NH4+ adsorption and adsorption kinetics by sediments in a drinking water reservoir

The sorption isotherm and sorption kinetics of NH₄⁺by the Fen River reservoir sediment were investigated for a better understanding of the NH₄⁺ sorption characteristics and parameters. The results showed that Q (adsorption content) increased with the increase of Ceq (equilibrium concentration), sorption isotherms could be described by Freundlich equation (R2 from 0.97 to 0.99). Cation exchange capacity (CEC) had a significant correlation with the parameters K and n (R2 was 0.85 and 0.95, respectively). The ENC0 (C_eq as Q was zero) of S1, S2, S3 and S4 was 1.25, 0.57, 1.15 and 1.14 mg L-1, respectively, and they were less than the NH4+ concentrations in reservoir water. The sediments released NH₄⁺ to the Fen River reservoir water and acted as a pollution source, in the form of complex and heterogeneous adsorbents. The NH₄⁺ adsorption kinetic process was composed of ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ reaction patterns and could be fitted using both Elovich equation and Pseudo second-equation. More than one-step may be involved in the NH₄+ sorption processes, and interior diffusion was not dominant ion action.