Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration

This study examines the efficacy of bentonite and halloysite in removing caffeine and benzotriazole from aqueous solutions using fixed bed columns. Initially, both micropollutants were removed with high efficiency (98–100 %), but removal degrees decreased markedly after approximately 360 minutes, in...

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Main Authors: Gabriela Kamińska, Bhautik Dave, Augustine Nana Sekyi Appiah, Justyna Majewska
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-04-01
Series:Desalination and Water Treatment
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625001298
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author Gabriela Kamińska
Bhautik Dave
Augustine Nana Sekyi Appiah
Justyna Majewska
author_facet Gabriela Kamińska
Bhautik Dave
Augustine Nana Sekyi Appiah
Justyna Majewska
author_sort Gabriela Kamińska
collection DOAJ
description This study examines the efficacy of bentonite and halloysite in removing caffeine and benzotriazole from aqueous solutions using fixed bed columns. Initially, both micropollutants were removed with high efficiency (98–100 %), but removal degrees decreased markedly after approximately 360 minutes, indicating rapid bed exhaustion and a need for regeneration. Caffeine removal was slightly more effective than benzotriazole, likely due to caffeine's larger molecular weight enhancing its adsorption on clays. The microbial regeneration process, employing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, facilitated significant degradation of adsorbed micropollutants. Benzotriazole was degraded much faster than caffeine, with over 90 % degradation in bentonite within 72 hours and full degradation in halloysite within 96 hours. Caffeine required 168 hours for complete degradation in both materials. The faster degradation of benzotriazole is attributed to its chemical structure and environmental interactions. Post-regeneration, both adsorbents recovered approximately 100 % of their original adsorption capacity. Notably, the BET surface area and density of regenerated adsorbents remained almost consistent with those of their pure, unused forms. This study underscores the effectiveness of microbial regeneration in extending the usability of bentonite and halloysite for continuous purification processes.
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spelling doaj-art-eecfcf685a884eb7b4e373bd07c4813e2025-08-20T03:07:50ZengElsevierDesalination and Water Treatment1944-39862025-04-0132210111310.1016/j.dwt.2025.101113Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regenerationGabriela Kamińska0Bhautik Dave1Augustine Nana Sekyi Appiah2Justyna Majewska3Institute of Water and Wastewater Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Silesian University of Technology, 18 Konarskiego Street, Gliwice 44-100, Poland; Corresponding author.Institute of Water and Wastewater Engineering, Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Silesian University of Technology, 18 Konarskiego Street, Gliwice 44-100, PolandMaterials Research Laboratory, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18A Konarskiego Street, Gliwice 44-100, PolandDepartment of Medical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 40 Roosevelta Street, Zabrze 41-800, PolandThis study examines the efficacy of bentonite and halloysite in removing caffeine and benzotriazole from aqueous solutions using fixed bed columns. Initially, both micropollutants were removed with high efficiency (98–100 %), but removal degrees decreased markedly after approximately 360 minutes, indicating rapid bed exhaustion and a need for regeneration. Caffeine removal was slightly more effective than benzotriazole, likely due to caffeine's larger molecular weight enhancing its adsorption on clays. The microbial regeneration process, employing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, facilitated significant degradation of adsorbed micropollutants. Benzotriazole was degraded much faster than caffeine, with over 90 % degradation in bentonite within 72 hours and full degradation in halloysite within 96 hours. Caffeine required 168 hours for complete degradation in both materials. The faster degradation of benzotriazole is attributed to its chemical structure and environmental interactions. Post-regeneration, both adsorbents recovered approximately 100 % of their original adsorption capacity. Notably, the BET surface area and density of regenerated adsorbents remained almost consistent with those of their pure, unused forms. This study underscores the effectiveness of microbial regeneration in extending the usability of bentonite and halloysite for continuous purification processes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625001298Organic micropollutantsAdsorptionClaysMicrobial degradation
spellingShingle Gabriela Kamińska
Bhautik Dave
Augustine Nana Sekyi Appiah
Justyna Majewska
Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
Desalination and Water Treatment
Organic micropollutants
Adsorption
Clays
Microbial degradation
title Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
title_full Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
title_fullStr Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
title_full_unstemmed Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
title_short Exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns – Removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
title_sort exploitation of bentonite and halloysite fixed bed columns removal of organic micropollutants and microbiological regeneration
topic Organic micropollutants
Adsorption
Clays
Microbial degradation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1944398625001298
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AT bhautikdave exploitationofbentoniteandhalloysitefixedbedcolumnsremovaloforganicmicropollutantsandmicrobiologicalregeneration
AT augustinenanasekyiappiah exploitationofbentoniteandhalloysitefixedbedcolumnsremovaloforganicmicropollutantsandmicrobiologicalregeneration
AT justynamajewska exploitationofbentoniteandhalloysitefixedbedcolumnsremovaloforganicmicropollutantsandmicrobiologicalregeneration