Authors : Sobhy M. Yakout and Ashraf A. Mostafa
Abstract: Nitrate is naturally occurring ions that are part of the nitrogen cycle. It is mainly used in inorganic fertilizers, explosive production and glass making. Excessive nitrate level in drinking water or food can cause many health problems like methemoglobnemia or blue baby syndrome potentially causing brain damage and death. In this study KMnO4 oxidized rice straw activated carbon has been used for nitrate removal from aqueous solution. Both unoxidized and oxidized carbon samples are characterized using N2-adsorption, elemental analysis, Boehm’s titration and surface fractal dimension. Results show that oxidation treatment enhanced surface area and pore volume. The modified carbon good nitrate adsorption compared to unoxidized one. The equilibrium was attained after shaking for about 10 h, beyond which there is no further increase in the adsorption. The kinetic data of the anions can be described well by the pseudo second order rate equation. This indicate that chemical sorption is predominant in the case.
Sobhy M. Yakout and Ashraf A. Mostafa, 2013. Adsorption Kinetics of Nitrate by Activated Carbon from Wastewater. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 12: 1399-1403.