Ammonium ion removal from contaminated water using Cikancra natural zeolite

Water quality in water bodies is deteriorating due to human activities such as industries, agriculture, and households. These activities have been reported to increase the levels of nitrogen species in water bodies, including ammonium (NH 4 + ). Various processes have been used to reduce NH 4 + concentration in water, including adsorption and ion exchange using zeolite which is renowned as an excellent adsorbent and ion exchange material. In this study, we assessed the ability of Cikancra natural zeolite to reduce the NH 4 + concentration in water. Heat pre-treatment was carried out on the zeolite to reveal its effect on the NH 4 + removal rate. Furthermore, several factors such as contact time, grain size, and initial NH 4 + concentration were evaluated to determine the optimum absorption condition. The experimental results reveal that heat-pretreated natural zeolite can reduce the NH 4 + concentration by up to 84% after 60 minutes of contact time. Furthermore, the absorption capacity of the zeolite is reaching 2.37 mg/g at an initial NH 4 + concentration of 50 mg/L. The evaluation using Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models indicates that the process occurs physically due to Van Der Waals interaction between the adsorbate and the adsorbent.