Ammonia removal in freshwater and saltwater systems

A method for controlling an ammonia level in a water environment, comprising:

• providing a water environment;
• providing a functionalized tectosilicate compound, the functionalized tectosilicate compound produced by the steps of:
• obtaining a tectosilicate compound wherein the tectosilicate compound is chabazite;
• functionalizing the tectosilicate compound, comprising:
• soaking the tectosilicate compound in a synthetic freshwater solution or a synthetic saltwater solution;
• and
• removing ions from the tectosilicate compound that have a lower cationic affinity than ammonium ions when the synthetic freshwater solution is used or replacing cations in the tectosilicate compound with sodium ions when the synthetic saltwater solution is used;
• wherein the synthetic freshwater solution consists of:
• an amount of water;
• 0.075 g/L of sodium;
• 0.00312 g/L of potassium;
• 0.024 g/L of magnesium;
• 0.193 g/L of chloride
• 0.043 g/L of calcium;
• 0.0048 g/L of bicarbonate;
• 0.096 g/L of sulfate;
• and
• 0.310 g/L of alkalinity;
• wherein the synthetic saltwater solution consists of:
• an amount of water;
• 10.780 g/L of sodium;
• 0.42 g/L of potassium;
• 1.32 g/L of magnesium;
• 19.290 g/L of chloride
• 0.400 g/L of calcium;
• 0.200 g/L of bicarbonate;
• 2.66 g/L of sulfate;
• and
• 0.241 g/L of alkalinity;
• washing the functionalized tectosilicate compound in deionized water and then drying the compound;
• and
• providing a container for the functionalized tectosilicate compound and a solid pH buffer, the container comprising a porous material to allow liquid to flow through the material;
• providing for the container of functionalized tectosilicate compound to be placed in a water environment comprising a source of ammonia;
• buffering the water system to a pH of about 7 and shifting an equilibrium between ammonia and ammonium in the water environment towards ammonium;
• and
• adsorbing the ammonium using the functionalized tectosilicate.

A system for removing ammonia from a saltwater environment, comprising:

• a saltwater environment containing ammonia;
• a functionalized tectosilicate compound, the functionalized tectosilicate compound produced by the steps of:
• obtaining a tectosilicate compound wherein the tectosilicate compound is chabazite;
• functionalizing the tectosilicate compound, comprising soaking the tectosilicate compound in a synthetic saltwater solution and replacing cations in the tectosilicate compound with sodium ions wherein the synthetic saltwater solution consists of:
• an amount of water;
• 10.780 g/L of sodium;
• 0.42 g/L of potassium;
• 1.32 g/L of magnesium;
• 19.290 g/L of chloride
• 0.400 g/L of calcium;
• 0.200 g/L of bicarbonate;
• 2.66 g/L of sulfate;
• and
• 0.241 g/L of alkalinity;
• washing the functionalized tectosilicate compound in deionized water and then drying the compound;
• and
• a pH buffer, wherein the pH buffer is a phosphate buffer in a solid state wherein an amount of the pH buffer used is such that the pH buffer maintains a pH of 7 in the saltwater environment;
• and
• a container holding the functionalized tectosilicate compound and the pH buffer, the container comprising a porous material to allow water to flow through the material;
• wherein the pH of 7 of the water environment shifts an equilibrium between ammonia and ammonium in the water environment towards ammonium, and the ammonium is adsorbed by the functionalized tectosilicate.