Zhang, YunhuiAlessi, Daniel S.Chen, NingLuo, MinaHao, WeiduoAlam, Md. SamratFlynn, Shannon L.Kenney, JaniceKonhauser, Kurt O.Ok, Yong SikAl-Tabbaa, Abir2024-03-072024-03-072021Zhang, Y., Alessi, D. S., Chen, N., Luo, M., Hao, W., Alam, M. S., Flynn, S. L., Kenney, J. P. L., Konhauser, K. O., Ok, Y. S., & Al-Tabbaa, A. (2021). Lead (Pb) sorption to hydrophobic and hydrophilic zeolites in the presence and absence of MTBE. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 420, N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126528https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/3461The co-contamination of the environment by metals and organic pollutants is a significant concern, and one such example is lead (Pb) and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) due to their historic use as fuel additives. Clinoptilolite is an abundant and efficient zeolite for metal removal, but the potential interference of co-existing organic pollutants on metal removal, such as MTBE, have rarely been discussed. In this study, a combination of batch sorption tests and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopic analyses were employed to investigate Pb sorption mechanism(s) onto clinoptilolite in the presence and absence of MTBE. A comparison was made to synthetic ZSM-5 zeolite to gain insights into differences in Pb binding mechanisms between hydrophilic (clinoptilolite) and hydrophobic (ZSM-5) zeolites. Site occupancy and surface precipitation contributed equally to Pb removal by clinoptilolite, while surface precipitation was the main Pb removal mechanism for ZSM-5 followed by site occupancy. Despite the negligible effect of 100 mg/L MTBE on observed Pb removal from solution by both zeolites, a surface-embedded Pb removal mechanism, through the Mg site on clinoptilolite surface, arises when MTBE is present. This study provides an understanding of atomic-level Pb uptake mechanisms on zeolites, with and without co-contaminating MTBE, which aids in their application in water treatment at co-contaminated sites.enAll Rights Reservedclean water and sanitationsorbentsurface coatingzeoliteadvanced spectroscopic analysisArticlehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126528