MTBE Adsorption on Surfactant-Modified Natural Zeolites

This study evaluated the ability of natural clinoptilolite zeolite in form of Surfactant Modified Zeolites (SMZS) in removal of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from water using batch tests. Direct comparison between none modified zeolite (NMZ), Surfactant-Modified Zeolites (SMZ) and powder activated carbon (PAC) was made for MTBE removal from water. It was concluded that adsorption capacity of the zeolites will be remarkably improved toward MTBE molecules by modification of its surface by surfactants like Hexadecyltrimethylammonium-chloride (HDTMA-CL) & n-Cetylpyridiniumbromide (CPB). Especially the HDTMA had more effective performance. Therefore SMZ is a suitable candidate for removal of MTBE molecules from contaminated solutions. The results indicate that surfactant modification of the zeolite enhances its ability to absorb MTBE, particularly at pHs less than 7 and temperature of approximately 200 C. In the best condition (pH = 3, at 200C) the MTBE adsorption was 87.9% at optimized experimental conditions. Finally, the impact of differential influent MTBE concentrations and the presence of differential TDS concentrations on SMZS performance were demonstrated.

کلیدواژه ها:

clinoptilolite ، Surfactant Modified Zeolites ، Methyl tert-butyl ether ، adsorption