Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Publication
    Comprehensive assessment of the capacity of sand and sandstone from aquifer vadose zone for the removal of heavy metals and dissolved organics
    (2023)
    Ghaleb, Hala
    ;
    Ali, Jisha
    ;
    Arangadi, Abdul
    ;
    Le, Tu Phuong Pham
    ;
    Moraetis, Daniel
    ;
    ;
    Alhseinat, Emad
    Due to the drastic effect of produced water on the environment and its large quantity produced by the oil and gas industry, produced water treatment is a significantly growing challenge that requires serious attention. Produced water can be used as unconventional source of water in arid regions for underground water aquifer recharging through soil aquifer treatment (SAT), however, this requires sophisticated studies to avoid the contamination of the underground water. The present study investigates the efficacy of sand and sandstone from aquifer vadose zone for removing heavy metals and dissolved organic that are common contaminants in oil produced water. The removal of performance of soil samples has been evaluated on the laboratory scale at neutral pH at room temperature using synthetic oil produced water which contains heavy metals (Ni and Zn) and dissolved organics (phenol). The various experimental parameters were monitored and results indicated the sandstone displayed the highest removal of 98%–99% for both heavy metals and 26% for phenol than sand. The experimental data were fitted using four isotherm models, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, the Freundlich isotherm, the Temkin isotherm model and the D–R isotherm. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm fitted well in a monolayer adsorption conceptual model on sand and sandstone. Kinetic modelling and analysis indicated that both soil samples followed the pseudo-second- order kinetics for metal ions and phenol. The 2D-COS FTIR was applied to analyse the interaction mechanism between the contaminants and sand and sandstone particles. The asymmetric Si–O band in sand minerals plays the prime response in Ni and Zn removal mechanisms whereas the asymmetric CO2−3 band decides for the removal mechanisms in sandstone. In the case of phenol adsorption, the interaction between phenol and Si–O bond is the predominant mechanism. Overall, these results summarize that sand and sandstone are effective for heavy metals removal than dissolved organic compounds.
    Scopus© Citations 1  11
  • Publication
    Heavy metal and soluble organic matter removal using natural conglomerate and siltstone soils: Towards soil aquifer treatment for oily wastewater
    (2024)
    Ali, Jisha Kuttiani
    ;
    Ghaleb, Hala
    ;
    Arangadi, Abdul Fahim
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    Pham Le, Tu Phuong
    ;
    Stephen, Sasi
    ;
    Jouini, Mohamed Soufiane
    ;
    Moraetis, Daniel
    ;
    ;
    Alhseinat, Emad
    The present work aims to assess the viability of vadose zone siltstone and conglomerate for oil and gas-produced water (PW) treatment using soil aquifer treatment (SAT). Comprehensive batch adsorption tests were carried out to analyze siltstone and conglomerate removal capacity for dissolved organics (phenol), and heavy metal ions (Ni 2+, and Zn 2+). The results demonstrated that conglomerate displayed a 98% removal capacity for Zn 2+ and 88% for Ni2+ while siltstone showed 82% removal for Zn2+ and 88% removal for Ni 2+. However, both siltstone and conglomerate showed low phenol removal (32% for siltstone, and 9% for conglomerate). The equilibrium adsorption isotherms were fitted by several adsorption models. The Langmuir model exhibited the best fitting for the adsorptions of phenol, Ni 2+ ions, and Zn 2+ ions on the two soils. The kinetics studies have revealed that phenol, Ni 2+ ions, and Zn 2+ ions adsorption on the two soil samples obey a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies revealed that the Si-O peak in the soil plays a predominant role in interactions with heavy metal ions and phenol due to its high content in the soils. However, the electrostatic interactions between functional groups (Si-O, CO32-, and Cdouble bondO carbonyl groups) of the soil samples and the Ni2+ ions, Zn2+ ions, and phenol also contributed to the removal capacity. It is revealed that Zn2+ has a greater affinity for carboxyl groups than Ni2+. The obtained data in this study would support the effective design of SAT treatment for PW and help in reducing the risk of contaminating the groundwater aquifer.
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