Removal capability of 4-Nonylphenol using new nano-adsorbents produced in sand filters of water treatment plants

Abstract

Sand filters are a physical treatment unit in water treatment plants that have considerable potential for removing large suspended matter. However, these filters are somewhat inefficient in removing micro-pollutants. In this study, using waste leachate, carbon nanoparticles were coated on the silica particles to increase the surface adsorption capacity on silica substrates of rapid sand filters. The surface properties of nano-adsorbents produced by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and EDS test were investigated. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of 4-Nonylphenol was examined using a new nanocomposite under different operational conditions (contact time, temperature and initial concentration) and after obtaining pHzpc, the effect of pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and total organic carbon (TOC) on the efficacy of 4-Nonylphenol removal was tested. The adsorption isotherms in three temperature amounts of 15, 25, and 50 °C were also studied and Langmuir isotherm well fit the experimental data. To evaluate the thermal effect on the adsorption process, the thermodynamic study was also conducted. The results demonstrated that this reaction is spontaneous, endothermic and thermodynamically desirable. The experimental data also showed that the new engineered material is a good reusable adsorbent in water treatment.