Abstract

The reaction of humic acid with chlorine (as the most common water disinfectant) in drinking water results in production of dangerous compounds of halo organic compounds (trihalomethanes and halo acetic acids) which are known as carcinogen materials to human. This study aimed to remove humic acid (HA) from aqueous solutions by surfactant-modified nanozeolite (SMNZ) and activated nanocarbon (ANC) as novel adsorbents. The results revealed that the adsorbent types and solution pH played important roles in the humic acid removal from the aqueous solution. The optimal conditions to remove 50 mg/L humic acid using SMNZ (as the most effective sorbent) were obtained at agitation speed 250 rpm, contact time 2 hours, turbidity 10 NTU, pH 5 and SMNZ dosage 0.2 g/L. Also, SMNZ had an excellent capacity of 250 mg/g. Isotherm analysis by ISOFIT software showed that the adsorption of humic acid on the SMNZ fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm. The results indicated that SMNZ had high potential as a low-cost sorbent for the removal of humic acid in water and wastewater treatment processes. © 2016, International Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. All rights reserved.