Development of a ceramic adsorbent for the removal of 2-methylisoborneol from aqueous solution

Abstract

Removal of 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), a common musty odor compound, by a novel ceramic adsorbent (CA), developed with a mixture of akadama mud, wheat starch, and Fe2O3 is presented. The physicochemical characteristics of the CA are examined with scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and gas adsorption porosimetry analyses. The effects of initial 2-MIB concentration, contact time and initial solution pH are investigated. It is observed that the adsorption of 2-MIB by CA occurs by a pseudo-first-order mechanism. CA exhibits high removal efficiency for 2-MIB in both high (600ng/L) and low (200ng/L) initial 2-MIB concentrations at room temperature (25°C) and can adapt to a wide range of pH (2–12) for 2-MIB adsorption. Over 80% of 2-MIB is removed by the CA within 600min at an initial concentration of 200ng/L with 20g/L of CA dose. High regeneration performance shows that CA has great potential for reuse. These results suggest that the developed CA could be a promising material for effective and rapid removal of musty odor compounds in drinking water. Data on the adsorption kinetics and mechanism of adsorption are also presented.