Simultaneous sorption of aqueous phenanthrene and phosphate onto bentonites modified with AlCl3 and CTMAB

The purpose of this work is to synthesize a new type of bentonite sorbent that can simultaneously remove both organic compounds and phosphate from water. Inorganic-organic bentonites (Al-CTMAB-Bent) were synthesized by modifying bentonites with both AlCl₃ and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTMAB). Simultaneous sorption of aqueous phenanthrene and phosphate onto Al-CTMAB-Bent was examined. Removal rates of phenanthrene and phosphate from water reached 96.3% and 90.2%, respectively, at their respective initial concentrations of 1 mg/L and 5 mg/L and the added amount of Al-CTMAB-Bent was 1.25 g/L. The residual turbidity of the Al-CTMAB-Bent suspension decreased 81.4% compared to that of organobentonite suspension after a 1 h settling time. Thus, inorganic-organic bentonite can be used to treat wastewater containing both organic pollutants and phosphate.