Surface Modification of Synthesized Nanozeolite NaX with TEAOH for Removal of Bisphenol A

In the present study, the surface modification of a freshly synthesized nanozeolite NaX was done with tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) and applied as an adsorbent for the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from its aqueous solutions. The adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the synthesized adsorbent can remove BPA rapidly and effectively because of its high surface area (572 m(2)/g) and small particle size (35 nm). Uptake of BPA was greatly influenced by pH, stirring rate, temperature, contact time, and adsorbent dose. The optimum values of these parameters were 10.5 pH, 250 rpm, 25 degrees C, 2 h, and 0.6 g/L. The adsorption was found to be spontaneous and exothermic. The Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo-first-order kinetic model fitted the experimental results well. The monolayer and multilayer adsorption capacities were found to be 42.8 and 122.6 mg/g, respectively.