Effects of Reclaimed Water on the Characteristics of Dimethyl Phthalate Adsorption on Sediments.

Adsorptions of Dimethyl Phthalate (DMP) on three sediments in both reclaimed and ultrapure water were studied using the batch technique and the effects of reclaimed water on it were clarified. The data were interpreted by using Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkviech models. The values of 1/n were among 0.207 to 0.766, showing the presence of multiple adsorption sites on sediments. Compared with the ultrapure water as the background solution, the adsorption capacities of sediments for DMP were reduced in case of reclaimed water due to the competition of substances in reclaimed water. The mean adsorption energy, E, is smaller in the reclaimed water than that in ultrapure water.

Surfactant adsorption to soil components and soils.

Soils are complex and widely varying mixtures of organic matter and inorganic materials; adsorption of surfactants to soils is therefore related to the soil composition. We first discuss the properties of surfactants, including the critical micelle concentration (CMC) and surfactant adsorption on water/air interfaces, the latter gives an impression of surfactant adsorption to a hydrophobic surface and illustrates the importance of the CMC for the adsorption process. Then attention is paid to the most important types of soil particles: humic and fulvic acids, silica, metal oxides and layered aluminosilicates. Information is provided on their structure, surface properties and primary (proton) charge characteristics, which are all important for surfactant binding. Subsequently, the adsorption of different types of surfactants on these individual soil components is discussed in detail, based on mainly experimental results and considering the specific (chemical) and electrostatic interactions, with hydrophobic attraction as an important component of the specific interactions. Adsorption models that can describe the features semi-quantitatively are briefly discussed. In the last part of the paper some trends of surfactant adsorption on soils are briefly discussed together with some complications that may occur and finally the consequences of surfactant adsorption for soil colloidal stability and permeability are considered. When we seek to understand the fate of surfactants in soil and aqueous environments, the hydrophobicity and charge density of the soil or soil particles, must be considered together with the structure, hydrophobicity and charge of the surfactants, because these factors affect the adsorption. The pH and ionic strength are important parameters with respect to the charge density of the particles. As surfactant adsorption influences soil structure and permeability, insight in surfactant adsorption to soil particles is useful for good soil management.

Sulfate adsorption and surface precipitation on a volcanic ash soil (allophanic andisol).

Sulfate strongly adsorbs on metal oxides and soils with variable charges. However, its surface precipitation has not been clearly evaluated and its adsorption mechanism has been in dispute. In the present study, an allophanic andisol, a typical volcanic ash soil having both negative and positive variable charges, was used to identify the adsorption mechanism of sulfate. Sulfate adsorption isotherms were obtained by a batch method at pH values of 4, 5, 6, and 7 in a wide range of concentrations in an Na-H-SO(4)-OH system. Theoretical isotherms were applied to the measured values for the evaluation. The surface precipitation was detected by the measured adsorption isotherms, and the BET isotherm confirmed the presence of multilayer adsorption. Stronger and weaker adsorption sites were suggested by using the Langmuir isotherm for the monolayer adsorption. The adsorption energies obtained from the Langmuir equation and recent spectroscopic analysis suggested that the stronger adsorption corresponded to an inner-sphere surface complex and that the weaker adsorption corresponded to outer-sphere surface complexation. The BET and Langmuir equations showed three types of adsorption mechanisms for the sulfate adsorption on the soil.