Removal of cationic surfactants from water using clinoptilolite zeolite

Batch and column experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of a clinoptilolite zeolite as an inexpensive sorbent material to remove cationic surfactant from water. With an initial surfactant concentration greater than its critical micelle concentration, the removal of surfactant is achieved by admicellar sorption onto the zeolite surface. Although the sorption capacity of hexadecyltrimethylammonium by zeolite of different aggregate size is about the same (200 mmol/kg), the finer particles had a much higher capacity at breakthrough point and almost twice the column efficiency compared to the coarse aggregates.