Ammonia removal from wastewater by ion exchange in the presence of organic contaminants

The scope of this study was the removal of ammonium by ion exchange from simulated wastewater. The study looks at the effect of organics upon ammonium ion exchange equilibrium uptake. The ion exchangers included a natural zeolite clinoptilolite, and two polymeric exchangers, Dowex 50w-x8, and Purolite MN500. The organic compounds studied included citric acid and a number of proteins. The traditional method for removal of ammonium and organic pollutants from wastewater is biological treatment, but ion exchange offers a number of advantages including the ability to handle shock loadings and the ability to operate over a wider range of temperatures. The results show that in most of the cases studied, the presence of organic compounds enhances the uptake of ammonium ion onto the ion exchangers.