Preparation of Calcium Cross-linked Nano-Fe3O4 Modified Zeolite Microspheres for Cu^2+ Adsorption from Wastewater

Artificial zeolite was modified by nano-Fe3O4 for development of functional adsorbents.Subsequently,adsorbents such as calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 microspheres (Ca-MS),calcium cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Ca-MZS) and iron cross-linked nano-Fe3O4 modified zeolite microspheres (Fe-MZS) were prepared and compared for their adsorption performance.The effects of adsorbent dosage,solution pH,initial concentration and ion content on the removal of Cu^2+ from wastewater are investigated,and the adsorption kinetics and isotherms for the adsorbent materials were analyzed.The experimental results indicate that for the initial concentration of Cu^2+ of 30 mg/L,the adsorption is noted to be most stable.The optimal initial pH for adsorbing Cu^2+ is observed to be 5.5.At an optimal dosage of Ca-MZS of 900 mg/L,the adsorption capacity is measured to be 28.25 mg/g,along with the removal rate of 72.49%.The addition of Na+ and K+ affects the adsorption of Cu^2+.For the Na^+ and K^+ concentration of 0.2 mmol/L,the Cu^2+ removal rate by Ca-MZS drops to 11.94% and 22.12%,respectively.As compared with the adsorbents such as Natural Zeolite (NZ),Ca-MS and Fe-MZS,Ca-MZS demonstrates the best removal effect in solution,where the removal rate reaches 84.27%,with the maximum adsorption capacity of 28.09 mg/g.The Cu^2+ adsorption kinetics of Ca-MZS is observed to follow the Elovich kinetic model,with the adsorption isotherm data fitting the Freundlich isotherm model by using the non-linear method.