Biosorption as a Perfect Technique for Purification of Wastewater Contaminated with Ammonia

Eichhornia crassipes root powder (ECRP) has been used to remove ammonia from aqueous solutions. The biosorption factors such as biosorbent dosage, pH, initial ammonia concentration, and contact time have been considered in batch conditions. The optimal conditions, at pH (6), sorbent dose 5 g/l, time (30 min) ammonia concentration (10 mg/l). Langmuir is better suited than Freundlich isotherm. The kinetic models Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and Bohart-Adams were applied. These models showed that the adsorption capacity decreased with flow rate increases as follows: 32.57, 31.82, 31.25, and 30.17 mg/g, respectively, at a flow rate 10, 15, 20, and 25 ml/min. The root powder of Eichhornia crassipes was used to treat specific drainage wastewater obtained from the Sabal drain at Menoufia, Egypt. The average efficiency of ammonia removal was 87% per batch adsorption method at pH value =7.5, sorbent dose 5 g/l, uptake period (30 min), and primary load 7.1 mg/l; however, ammonia removal by column continuous adsorption method exceeded 94%. In addition, ECRP is efficient in removing arsenic, sulfate, nitrates, nitrite, silica, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, aluminum, and lead from actual sewage wastewater, in addition to removing more than 75% COD.