Potential of granulated modified nanozeolites Y for MTBE removal from aqueous solutions: Kinetic and isotherm studies

Adsorption of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) from aqueous solutions by granulated modified nanozeolites Y was investigated. Nanozeolite Y powders were converted into granulated zeolites and subsequently modified with two cationic surfactants (20 mmol/dm(3)), to be used as adsorbent. Granulated nanozeolites were characterized by BET surface area analysis, elemental analysis and X-ray diffractometer. Hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA-Cl) modified granulated zeolite had more effective performance than N-cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) modified granulated zeolite. The most conventional adsorption isotherms and kinetic models were applied to describe MTBE adsorption and reaction dynamic, respectively. The equilibrium sorption data fitted the Langmuir 2 isotherm model and the kinetic study was followed the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum adsorption capacities for HDTMA-Cl modified zeolite and CPB modified granulated zeolite were 333.33 and 142.8 mg/g, respectively as calculated by the Langmuir model. This study demonstrated that the removal of mtbe by granulated modified nanozeolites Y is a promising technique.