Synthesis of 4A Zeolite Molecular Sieves by Modifying Fly Ash with Water Treatment Residue to Remove Ammonia Nitrogen from Water

Zhuochun Huang, Yuantao Cai, Xiaoling Fan, Kai Ning, Xiaohong Yu, Shaocheng Zheng, Hansong Chen () and Yunlong Xie ()
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Zhuochun Huang: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Yuantao Cai: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Xiaoling Fan: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Kai Ning: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510630, China
Xiaohong Yu: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Shaocheng Zheng: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Hansong Chen: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China
Yunlong Xie: College of Xingzhi, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321000, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: The widespread presence of ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + –N) pollutants poses a serious threat to water environment health. In this study, a novel zeolite (WTR–CFA zeolite) with excellent adsorption performance is synthesized using CFA as the raw material and water treatment residue (WTR) as the aluminum source through an ultrasonic–assisted alkali melt hydrothermal method. Compared with traditional CFA–zeolite, WTR–CFA zeolite only generates 4A zeolite with a single crystal phase, and the peak shape is sharp, which results in better crystallization. WTR–CFA zeolite perfectly solves the technical problems of the low utilization rate and poor controllability of the crystal form in traditional artificially synthesized zeolites. The maximum NH 4 + –N adsorption capacity of WTR–CFA zeolite is 29.80 mg/g, which is higher than that of most adsorbents reported in previous studies. After five cycles of adsorption regeneration, the regeneration efficiency of WTR–CFA zeolite only decreased from 98.84% to 97.12%, which demonstrates excellent environmental value. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics of NH 4 + –N conform to the Langmuir model and quasi–second order kinetic model, respectively, which indicates that ion–exchange–dominant chemical adsorption plays a major role in the adsorption mechanism. In summary, this study combines the use of CFA and WTR resources with the treatment of aquatic pollution to reduce material synthesis costs, control the crystal structure of WTR–CFA zeolite, and increase adsorption capacity. This approach achieves the goals of “waste treatment and turning waste into treasure”.

Keywords: adsorption; ammonia nitrogen; coal fly ash; water treatment residue; 4A zeolite molecular sieve (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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