(647h) Novel Composite Adsorptive Membranes for Ammonia Removal from Wastewaters

Natural zeolite is a superior and inexpensive adsorbent material for ammonia removal from municipal, industrial, and aquaculture wastewaters. However, zeolite used directly as an adsorbent material leads to its undesirable leaching and dissolution water. Thus, it is important to incorporate zeolite particles in a host matrix in order to improve their stability.

Novel composite fiber membranes were developed via incorporation of zeolite particles into polymeric matrices. These composite membranes demonstrate high porosity, high capacity and uniform particle distribution. It was shown that the capacity for ammonia removal increases with the increase of zeolite loading with fast ion exchange kinetics. The ammonia captured can be recovered and concentrated as fertilizers and fuels. These membranes are easy to regenerate and can be used repeatedly.