Effect of Pretreatment on Ammonium Adsorption Properties of Sepiolite: Equilibrium, Kinetics and Thermodynamic Studies

Sepiolite is considered as a selective adsorbent to remove ammonium from wastewater. However, ammonium adsorption capacity under different pretreatment conditions has not been well documented. In this study, batch experiments were performed to investigate the ammonium adsorption capacity of low-strength wastewater by modified sepiolite. Sepiolite was conditioned with an acid, HCl, HNO3 or H2SO4, then thermally treated. Results showed that the...