Effects of Entrapped Nzvi in Alginate Polymer on BTEX Removal

Nanoparticle especially Nano Zero Valent Iron (nZVI) and entrapped nZVI showed highly reactivity towards several series of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contaminants in aqueous solutions. The main purpose of this study is to use encapsulated nZVI in alginate biopolymer to reduce Mono Aromatic Hydrocarbons (BTEX) contaminants in aqueous solutions without using any surfactant. The nZVI entrapped in alginate biopolymer and the standard BTEX samples were prepared in the laboratory. The entrapped nZVI was characterized by using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV spectrophotometer and its result agree with previous researches. The optimum condition was determined by studying the effect of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature, and initial BTEX mixture concentration. The results showed that the optimum pH value for the removal of BTEX at pH between 6.5 and 7.5. The minimum effective stirring rate for removal was 100 rpm, and the effective temperature was 50^o C. The most effective time for removal was between 30 min and 45 min. The results also showed that the removal efficiency increased with decreasing BTEX sample concentration. For the above mentioned parameters, the effective dose for the case of removing BTEX compounds was 30 gm/L and the removal efficiency was about 95%.