Browsing by Author "MUHAMMAD HAMZA ASHFAQ"

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    Synthesis of tio2zeolite nanocomposites for simultaneous removal of phosphate and ammonia
    (UMT, Lhr, 2021) MUHAMMAD HAMZA ASHFAQ
    In the present era, severe problems like eutrophication due to increased nutrients like ammonia and phosphorous in freshwater bodies have become the reason for the deterioration of freshwater ecosystems. New cost-effective strategies and methods are urgently required to save fresh water by reducing eutrophication. In the present work, TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed on zeolite were synthesized chemically to remove ammonium and phosphate ions from aqueous solutions simultaneously. Synthesized TiO2/Zeolite Nanocomposites were characterized by SEM and XRD analysis which showed that the synthesized material was more stable and dispersed than zeolite. The nanocomposites removed 38.8% NH4+ and 98.1% PO43- from 20 mg 100 mL-1 initial concentration of both ions. Removal of both ions was examined at varying conditions of concentration of nanocomposites, initial concentration of the solution, temperature, time, and pH. At optimum conditions, nanocomposites showed maximum adsorption of 38.63 mg g-1 for PO43- and 3.75 mg g-1 for NH4+. Kinematics studies showed that the process of adsorption of both ions followed the pseudo-second-order model. Chemisorption of ions occurred due to the interaction between ions and nanocomposites through ligand exchange or electrostatic adsorption. Overall, it was concluded that this strategy is an efficient and potential process for the simultaneous removal of both ions (anionic phosphate and cationic ammonium) from eutrophic waters.