Removal of High Concentration NH4+-N by NanoChem Zeolite Ion Exchange Technology

This paper assesses the potential of NanoChem zeolite for ammonia removal from synthetic solution and actual landfill leachate. The data from experiments in batch study were applied to Langmuir isotherm. The saturated amount of NH(4)(+)-N adsorbed per unit weight of NanoChem zeolite is about 364 mg N/g, which yields a significantly higher ammonium adsorption capacity than nature zeolite and Microporous molecular sieves. In batch study, the effects of relevant parameters, such as contact time, initial ammonia concentration and pH were examined, respectively. The results shows that the contact time needs at least 20 h in order to attain exchange equilibrium; the ammonia removal capacity of NanoChem zeolite increases with the increase of initial ammonia concentration, while the ammonia removal rate decreases with the increase of initial ammonia concentration; the pH has an effect on ammonia removal efficiency as it can influence both the character of the exchanging ions and the NanoChem zeolite itself. In column study, ammonia breakthrough capacity of NanoChem zeolite was calculated. Furthermore, the NanoChem zeolite column was exhausted at different contact time and initial concentration. Finally, the NanoChem zeolite was used for actual landfill leachate removal, and the ammonia nitrogen is removed 100% with each hydraulic retention time.