This paper used cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) pre-loaded activated carbon (AC) to research nitrate adsorption. Effects of various parameters such as AC types, AC dosage as well as initial pH were studied. The results indicated that the ACs modified by CTAC can get higher nitrate removal. Even pH is neutral and basic, an accepted removal about 2.5 mg/g can be observed. The more CTAC pre-loaded on the AC surface, the higher nitrate adsorption capacity can be obtained. pH is regarded as a key factor affecting interactions between adsorbent and adsorbate, and the results confirmed that the nitrate adsorption on modified AC decreases gradually with the growth of initial pH. Besides, the acidic pH condition is much favoured for adsorption while the results gained a nitrate adsorption about 4.28 mg/g at pH = 3 condition. Sorption mechanism of nitrate on CTAC modified AC was investigated through two kinetic modellings including pseudo-second-order and Weber and Morris intra-particle diffusion model. The results imply that the generalized kinetic models tally well with experimental data. Additionally, interference of co-existing anions is examined, and the results showed that higher co-anions concentration would bring a heavier depression of the nitrate uptake due to its competing for adsorption sites.
Keywords: Nitrate adsorption; cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC); surfactant-modified ACs.