Journal of Chemical Engineering & Process Technology
Open Access

Abstract

Remediating Free Chlorine from Aqueous Solution Using Hydrous Zirconium Oxide Impregnated Carbons

Salama RS, Kiwaan H and Mostafa MR

In this study, a commercially activated carbon was loaded with 10 and 25 wt% hydrous ZrO2 followed by heat treatment at 393K in an attempt to improve its adsorption capacity towards the removal of free chlorine from water. The tested carbons were characterized by SEM, N2-adsorption ?desorption, iodine number, FTIR and pHPZC techniques. The effects of adsorbent dose, contact time, initial free chlorine concentration and pH on the removal performance of free chlorine from water were studied. Loading the original carbon with 10 and 25 wt% hydrous ZrO2 led to reduce its SBET area as well as its iodine number. The same trend was also found for the measured values of pHPZC. The removal performance of free chlorine was found to increase with decrease the initial solution pH. The equilibrium data fit well the Langmuir isotherm. Loading with hydrous ZrO2 increased to a great extent the removal of free chlorine from water. The monolayer adsorption capacities of the two loaded carbons are 32.7 and 49.5 mg/g which were 133.6 and 253% than that obtained by the original carbon. The surface chemistry of the carbons and solution pH were found to play a decisive role in the removal performance of free chlorine rather than the carbon texture characteristics.