In-situ preparation of NaA zeolite/chitosan porous hybrid beads for removal of ammonium from aqueous solution

Inorganic/organic hybrid materials play important roles in removal of contaminants from wastewater. Herein, we used the natural materials of halloysite and chitosan to prepare a new adsorbent of NaA zeolite/chitosan porous hybrid beads by in-situ hydrothermal synthesis method. SEM indicated that the porous hybrid beads were composed of 6–8 μm sized cubic NaA zeolite particles congregated together with chitosan. The adsorption behavior of NH4+ from aqueous solution onto hybrid beads was investigated at different conditions. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms. A maximum adsorption capacity of 47.62 mg/g at 298 K was achieved according to Langmuir model. The regenerated or reused experiments indicated that the adsorption capacity of the hybrid beads could maintain in 90% above after 10 successive adsorption–desorption cycles. The high adsorption and reusable ability implied potential application of the hybrid beads for removing NH4+ pollutants from wastewater.