Simultaneous immobilization of ammonium and phosphate from aqueous solution using zeolites synthesized from fly ashes

Zeolites were synthesized from silica-rich (SF-Z) and calcium-rich (CF-Z) fly ashes, respectively, and their performance in immobilizing ammonium and phosphate was investigated through batch experiments. The cation exchange capacity and phosphate immobilization capacity of SF-Z were identified as 2.79 meq/g and 12.97 mg/g while those of CF-Z were 0.69 meq/g and 87.41 mg/g, respectively. The mixture of SF-Z and CF-Z (MSC-Z) immobilized simultaneously ammonium and phosphate, and the ratio of SF-Z to CF-Z depended on the ammonium and phosphate concentrations in wastewater and the discharge standard. The adsorption processes of ammonium and phosphate on MSC-Z followed Ho's pseudo-second-order model and the intra-particle diffusion was a rate-controlling step. The Langmuir model produced better suitability to the equilibrium data. The thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of both ammonium and phosphate on MSC-Z was an endothermic reaction. After treatment by MSC-Z, the ammonium and phosphate concentrations in wastewater from a sewage treatment plant decreased from 7.45 and 1.42 mg/L to 2.06 and 0.51 mg/L, respectively, and met Surface Water Environment Quality Standard in China δ . These results show that the immobilization of ammonium and phosphate in wastewater can be achieved by the combination of zeolites synthesized from silica-rich and calcium-rich fly ashes.