Synthesis, characterization and application of zeolite-A/graphene oxide nanocomposite for ammonia removal from poultry manure: Box-Behnken design optimization

Abstract

This study developed zeolite-A/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite for ammonia removal from poultry manure. Zeolite-A, GO, and the zeolite-A/GO composite were synthesized and characterized using various analytical tools. Physicochemical properties of soil and poultry manure were analyzed, and ammonia reduction was assessed using column adsorption with the nanomaterials. HRSEM images showed zeolite-A as uniform cubic shapes, GO with a layered structure, and the zeolite-A/GO composite as stacked cubic-spherical particles. HRTEM images indicated strong interactions with smaller zeolite-A particles within GO sheets. FTIR analysis showed characteristic peaks for both zeolite-A and GO, indicating retention of both materials’ features. N2 adsorption-desorption analysis revealed surface areas of 15.89 m²/g for zeolite-A, 19.35 m²/g for GO, and 69.30 m²/g for the composite. The response surface methodology (RSM) results indicated that zeolite-A/graphene oxide nanocomposites significantly removed 95% ammonia, with adsorbent dosage being the most influential factor, followed by stirring time, while pH had a non-significant effect. The removal efficiencies of ammonia using the adsorbents were temperature-dependent under the influence of optimum parameters from the RSM results.