Phosphate ions are responsible for the algal bloom in receiving water bodies and aesthetic problems in drinking
water. From the environmental and economic points of view, management of such a contaminant and valuable
resource is very important. The present paper deals with the removal of inorganic phosphate ions from aqueous
solutions using synthetic HSZ 330 HUD Zeolite (Si/Al ratio: 2.75−3.25) and its Al3+-activated form (Al-HUD) as adsorbents. Equilibrium and kinetic experiments were performed to study the effects of operating
conditions such as adsorbent mass, solution pH, coexisting ions, and initial concentration on either the capacity
or the rate of phosphate uptake by the zeolites. As a result, it was found that the efficiency of phosphate
removal by the zeolites increased with an increase in adsorbent mass and a decrease in solution pH. Outer-sphere complex-forming ions such as nitrate, sulfate, and chloride improved slightly the phosphate removal
efficiency while fluoride ions, which form inner-sphere complexes with binding sites, reduced the phosphate
uptake capacity of the sorption sites. Equilibrium data were well-fitted with Langmuir, Freundlich, and
Dubbinin−Radushkevitch isotherms. In the kinetic study, mass-transfer processes in the external and internal
matrix of the sorbent were considered. The overall adsorption process was assumed to be controlled by
intraparticle diffusion.
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