Abstract

The capacity of natural zeolites to absorb anionic pollutants from water is limited. This limitation can be overcome by modifying the surface of the minerals with organic cations. In this research, natural zeolite, Analcime was used for removing the nitrate and nitrite impurities from aqueous solutions. The surface of the zeolite was modified by tetramethylammonium and tetraethylammonium ions to increase the capacity of the samples to absorb the anions. The modified zeolite showed higher affinity for NO2– and NO3– compared to the natural sample.