Ceramic filter balls loaded with α-Fe2O3 and their application to NH3-N wastewater treatment

Hydrolysis reaction of Fe(NO3)(3) at a high temperature in the presence of urea as the homogeneous precipitant was studied. With the prepared ceramic filter balls loaded with alpha-Fe2O3 after high temperature calcination, the loading of alpha-Fe2O3 on the porous ceramic filter balls from Fe(NO3)(3) solutions of different concentrations and mechanical stability of the loaded alpha-Fe2O3 were studied. The product was characterized using XRD and SEM. Adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the product in adsorbing NH3-N. It turned out that the specific surface area of the ceramic filter balls loaded with alpha-Fe2O3 had increased to 36.5387 m(2)/g from original 4.6127 m(2)/g. When the concentration of Fe(NO3)(3) was 0.40 mol/L, the loading of alpha-Fe2O3 on the ceramic filter balls accounted for 8.4% of the total mass of the adsorbent and alpha-Fe2O3 was adsorbed on the filter balls very well. The adsorption isotherm of NH3-N on the ceramic filter ball adsorbent loaded with alpha-Fe2O3 was of Langmuir type. The saturated adsorption capacity was 3.33 mg/L, and the adsorption constant K was 0.1873. NH3-N was adsorbed by alpha-Fe2O3 more easily, which was a kind of specific adsorption.