Two mixed bed ion-exchange resins (Dowex Monosphere MR-450 UPW and Amberlite MB-150) were investigated for their ability to remove oleic acid from a laboratory-prepared 5 % (w/w) oleic acid/soybean oil mixture. The performance of the heterogeneous mixed-bed resins to remove oleic acid from the mixture was investigated for resin loading and reaction duration while the mixing rate, reaction temperature, and initial oleic acid composition of the mixture were kept constant. Both resins removed > 93 % of the oleic acid in the sample within 4 h with a 20 % (w/w) resin loading in a nonpressurized batch reactor system at 50 °C. The maximum adsorption capacity for Amberlite MB-150 and Dowex Monosphere MR-450 UPW was determined to be 0.27 g·g−1 (oleic acid/wet resin) and 0.26 g·g−1 (oleic acid/wet resin), respectively. Ion-exchange of oleic acid onto the quaternary ammonium site of the mixed-bed resin was determined to be the mechanism of oleic acid removal. The presented research has promising application in the areas of refining edible oils and biodiesel production from free fatty acid-containing feed stocks.

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The heavy metals, such as Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II), in aqueous solutions are toxic even at trace levels and have caused adverse health impacts on human beings. Hence the removal of these heavy metals from the aqueous environment is important to protect biodiversity, hydrosphere ecosystems, and human beings. In this study, magnetic Nickel-Ferrite Nanoparticles (NFNs) were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Field Emission Scanning Electronic Microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques in order to confirm the crystalline structure, composition and morphology of the NFN’s, these were then used as adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II) from wastewater. The adsorption parameters under study were pH, dose and contact time. The values for optimum removal through batch-adsorption were investigated at different parameters (pH 3–7, dose: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg and contact time: 30, 60, 90, and 120 min). Removal efficiencies of Cr(VI), Pb(II) and Cd(II) were obtained 89%, 79% and 87% respectively under optimal conditions. It was found that the kinetics followed the pseudo second order model for the removal of heavy metals using Nickel ferrite nanoparticles.

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