In this study, superior carbon nanotubes (CNT) were chemically modified with itaconic acid (IA) and a polyaniline (PANI) composite was formed and used to remove methylene blue (MB) dye from an aqueous solution. The capacity of CNTs modified with IA (IA/CNT) and composited with PANI (PANI/CNT) to remove MB dye from an aqueous solution was compared and investigated. The effects of parameters such as pH (3–10), adsorbent dose (0.8–8 g/L), initial dye concentration (10–100 mg/L), and temperature (25–55 °C) on MB adsorption were investigated. IA/CNT and PANI/CNT adsorbents were characterized by analyzes such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET). It was determined that the isotherm data fit the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of PANI/CNT and IA/CNT calculated according to this model (at 25 °C) was 12.78 and 32.78 mg g− 1, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis results showed that the adsorption was exothermic, feasible, and spontaneous. It can be said that the possible mechanism of MB on PANI/CNT and IA/CNT adsorbents occurs with the participation of π–π interaction, electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding.

Prediction of the behavior of heavy metals over time is important to evaluate the heavy metal toxicity in algae species. Various modeling studies have been well established, but there is a need for an improved model for predicting the chronic effects of metals on algae species to combine the metal kinetics and biological response of algal cells. In this study, a kinetic dynamics model was developed to predict the copper behavior (5 μg L-1, 10 μg L-1, and 15 μg L-1) for two freshwater algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Chlorella vulgaris) in the chronic exposure experiments (8 d and 21 d). In the experimental observations, the rapid change in copper mass between the solutions, extracellular and intracellular sites occurred within initial exposure periods, and then it was slower although the algal density changed with time. Our model showed a good agreement with the measured copper mass in each part for all tested conditions with an elapsed time (R 2 for P. subcapitata: 0.928, R 2 for C. vulgaris: 0.943). This study provides a novel kinetic dynamics model that is compromised between practical simplicity and realistic complexity, and it can be used to investigate the chronic effects of heavy metals on the algal population.

In order to investigate the adsorption characteristics for Sr ion using the Na-X zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash, batch tests and response surface analyses were carried out. The adsorption kinetic data for Sr ions, using Na-X zeolite, fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The uptake of Sr ions followed the Langmuir isotherm model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 196.46 mg/g. Thermodynamic studies were conducted at different reaction temperatures, with the results indicating that Sr ion adsorption by Na-X zeolite was an endothermic (ΔHo>0) and spontaneous (ΔGo<0) process. Using the response surface methodology of the Box-Behnken method, initial Sr ion concentration (X1), initial temperature (X2), and initial pH (X3) were selected as the independent variables, while the adsorption of Sr ions by Na-X zeolite was selected as the dependent variable. The experimental data fitted well with a second-order polynomial equation by multiple regression analysis. The value of the determination coefficient (R2=0.9937) and the adjusted determination coefficient (adjusted R2=0.9823) was close to 1, indicating high significance of the model. Statistical results showed the order of Sr removal based on experimental factors to be initial pH > initial concentration > temperature.

Surface complexation models(SCMs) have been performed to predict metal ion adsorption behavior onto the mineral surface. Application of SCMs, however, requires a self-consistent approach to determine model parameter values. In this paper, in order to determine the metal ion adsorption parameters for the triple layer model(TLM) version of the SCM, we used the zeta potential data for Zeolite and Kaolinite, and the metal ion adsorption data for Pb(Ⅱ) and Cd(Ⅱ). Fitting parameters determined for the modeling were as follows ; total site concentration, site density, specific surface area, surface acidity constants, etc. Zeta potential as a new approach other than the acidic-alkalimetric titration method was adopted for simulation of adsorption phenomena. Some fitting parameters were determined by the trial and error method. Modeling approach was successful in quantitatively simulating adsorption behavior under various geochemical conditions.

The adsorption of Cs-137 and Sr-90 onto kaolinite in prescence of major groundwater cations (Ca2+, K+, Na+) with different concentrations was simulated by using triple-layer surface complexation model (TL-SCM). The site density (8.73 sites/nm2) of kaolinite used for TL-SCM was calculated from it's CEC and specific surface area. TL-SCM modeling results indicate that concentrations dependence on 137Cs and 90Sr adsorption onto kaolinite as a function of pH is best modeled as an outer-sphere surface reaction. This suggests that Cs+ and Sr2+ are adsorbed at the β-layer in kaolinite-water interface where the electrolytes, Nacl, KCl and CaCl2, bind. However, TL-SCM results on Sr adsorption show a discrepancy between batch data and fitting data in alkaline condition. This may be due to precipitation of SrCO3 and complexation such as SrOH+. Intrinsic reaction constants of ions obtained from model fit are as follows: Kintcs=10-2.10, KintSr=10-2.30, KintK=10-2.80, KintCa=10-3.10 and KintNa=10-3.32. The results are in the agreement with competition order among groundwater ions (K+〉Ca2+〉Na+) and sorption reference of nuclides (Cs-137〉Sr-90) at kaolinite-water interface showed in batch test.