Abstract
This study aimed to determine the best adsorbent among Moringa oleifera-derived activated carbon (AC), eggshell-derived CaO nanoparticles and CaO/Fe3O4 for sodium (Na+) removal from aqueous media. In the first step, the appropriate adsorbent for sodium adsorption was determined among the three adsorbents, which the results showed that the AC had the highest sorption efficiency. Then, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the impact of different factors on the Na+ ion sorption efficiency using the AC. The highest removal efficiency was obtained to be 95.91% at optimum conditions such as pH of 11, contact time of 45 min, temperature of 25 °C, sodium ion concentration of 900 mg/L, and adsorbent dosage of 5 g/L. Also, the best conditions using the genetic algorithm was obtained at contact time of 94.97 min, adsorbent dosage of 3.52 g/L, Na+ ion concentration of 939.92 mg/L and pH value of 10.92. Moreover, the maximum sorption capacity using the Langmuir model was obtained to be 249.67 mg/g, which was a significant value. Besides, the equilibrium and kinetic studies indicated that the experimental data of sodium adsorption process were fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. Furthermore, the thermodynamic study indicated that the sorption process was endothermic. Generally, among the three adsorbents used, activated carbon with a high removal efficiency and significant sorption capacity can be considered as a promising adsorbent for the removal of sodium from wastewater on an industrial scale.
Highlights
For the past several decades, there has been a growing concern about water pollution, which affects animals, plants, and humans.[1,2] Sea water is a good source of sodium ion, the salinity which does not allow humans to consume it
The obtained results indicated that the activated carbon (AC) made from Moringa oleifera plant is an effective adsorbent for the removal of sodium ion from aqueous solutions
Based on the present study, removal of sodium ion increases with increasing contact time and pH at room temperature it has an opposite relationship with the enhancement of sodium ion concentration
Summary
For the past several decades, there has been a growing concern about water pollution, which affects animals, plants, and humans.[1,2] Sea water is a good source of sodium ion, the salinity which does not allow humans to consume it. Sea water is a good source of sodium ion, the salinity which does not allow humans to consume it. Sodium ion is a major component in the sea water, where its weight percent is about 16 times higher than magnesium ions, about 22 times higher than sulfur ions and about 48 times higher than bromine and potassium ions.[3]. The shortage of water resources and the risk of water crisis in the world as well as the pollution of surface and underground water resources with sodium ion and other pollutants from industrial and municipal sewage has made it necessary to find environmentally acceptable solutions for the elimination of these contaminants from water.[4]. The main sources of water pollution with sodium are human activities. Excessive consumption of sodium over the standard level causes various sicknesses like high blood pressure, the risk of cardiovascular illnesses, heart attack, and damages to kidneys.[5]
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