Fabrication and evaluation of activated carbon/Fe2O3 nano-composite on the removal of strontium ions from water

Ahmad Kayvani Fard, Gordon McKay, Hugues Preud’Homme, Viktor Kochkodan, Muataz A. Atieh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This work presents the characterization and application of activated carbon (AC) impregnated with different loadings of Fe2O3 nanoparticles for strontium removal from produced water. The initial strontium concentration, the strontium removal efficiency in aqueous media and the kinetics of strontium removal were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The characterization was performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analysis. Different experimental parameters such as adsorbent dosage, pH of the solution, agitation speed and contact time, were investigated for their effects on the adsorption of strontium from water. The optimum condition for maximum removal of the solute was observed to be 150 min of contact time with the sorbent, pH 7, 150 mg adsorbent dosage and 400 rpm rotational speed. Also it was observed that surface modification of AC with Fe2O3 nanoparticles enhanced their adsorption efficiency. AC loaded with 1% Fe2O3 could remove 93% of strontium while when the nanoparticles loading increased to 10%, the solute was completely removed from water. The results obtained are promising for the use of AC loaded with Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the pretreatment of produced water before the desalination process. Adsorption can be very efficient with low energy consumption and economic feasibility.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)399-408
Number of pages10
JournalDesalination and Water Treatment
Volume73
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Desalination
  • Pre-treatment
  • Seawater
  • Strontium
  • Water treatment

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