Optimized ammonium removal using Al-modified bentonite: Insights into structural and mineralogical changes

Thao Hoang-Minh; Lan Nguyen-Thanh; Nga Thi Pham; Dong Van Bui; Hai Nguyen Thi; Thai Dinh Nguyen; Thuyet Minh Thi Nguyen; Thien Duy Nguyen; Rafael Ferreiro Mählmann; Jörn Kasbohm

doi:10.15625/2615-9783/22479

Author affiliations

Authors

Thao Hoang-Minh University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Lan Nguyen-Thanh Institute of Applied Geosciences, Technical University Darmstadt, Schnittspahn Str. 9, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Nga Thi Pham Graduate School of Creative Sciences and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Ookubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Dong Van Bui University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Hai University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Thai Dinh Nguyen University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Thuyet Minh Thi Nguyen University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Thien Duy Nguyen University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam
Rafael Ferreiro Mählmann Institute of Applied Geosciences, Technical University Darmstadt, Schnittspahn Str. 9, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Jörn Kasbohm Jörn-Kasbohm-Consulting and Greifswald University, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9783/22479

Keywords:

Al-modified bentonite, ammonium removal, adsorption property, clay, smectitization.

Abstract

Highly effective adsorbents derived from modified Di Linh bentonite (Lam Dong Province, Vietnam) were produced using Al³⁺ stock solution prepared from Al₂(SO₄)₃•18H₂O. Mineral, morphology, and surface area properties of untreated and Al-modified Di Linh bentonite were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses. A scanning experiment was conducted to investigate the Al-modified bentonite material's ammonium (NH₄⁺) removal capacity at two levels of NH₄⁺ initial concentration. Results show that the combination of acid H₂SO₄ (a bioproduct of diluted Al solution) with Al³⁺ caused the smectitization of clay particles via a dissolution-precipitation mechanism, which enhances the structural organization of smectite and modifies its mineralogical properties. This process promoted the removal capacity of Al-modified bentonites, which increased to 0.47 mg/g in comparison with 0.32 mg/g from untreated bentonite at 50 mg/L NH₄⁺-N concentration, to 19.3 mg/g in comparison with 17.2 mg/g from untreated bentonite at 1000 mg/L NH₄⁺-N concentration. This approach to modifying natural bentonite offers new possibilities for developing adsorbents to eliminate NH₄⁺ from water.

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