Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
Research Article, Issue 1
Analytical Methods in Environmental Chemistry Journal
Journal home page: www.amecj.com/ir
AMECJ
Management and removal of nitrate contamination of water
samples based on modied natural nanozeolite before
determination by the UV-Vis spectrophotometry
Bahareh Azemi Motlagha, Ali Mohammadia,* and Mehdi Ardjmand b,c
a Department of Natural Resource and Environment, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
b Chemical Engineering Department, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
c Nanotechnology Research Center, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
ABSTRACT
Nitrate is a hazardous substance for human health, the removal of
which is an important environmental priority. Therefore, in this study,
rst, the sources of nitrate pollution of water were investigated, then
the structure, role, and application of nanozeolites for the removal
of nitrate ions were studied by the analytical method. Also, the
presentation of management solutions, identication of polluting
industrial sectors, different methods of removal and fabrication
of ZSM-5/Fe/Ni nanosorbents, and the determination of optimal
conditions for nitrate removal were investigated by experimental
design software and graphical analysis of effective parameters.
The results of graphical analysis of laboratory method showed us,
the highest nitrate removal efciency at a residence time of 150
minutes, pH 3, 4 g L-1 adsorbent, and 40 mg L-1 nitrate were achieved
(%RE:91.5-97.4). Experimental results indicate the high efciency,
absorption capacity, and effectiveness of ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents for
nitrate removal in waters. Finally, the absorbance values or nitrate
concentrations between 20-120 mg L-1 were measured by the UV-Vis
spectrophotometry. The maximum absorption capacity of ZSM-5/Fe/
Ni adsorbents for nitrate was obtained 136.7 mg g-1. The developed
method based on a novel ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents has many
advantages such as simple, low cost, high efciency, and favorite
recovery of more than 90% for removal nitrate in water samples by
nanotechnologies as compared to other reported methods.
Keywords:
Removal,
Nitrate,
Adsorption,
Water samples,
Nanozeolite,
UV-Vis spectrophotometry
ARTICLE INFO:
Received 20 Nov 2021
Revised form 17 Jan 2022
Accepted 23 Feb 2022
Available online 28 Mar 2022
*Corresponding Author: Ali Mohammadi
Email: ali.mohammadi@srbiau.ac.ir
https://doi.org/10.24200/amecj.v5.i01.165
------------------------
1. Introduction
Nitrate and nitrite compounds are important factors
in groundwater pollution. Due to the lack of
nitrication of municipal, industrial and agricultural
wastewater, its average amount is increasing.
Therefore, various methods such as adsorption,
ion exchange, reverse osmosis, chemical, and
biological methods are used [1-3]. Banu et al Have
identied the chitosan beads (CS) technique as an
efcient biosorbent for the removal of toxic anions
from aqueous solutions. In this study, zirconium
encapsulated quaternary chitosan beads (Zr@CSQ)
were prepared and used to remove nitrate and
phosphate ions from the prepared water. Zr@CSQ
beads were identied by a sequence of analytical
techniques, including XRD, SEM, EDAX, BET,
FTIR, and TGA-DSC analysis. Various kinetic
models and known Langmuir, Freundlich, and
Dubinin-Radushkovich (D-R) isotherm models
have been used to dene the isotherm [4]. Revilla
37
et al Studied the removal of nitrate from aqueous
solutions using adsorption-activated biochar
from municipal solid waste (MSWAB). Initially,
municipal solid waste (MSW), another important
source of environmental pollution, was used as a
raw material for biochar production, which was
activated using potassium hydroxide to produce
MSWAB. MSWAB activation increased the level
from 2.5 to 6.5 m2/g. Then, the effect of initial
nitrate concentration (A), pH (B), and adsorbent
dose (C) on nitrate removal was evaluated using
a 2K factorial experimental design. The results
showed that the initial nitrate concentration, pH,
and bilateral interactions of AB and AC have a
signicant effect on nitrate removal [5]. Liyun Yang
et al reported a new modied steel slag for nitrate
removal from water. Steel slag (SS) has been used
to remove nitrate pollution from the liquid phase.
They prepared and activated SS by mixing steel
with aluminum hydroxide and deionized water at
800 ° C. The physicochemical properties of steel
scrap before and after modication were also
investigated to compare the effect of their surface
properties on nitrate adsorption behavior, contact
time, adsorbent dose effects, and pH effects on
it. The results showed that nitrate uptake was
signicantly increased due to the increase in
the specic surface area of the modied waste
compared to the unmodied type. They reported
the optimal parameters for nitrate removal with
this adsorbent: 20 mg L-1 nitrate concentration, 1 g
per 100 mL adsorbent, and 180 min residence time
in Freundlich adsorption isotherm [6]. In another
study, Caterji et al Investigated the uptake of nitrate
on bisulfate-modied chitosan seeds. The results
showed that cross-link and capacity modication
increased uptake compared to conventional
chitosan seeds. The maximum absorption capacity
relative to the crosslink is 0.4. The maximum
modied NaHSO4 concentration capacity was
reported to be 0.1 mM. The maximum nitrate
uptake was 104 mg g-1 at pH 5. It also corresponds
to the Freundlich isotherm model [7]. Betangar et
al used nano-alumina to remove nitrate from water.
Their study studied the parameters of contact
time, pH, and nitrate concentration with a pseudo-
second-order kinetic model. The highest nitrate
removal was observed at a concentration of 4 mg/g,
a temperature of 23-27°C, and a pH of 4.4. The
Langmuir isotherm model was used to study nitrate
uptake. This study showed that nano-adsorbent
nanoalumina is useful and effective for the removal
of nitrate from aqueous solutions [8]. Morado
et al removed nitrate in water with zero-capacity
iron and copper/iron nanoparticles. Zero-capacity
iron and copper/iron particles in this study were
fabricated by reducing sodium bromide at room
temperature and atmospheric pressure. The results
showed an increase in the rate of nitrate reduction
by copper/iron particles so that the residence time
of nitrate removal was reduced from 150 minutes
to 60 minutes [9]. Hanache et al Developed an
anion exchange ZSM-5 nanocatalyst modied with
a cationic surfactant. This study showed that the
larger the surface area of this nanocatalyst and the
smaller the particle size, the higher its adsorption
and properties. This modied nanocatalyst has
been shown to have a high adsorption capacity and
is modied by surfactants. The adsorption kinetics
of this system is consistent with the Pseudo-Second
isotherm model [10]. Due to the effectiveness of
the adsorption method to remove nitrate and the
existence of many sources of zeolites in our country,
which can act as a suitable substrate for adsorption
due to their high porosity and high specic surface
area. In this study, the management strategies of
nitrate ion removal by interviewing several experts
and also the removal of this ion through adsorption
by ZSM-5 nano zeolite functionalized with iron
and nickel metals will be investigated. Also, in this
study, the management methods of ion removal
were reviewed and discussed through interviews
with active experts in the water and wastewater
industry. Several analytical methods such as high-
performance liquid chromatography [11] and
spectrophotometric [12] have been used for nitrate
analysis in waters. The Association of analytical
chemists announced that the spectrophotometric
method is the favorite determination of Nitrite and
Nitrate in waters [13]. The 3D image of nitrate ion
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
38 Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
was shown in Figure 1.
Moreover, the metals such as Al, Sn, Zn, Fe,
and Ni are effective agents for remediation of
contaminated groundwater. Hence the present study
was tested based on iron functionalized on ZSM-
5 nanozeolite for removal nitrate in waters due to
its availability, inexpensiveness, non-toxicity, high
efciency, and rapid reaction in the decomposition
of contaminants. In addition, nitrate concentration
was determined by the UV-Vis spectrophotometry
and the optimal conditions based on effective
factors for nitrate removal, including pH, contact
time, and adsorbent dosage were evaluated.
Fig.1. The 3D image of nitrate ion
2. Experimental
2.1. Material
The ZSM-5 nanozeolite powder (from the Zeolites
family) was purchased from Sigma Aldrich with
a crystal size of 0.5 μm and a pore size of 5.5A0.
Ferric chloride (FeCl3), sodium hydroxide (NaOH),
potassium nitrate(KNO3), hydrochloric acid (HCl),
and %98 sulfuric acids (H2SO4) were also obtained
from Merck Germany.
2.2. Characterization
X-ray diffraction (XRD, STADI-P, the USA) was used
to investigate ferrous (Fe) metals in the nanozeolite
structure functionalized with these metals. Brunauer-
Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis (Belsorb
apparatus, Japan) was used to determine the SSA of
nanozeolite particles. The concentration of nitrate
was measured with Spectrophotometer UV-Vis Hach
model Dr2800 was used.
2.3. Preparation of ZSM-5/Fe/Ni nanosorbent
To Preparation the functionalized ZSM-5
nanozeolite, the rst 2.5 g of ZSM-5 nanozeolite
powder was placed in the furnace at a temperature
of 500°C for 4 hours and calcined. Then, 0.5 g of
ferric chloride (FeCl3) powder was dissolved in
distilled water twice for one hour, added to the
calcined ZSM-5 nanozeolite powder and mixed
for another 30 minutes, and ltered with a lter
paper. The resulting powder was rinsed three times
with distilled water and placed in an oven at a
temperature of 80°C for 2 hours. Next, the powder
was separated from the lter paper and re-calcined
at a temperature of 500°C for 4 hours. To produce
ZSM-5/Fe/Ni nanozeolite powder, ZSM-5 was
rst doped with Fe as previously mentioned, and
then 0.5 g of nickel sulfate (Ni2SO4) powder was
dissolved in deionized water for one hour. Next, the
calcined ZSM-5/Fe nanozeolite powder was added
and stirred for 30 minutes. Afterward, the solution
was ltered and the powder was washed three
times with distilled water and placed in an oven at
a temperature of 80°C for 2 hours. The resulting
powder was re-ltered and placed in the furnace at
a temperature of 500°C for 4 hours [14].
2.4. Preparation of solutions and procedure
To prepare a standard concentrated potassium
nitrate solution, 7 g of anhydrous KNO3 was dried at
100°C for an hour. After cooling, 1.805 g of KNO3
was dissolved in a volumetric ask and diluted to
250 ml, thus preparing a standard solution of 1000
mg L-1 or 1 mg mL-1. HCl and NaOH solutions
were prepared to set the pH values. Then, nitrate
solutions with concentrations of 20, 40, 60, 80,
100, and 120 mg per liter were prepared from the
standard solution of potassium nitrate 1000 mg L-1
[15]. In this research, the experimental design table
was rst provided using the effective variables of
pH, contact time, and stirring speed in the intervals
dened to RSM and the central composite design
(CCD) by Design Expert.7 software. Then, the
value of each parameter was provided according
to the experimental design table and nally, the
absorbance values or nitrate concentrations in
39
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
water samples were measured by the UV-Vis
spectrophotometry. A UV-Vis spectrophotometer
(Thermo Fisher, GENESYS, 140/150 Vis/UV-
Vis Spectrophotometers) was used to collect
absorbance data from 190 to 1100 nm. Due to the
comparatively low concentrations and absorbance
of NO2 −, all the samples were measured in a 2-4
cm quartz cuvette. DW was used as the reference.
The spectral resolution was set as 1-2 nm. A higher
resolution (0.3–1 nm) yields similar results. The
results were analyzed by experimental design
software, and the optimal values of pH, contact
time, and stirring speed were determined.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. XRD characterization
The XRD spectrum for the ZSM-5/Fe/Ni nanozeolite
conrms the presence of iron and nickel particles
doped with silicate particles (Fig.2a-2c). The XRD
spectrum for the ZSM-5 nanozeolite conrms the
silicate particles (Fig.2a) and iron in ZSM-5/Fe
(Fig.2b) and iron and nickel in ZSM-5/Fe/Ni (Fig.2c)
Fig.2a. The XRD spectrum for ZSM-5
Fig. 2b. The XRD spectrum for ZSM-5/Fe
40
3.2. BET characterization
By comparing the BET parameter as in Figure 3
and Table 1. In each of the four BET analysis
curves of the nanozeolite, the highest SSA was
related to the zeolite functionalized with Fe and Ni
metal (ZSM-5/Fe/Ni, which was determined to be
418.76 m2 g-1).
Fig. 2c. The XRD spectrum for ZSM-5/Fe/Ni
Fig. 3. BET curves of the prepared nanosorbent.
ZSM-5 ZSM-5/Fe/Ni
Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
41
3.3. Optimization and experimental design
In this research, the experimental design using
RSM in combination with the CCD method was
performed to investigate the effects of inuential
variables of pH (range: 2-8) (A), contact time
(30-180 minutes) (B), and adsorbent dosage (1-5
g L-1) (C) on nitrate removal efciency. Due to
the extensive use of research on (A), (B), and
(C) parameters for the nitrate removal process,
these parameters as effective factors were used
for optimizing nitrate removal [16-17]. The RSM
method is a mathematical and statistical method
used for the analysis and empirical modeling of
problems where a given answer is inuenced by
several variables and the RSM can be calculated to
determine the optimal conditions. One advantage
of this method is to reduce the number of empirical
tests which was performed to obtain statistically
valid results. In addition, the RSM method can
also analyze the interactions between variables. By
optimizing parameters, the result can report more
comprehensive and accurate data by performing
the least number of experiments [18-19]. In this
study, Table 2 showed the range of independent
variables and design levels of the experiments
examined. The results of the complete design of
the test and the exact responses of the tests used
are also listed in Table 3.
According to the results of the data analysis in
Table 4, a quadratic function model can t well
to the empirical results. The t of this model was
evaluated by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA),
normal probability plot, and residual analysis. The
quadratic function for nitrate removal efciency is
expressed as follows:
% Removal Nitrate = 51.29-(10.17× A)+(4.13×
B)-(3.51 × C)+(11.69 × D)+(5.16 × A × B)+(3.69×
A × C)-(0.056 × A ×D)+(2.84× B × C)+5.59× B ×
D)- (2.43 ×C × D)+(0.47 × A2)+(0.83 × B2)+(2.81
× C2)- (1.28 × D2)
In Table 4, the ANOVA analysis showed the
importance of each parameter in response to nitrate
removal by P and F values. The smaller the P-value,
the higher its impact factor and its contribution to
the response variable. The P values less than 0.05
indicate that the model expressions are signicant.
The P values of more than 0.1 indicate that the
model terms are insignicant. Accordingly, the
seven terms of (AC), (BD), and (C2) are signicant
parameters of the model and have the greatest
effect on nitrate removal efciency. The P values
of the other terms were greater than 0.05, which
means that their effect on the response model was
not statistically signicant.
Figure 4 shows the residual curve in terms of
the predicted response for the response of nitrate
removal efciency. This Figure shows that all
empirical data are uniformly distributed around
the mean response variable. This indicates that
the proposed model is sufcient and there has
Table 2. Factors and levels for CCD study
Level pH Temperature Time
-1
+1
-22.4874
3
8
472.487
-4.31981
5
50
59.3198
-13.7046
1
72
86.7046
Table1. The specic surface area of the prepared nanozeolite
Unit
BETNanocatalystsRow
m2 g-1
m2g-1
374/66
418/76
ZSM-5
ZSM-5/Fe/Ni
1
2
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
42
Desig n- Expert® Software
%R emoval N i tr ate
Color poi nts by value of
%R emoval N i tr ate:
93.51
21.13
Predicted
Internally Studentized Residuals
Residuals vs. Predicted
-3.00
-1.50
0.00
1.50
3.00
22.33 40.12 57.90 75.68 93.47
Table 3. Experimental range and values of different variables studied.
standard Run Block pH Time
(Min)
Nitrate
(mg L-1)
Absorbent
(g L-1)
%Removal
Nitrate(mg L-1)
51 Block 1 7 60 40 4 46.62
72Block 1 3 150 100 4 78.11
11 3 Block 1 5105 70 3 51.42
84 Block 1 3 60 40 268.27
12 5Block 1 5 105 70 3 51.19
1 6 Block 1 7 150 100 243.28
10 7 Block 1 5105 70 3 49.41
38Block 1 7 60 100 4 39.56
9 9 Block 1 5105 70 3 54.12
6 10 Block 1 3 60 100 258.34
211 Block 1 7 150 40 230.47
4 12 Block 1 3 150 40 4 91.51
14 13 Block 2 8 105 70 3 29.19
17 14 Block 2 5 105 20 3 60.73
20 15 Block 2 5 105 70 557.16
22 16 Block 2 5 105 70 3 50.92
21 17 Block 2 5 105 70 3 51.69
15 18 Block 2 5 30 70 3 37.48
18 19 Block 2 5 105 120 3 45.33
13 20 Block 2 2 105 70 3 67.11
19 21 Block 2 5 105 70 1 18.81
16 22 Block 2 5 180 70 3 58.25
Fig. 4. The residual value curve in terms of the predicted response
Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
43
Table 4. Experimental design and actual results of nitrate removal efciency.
Sum of Mean F p-value
Source Squares dF Square Value Prob > F
Block 346.13 1 369.12
Model 5119.11 13 331.08 18.81 0.0007 significant
A-pH 714.14 1 713.46 35.61 0.0007
B-Time 121.42 1 121.29 6.59 0.0354
C-gr nitrate 176.02 1 176.14 11.41 0.0181
D-gr absorbent 809.74 1 783.41 42.12 0.0005
AB 94.18 1 95.13 4.26 0.0576
AC 105.00 1 106.63 5.09 0.0413
AD 0.011 1 0.011 6.417E-004 0.9563
BC 73.61 1 66.57 3.94 0.0791
BD 107.46 1 103.34 7.16 0.0465
CD 62.52 1 58.49 2.83 0.1017
A2 3.93 1 3.83 0.62 0.6173
B2 13.17 1 13.41 0.51 0.4019
C2 157.63 1 162.83 7.68 0.0238
D2 43.08 1 47.19 2.36 0.1609
Residual 105.38 5 19.04
Lack of Fit 83.59 3 40.56 8.17 0.0381 significant
Pure Error 18.53 3 4.69
Cor Total 5568.06 23
been no deviation from the hypotheses made. As
can be seen in Table 5, the difference between the
adjusted R2 and the predicted R2 is less than 0.2
and the precision of the model is 19.461 (which
is greater than 4), indicating the used model is
accurate.
Figure 5 shows a comparison between the actual
response values obtained from the empirical
results and the predicted response values obtained
from the quadratic function model equation. It is
observed that the model describes the empirical
results and data fairly accurately, meaning that it
has been successful in comparing the correlations
between the three variables. In addition, there is
a sufcient correlation with the linear regression
coinciding with the R-value of about 0.94612.
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
44
Figure 6 shows the three-dimensional interaction
curves of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, and
initial nitrate concentration for nitrate removal
efciency. The highest nitrate removal efciency
was reported at the contact time of 150 min, pH
value of 3, an adsorbent dosage of 4 g L-1 and an
initial concentration of 40 mg L-1. Analysis of
the diagrams in Figure 6 revealed higher nitrate
removal efciency at lower pH values and longer
contact times.
Table 5. Model equation statistical parameters for ANOVA model for nitrate removal efciency
ValueType of variables
3.79Std. Dev.
0.94612R-Squared
51.14Mean
0.9056Adj R-Square
7.18C.V. %
-3.0346Pred R-Squared
25147.62PRESS
19.461Adeq Precision
Desig n- Expert® Software
%Removal Ni trate
Color points by value of
%Removal Ni trate:
93.51
21.13
Actual
Predicted vs. Actual
21.00
39.25
57.50
75.75
94.00
21.13 39.23 57.32 75.42 93.51
Fig. 5. Comparison between predicted and actual empirical values of nitrate removal efciency.
Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
45
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents
*Corresponding Author: Ali Mohammadi
Email: ali.mohammadi@srbiau.ac.ir
https://doi.org/10.24200/amecj.v5.i01.165
16
AD
BE
CF
3
4
5
6
7
40
55
70
85
100
28
39.5
51
62.5
74
%Removal Nitrate
A: pH C: gr nitrate
3
4
5
6
7
60
83
105
127
150
28
37.75
47.5
57.25
67
%Removal Nitrate
A: pH B: Time
3
4
5
6
7
2
2
3
4
4
21
34.25
47.5
60.75
74
%Removal Nitrate
A: pH D: gr absorbent
60
83
105
127
150
40
55
70
85
100
40
46
52
58
64
%Removal Nitrate
B: Time C: gr nitrate
40
55
70
85
100
2
2
3
4
4
21
33.75
46.5
59.25
72
%Removal Nitrate
C: gr nitrate D: gr absorbent
60
83
105
127
150
2
2
3
4
4
21
34
47
60
73
%Removal Nitrate
B: Time D: gr absorbent
Fig. 6. 3D response surface method curves of nitrate removal efciency
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
46
4. Management
According to the interviews conducted with active
experts in the water and wastewater industry, the
following items can be suggested as management
strategies to remove and monitor nitrate ions
from the source. According to the survey and
statistical analysis of the interviewees, the highest
amount of suggestions was related to the use of
new technologies and nanosorbents (%85). Also,
this procedure can be suggested as a management
strategy to remove and monitor nitrate ions from
the source. According to the survey and statistical
analysis (Fig. 7 and Table 6), the highest number of
suggestions was related to using new technologies
and nanosorbents (%85).
*Identication of nitrate pollution-producing
industries through sampling and testing
*Continuous instantaneous monitoring of efuents
of different industries
*Establishment of nitrication unit in the efuent
reservoirs of petrochemical industries and use of
expert experts to manage it
*Transfer of efuent to the central treatment plant
of industrial sites for re-treatment
*Designing the capacity of the central treatment
plant in proportion to the amount of input and
pollution of petrochemical units in the region to
apply the conditions of complete nitrication
*Perform frequent inspections of various industries
*Prevent the activity of polluting industries
Table 6. Percentage of the importance of the proposed solutions
of the interviewees to remove nitrate
PercentageCases
71Pre-purication
71Nitrication unit
85New technologies and nanosorbent materials
42Online monitoring
42Experienced experts
14Renery capacity
57Frequent inspections
Fig.7. The percentage of importance of the proposed solutions of the interviewees to remove nitrate
Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48
47
5. Conclusions
This study showed that the use of chemical
fertilizers, lack of control of wastewater, including
municipal, industrial, especially wastewater
from food production plants and animal waste,
and the entry of treatment plant efuents without
applying the nitrication process are important
sources of mixing nitrate with groundwater. It
can be controlled by the following management
methods. It can be eliminated by various executive
methods such as adsorption, ion exchange, reverse
osmosis, chemical and biological methods such
as thermal hydrolysis, solar photocatalysis, and
microbial fuel cells. According to the results of
the analysis of three-dimensional diagrams, the
highest nitrate removal efciency (91.51%) was
reported at a residence time of 150 minutes, pH 3
and 4 g L-1 of sorbent, and 40 mg L-1 nitrate which
indicates the high efciency and effectiveness of
this nanosorbent in nitrate removal. Therefore,
nanosorbent (ZSM-5 /Fe/ Ni) can be introduced
as a promising adsorbent to remove nitrate from
efuents. As compared to other studies, this
nanosorbent is cheaper due to its abundance in
the soils of our country, and in most cases, has a
higher efciency than others in removing nitrate.
Another advantage of the proposed method is to
use of the experimental design method with Design
Expert.7 software, which will reduce the number of
experiments performed by statistical and software
methods. By procedure, the use of materials and
nanosorbents was greatly reduced. The main
difference and advantage of ZSM-5 /Fe/ Ni
nanosorbents with other adsorbents is completely
green and environmentally friendly. Another
advantage of the present study is the management
methods for removing this ion through interviews
and the presentation of management solutions.
6. Suggestions
Due to the widespread use of nanozeolites as
adsorbents for nitrate, nitrite, and heavy metals
from aqueous media in various articles, it can be
used in future research for the removal of heavy
metals in waters.
7. Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank and appreciate Dr.
Mostafa Hassani.
8. References
[1] T. Meftah, M. M. Zerafat, Nitrate removal
from drinking water using organo-silane
modied natural nano-zeolite, Int. J. Nanosci.
Nanotechnol.,12 (2016) 223-232. http://
www.ijnnonline.net/article_22931.html
[2] B. Kamarehie, E. Aghaali, SA. Musavi, SY.
Hashemi, A. Jafari, Nitrate removal from
aqueous solutions using granular activated
carbon modied with Iron nanoparticles,
Int. J. Eng., Transactions A: Basics, 31
(2018) 554-563. https://doi.org/10.5829/
ije.2018.31.04a.06
[3] M. Mazarji, B. Aminzadeh, M. Baghdadi, A.
Bhatnagar, Removal of nitrate from aqueous
solution using modied granular activated
carbon, J. Mol. Liq., 233 (2017) 139-148.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2017.03.004
[4] P. Revilla, M. Detras, V. Migo, C. Alfafara,
Nitrate removal from aqueous solution
by adsorption using municipal solid
waste-derived activated biochar, IOP
Conference Series: Mater. Sci. Eng., 778
(2020) 012135. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-
899X/778/1/012135.
[5] H.A.T. Banu, P. Karthikeyan, S. Meenakshi,
Removal of nitrate and phosphate ions
from aqueous solution using zirconium
encapsulated chitosan quaternized beads:
Preparation, characterization and mechanistic
performance, Results Surf. Interfaces, 3
(2021) 100010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
rsur.2021.100010
[6] L. Yang, M. Yang. P. Xu, X. Zhao,
Characteristics of nitrate removal from
aqueous solution by modied steel slag,
Water, 9 (2017)757-774. https//doi/10.3390/
w9100757
[7] S. Chatterjee, D. Lee, S. Lee, M.S. Woo,
Nitrate removal from aqueous solutions by
cross-linked chitosan beads conditioned
Removal of nitrate in water by ZSM-5/Fe/Ni adsorbents Bahareh Azemi Motlagh et al
48
with sodium bisulfate, J. Hazard. Mater.,
166 (2009) 508-513. https//doi/10.1016/j.
jhazmat.2008.11.045
[8] A. Bhatnagar, E. Kumar, M. Sillanpä, Nitrate
removal from water by nano-alumina:
characterization and sorption studies,
Chem. Eng. J., 163 (2010) 317–323. https//
doi/10.1016/j.cej.2010.08.008
[9] G. Muradova, S. Gadjieva, L. Di Palma,
Nitrates removal by bimetallic nanoparticles
in water, Chem. Eng. Trans., 47 (2016) 205-
210. https//doi/10.3303/CET1647035
[10] L.E. Hanache, L. Sundermann, B. Lebeau, J.
Toufaily, T. Hamieh, T.J. Daou, Surfactant-
modied MFI-type nanozeolites: Super-
adsorbents for nitrate removal from
contaminated water, Micropor. Mesopor.
Mater., 283 (2019) 1–13. https//doi/10.1016/j.
micromeso.2019.03.049
[11] A. Najdenkoska, Development of HPLC
method for analysis of nitrite and nitrate in
vegetable, J. Agricultural Food Environ.
Sci., 67 (2016), 33-39. https://core.ac.uk/
download/pdf/287304048.pdf
[12] V. Kmecl, T. Knap, D. Žnidarčič, Evaluation
of the nitrate and nitrite content of vegetables
commonly grown in Slovenia, Italian J.
Agronomy, 12 (2017). 79-84. https://doi.
org/10.4081/ija.2017.801
[13] Association of ofcial analytical chemists,
guidelines for single laboratory validation of
chemical methods for dietary supplements and
botanicals, Association of ofcial analytical
chemists international, Maryland, 2002.
https://pdf4pro.com/view/aoac-guidelines-
for-single-laboratory-5b9252.html
[14] M. Hassani, M. Zeeb, A. Monzavi, Z.
Khodadadi, M. Kalaee, Adsorption of
nitrate from aqueous solution with ZSM-5/
Fe nanosorbent based on optimizing of the
isotherms conditions before determination by
UV-Vis Spectrophotometry, Anal. Methods
Environ. Chem. J., 4 (2021) 49-63. https://
doi.org/10.24200/amecj.v4.i04.154
[15] M. Hassani, M. Zeeb, A. Monzavi, Z.
Khodadadi, M. Kalaee, Response surface
modeling and optimization of microbial
fuel cells with surface-modied graphite
anode electrode by ZSM-5 nanocatalyst
functionalized, Chem. Methodol., 6
(2021) 253-268. https://doi.org/10.22034/
CHEMM.2022.324312.1425
[16] J. Rodríguez-Maroto, F. García-Herruzo, A.
García-Rubio, C. Gómez-Lahoz, C. Vereda-
Alonso, Kinetics of the chemical reduction
of nitrate by zero-valent iron, Chemosphere,
74 (2009) 804-809. https//doi/10.1016/j.
chemosphere.2008.10.020
[17] S. Sepehri, M. Heidarpour, J. Abedi-Koupai,
Nitrate removal from aqueous solution using
natural zeolite-supported zero-valent iron
nanoparticles, Soil Water Res., 9 (2014) 224–
232. https://doi.org/10.17221/11/2014-SWR
[18] B.W. Chieng, N. A. Ibrahim, Department
of optimization of tensile strength of
poly(Lactic Acid)/graphene nanocomposites
using response surface methodology,
Polymer-Plastics Technol. Eng., 51 (2012)
791–799. https//doi/10.1080/03602559.2012
.663043.
[19] Q. Zhang. G. Liu. L. Wang. X. Zhang, G. Li,
Controllable decomposition of methanol for
active fuel cooling technology, Energy Fuels,
28 (2014) 4431–4439. http://doi.org/10.1021/
ef500668q.
Anal. Methods Environ. Chem. J. 5 (1) (2022) 36-48