Removal of ammonium ions by selected natural and synthetic zeolites

Nitrogen is an essential and main nutrient for all forms of life. It constitutes a basic building block of plant and animal proteins. However, too much of nitrogen, can be toxic. The presence of excess nitrogen in the environment caused crucial distortions in the natural nutrient cycle between organisms and the soil, water, and atmosphere. Nitrogen in the form of nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrate, nitrite or ammonia/ammonium is soluble in water, so it can be found in ground and drinking water (Ro ie et al. 1998). The extent of nitrogen contamination in water has raised due to the large quantities of industrial and domestic wastewater discharges to the environment. Increased it concentrations in domestic wastewaters are becoming significant among the pollutants. Nitrogen pollution in hydrosphere causes eutrophication of lakes and rivers all over the world. The ammonia and ammonium ions, which cause undesired odours and several diseases, are the most commonly encountered nitrogenous compounds in wastewaters (Balci 2004). The term ammonia came from chemical-related use in approximately since 1799 and is derived from the name of the ancient Egyptian deity Ammon. In this context, ammonia means the gas emitted by camel dung and urine in the vicinity of temples honoring Ammon (Lewis 1993). Today, ammonia is understood as the result of the bacterial decomposition of organic matter containing nitrogen (O’Neill 1985). For instance, the degradation of the simple organic molecule urea ((NH2)2CO) in water: