[Adsorption of phenanthrene from aqueous solution on cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) -modified zeolite]

Surfactant-modified zeolites (SMZs) with different coverage types were prepared by loading of different amounts of cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) onto natural zeolites and were used as adsorbents to remove phenanthrene from aqueous solution. The adsorption of phenanthrene from aqueous solution on monolayer and bilayer SMZs as a function of adsorbent dosage, initial phenanthrene concentration, contact time, and temperature was investigated using batch experiments. Results showed monolayer and bilayer SMZs were effective for the removal of phenanthrene from aqueous solution. The phenanthrene removal efficiency of SMZs increased with increasing adsorbent dosage, but the amount of phenanthrene adsorbed on SMZs decreased with increasing adsorbent dosage. The adsorption kinetics of phenanthrene on SMZs well followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium adsorption data of phenanthrene on SMZs at a low concentration of phenanthrene in solution could be described by the Linear equation and Freundlich equation. The main mechanism for phenanthrene adsorption onto monolayer SMZ is hydrophobic interaction, and the main mechanism for phenanthrene adsorption onto bilayer SMZ is organic partitioning. The calculated thermodynamic parameters such as Gibbs free energy change (deltaG(theta)), enthalpy changes (deltaH(theta)), and entropy change (deltaS(theta)) showed that the adsorption process of phenanthrene on SMZs is spontaneous and exothermic in nature. When the CPB loading amount of bilayer SMZ was twice as much as that of monolayer SMZ, the phenanthrene adsorption capacity for bilayer SMZ was slightly higher than that for monolayer SMZ. In a conclusion, both monolayer and bilayer SMZs are promising adsorbents for the removal of phenanthrene from water and wastewater, and monolayer SMZ is a more cost-effective adsorbent for phenanthrene removal than bilayer SMZ.