Geosmin contamination in water is a worldwide concern, owing to its strong odor at trace levels and limited removal by typical water treatment methods. In this study, bentonite–alginate–magnetic (Bent-alg-mag) beads were prepared using the ionic gelation method for the removal of geosmin from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent’s physicochemical properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The influence of factors such as contact time, solution pH, initial geosmin concentration, and adsorbent dosage on adsorption performance was systematically investigated. Under optimal conditions, over 96% of geosmin was removed within 480 min. The adsorption kinetics were best described by the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.9918), indicating that the process is primarily controlled by surface adsorption. Adsorption equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.9705) and a maximum monolayer capacity of 16.064 ng/g. The adsorbent exhibited 70% removal efficiency after three adsorption–desorption cycles, showing good regeneration potential, though long-term stability may be limited. Overall, the Bent-alg-mag beads proved to be an effective and promising material for the removal of geosmin from water.
Balasooriya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.