Parametric and Kinetic Study of Nitrate Removal from Water by Modified Chitosan Composite Beads

Abstract

The contamination of water bodies with harmful pollutants considers an aggravating global problem. The current research focuses on a developing efficient adsorbed for removing nitrate ions from aqueous solutions. The study proposed modified chitosan-zeolite composite beads to enhance the performance of the adsorption process. The zeolite was used to increase the surface area, and Zirconium was loaded on the beads to promote the selectivity for nitrate anions. The adsorption mechanism was assessed by characterizing the beads and sorbate adsorbed beads utilizing X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and analysis with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). The experiments were conducted in a batch system, and the effect of key parameters like contact time, initial nitrate anion concentration, and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption performance was investigated. The results demonstrated that the highest removal of nitrate ions was determined to be 95.42% at 0.2 g of Cs-Ze-Zr adsorbent with an initial concentration of 50 mg/L and a contact time of 120 minutes. The maximum adsorption capacity of the nitrate ions on the manufactured bead was 80.15 mg/g. In addition, among the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Temkin isotherms, the isotherm equilibrium data were consistent with a Freundlich isotherm model. The kinetic data for adsorption were satisfactorily fitted by a pseudo-first order. Subsequently, the results distinctly indicated that the proposed adsorbed (Cs-Ze-Zr) could be employed fruitfully in removing nitrate ions, demonstrated through the remarkable removal efficiency and adsorption capacity obtained in the study.