Removal of Natural Organic Matter of Artificial Lake by Modified Fly Ash

Coal fly ash (CFA) modified by sulfuric acid treatment was used as a low-cost adsorbent for removing natural organic matter (NOM) in an artificial lake. The specific surface areas and SEM images of modified coal fly ash (MCFA) and CFA were observed. Two equilibrium models were compared to evaluate NOM removal process with a better fitting using the Freundlich model. Kinetic studies were also carried out to fit the experimental data. The pseudo second-order provided the highest coefficients of determination.