra-particle kinetic models revealed the complex nature of the adsorption mechanism. The intra-particle diffusion model revealed that the adsorption process consisted not only of surface adsorption but also intra-particle diffusion.展开更多
基金supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment(No. 2012ZX07102-004)
文摘Two kinds of activated carbons modified by Na＋ impregnation after pre-treatments involving oxidation by nitric acid or acidification by hydrochloric acid （denoted as AC/N-Na and AC/HCl-Na, respectively）, were used as adsorbents to remove NH4＋-N. The surface features of samples were investigated by BET, SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The adsorption experiments were conducted in equilibrium and kinetic conditions. Influencing factors such as initial solution pH and initial concentration were investigated. A possible mechanism was proposed. Results showed that optimal NH4＋-N removal efficiency was achieved at a neutral pH condition for the modified ACs. The Langmuir isotherm adsorption equation provided a better fit than other models for the equilibrium study. The adsorption kinetics followed both the pseudo second-order kinetics model and intra-particle kinetic model. Chemical surface analysis indicated that Na＋ ions form ionic bonds with available surface functional groups created by pre-treatment, especially oxidation by nitric acid, thus increasing the removal efficiency of the modified ACs for NH4＋-N. Na＋-impregnated ACs had a higher removal capability in removing NH4＋-N than unmodified AC, possibly resulting from higher numbers of surface functional groups and better intra-particle diffusion. The good fit of Langmuir isotherm adsorption to the data indicated the presence of monolayer NH4＋-N adsorption on the active homogenous sites within the adsorbents. The applicability of pseudo second-order and intra-particle kinetic models revealed the complex nature of the adsorption mechanism. The intra-particle diffusion model revealed that the adsorption process consisted not only of surface adsorption but also intra-particle diffusion.
