Abstract
The ammonium removal from aqueous solution using Na-Y zeolite was investigated. The Na-Y zeolite was selected from a group of Beta, A, X, and Y zeolites, which were first screened to identify the best candidate for the ammonium removal. Among the considered zeolites, Na-Y and Na-X zeolites had the highest adsorption efficiencies, presumably due to a combination of their qualifying characteristics such as low Si/Al ratio, high surface area, and large pore size. The order at which the different investigated Y zeolites showed affinity for ammonium uptake was Na-Y>>Cs-Y approximate to K-Y>Mg-Y=Ca-Y>H-Y. For the Na-Y zeolite, it was found that the ammonium removal dynamics followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model while the Langmuir adsorption isotherm fitted the equilibrium data well. Furthermore, it was deduced that the ammonium removal proceeded through two mechanisms: ion exchange and molecular adsorption. Three regeneration methods for restoring the adsorption efficiency of the spent zeolites were examined, and the best approach was found to be a combination of two methods, namely washing by saline water followed by distilled water. In brief, Na-Y zeolite was found to be a promising adsorbent for the removal of ammonium from freshwater.