Development of long-life-cycle tablet ceramic adsorbent for geosmin removal from water solution

In this study, the tablet ceramic adsorbent (TCA), a silica/iron(III) oxide composite material, has been developed for geosmin (GSM) removal from the water solution. The physicochemical characteristics of TCA were examined with XRD, SEM, EDX and BET analyses. The sorption characteristics of GSM on TCA were investigated in a batch system. Attempts have been made to understand the adsorption kinetics, the effect of initial GSM concentration, solution pH, and reaction time. The batch experiments equilibrium data were well fitted to the Lagergren kinetic equation, which indicate the first-order nature adsorption. Over 82% of the GSM was removed by the TCA within 600 min at an initial concentration of 200 ng/L with 20 g/L of TCA dose. The batch and regeneration study indicated that the TCA is a cost-effective GSM adsorbent with sufficient mechanical strength to retain its physical integrity after long-time adsorption, and high regeneration performance for long-life-cycle application. Almost no second contamination (toxic sludge or leached iron) was observed after adsorption, and the gas resultant of thermal regeneration is harmless to atmospheric environment.