Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Granular Activated Carbon Modified with Iron Nanoparticles (RESEARCH NOTE)

Abstract

Nitrate contamination of water resources and the growing concentration of nitrate endanger human health and the environment and considering its reduction strategies from water resources is important. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of removal of nitrate from aqueous solutions using granular activated carbon from grape wood coated with iron nanoparticles. The results showed that more than 99% of the nitrate was removed from the solution using granular activated carbon/nanoparticles zero valent iron (GAC/NZVI). The nitrate adsorption process by GAC followed the Freundlich isotherm (R2 = 0.95) and NZVI and GAC/NZVI followed Langmuir isotherm (R2 = 0.96). Furthermore, the kinetic studies of all three adsorbents for nitrate adsorption showed the highest correlation with the pseudo-second order equation. According to the results of this study, it can be stated that activated carbon derived from grape wood coated by iron nanoparticles as a relatively cheap adsorbent is efficient in nitrate removal from water.