Biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions by Agave sisalana (sisal fiber)

The present work proposes the use of Agave sisalana (sisal fiber) as an natural adsorbent for ions Pb(II) and Cd(II) biosorption from natural waters. The flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used for quantitative determination and study of the ions Pb(II) and Cd(II) adsorption on the solid phase. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT IR) was used to investigate the sisal structure and the specific BET surface area was analyzed. The biosorption potential of sisal as biosorbent for the removal of the ions Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution was investigate considering the followings parameters: pH, biomass amount and contact time. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to evaluate adsorption behavior of the ions on this solid phase. The results showed that sisal has a surface area to adsorption of 0.0233 m² g^{− 1}, and the OH and CO functional groups are the main involved in the biosorption. The best interpretation for the experimental data was given by Freundlich isotherm that proposes a monolayer sorption with a heterogeneous energetic distribution of active sites, accompanied by interactions between sorbed molecules. The maximum monolayer biosorption capacity was found to be 1.85 mg g^{− 1} for Cd (II) and 1.34 mg g^{− 1} for Pb (II) at pH 7 and 296 K. This phase solid can be used for biosorption of cadmium and lead in polluted natural waters.     

Sorption behavior of Sn(II) onto Haro river sand from aqueous acidic solutions

The sorption behavior of Sn(II) onto Haro river sand has been examined with respect to nature of electrolyte, agitation time, dosage of sorbent and concentration of sorbate. Maximum sorption (95.5%) has been achieved from 0.034M hydrochloric acid solution after equilibrating sorbate (2·10⁻⁵M) and sorbent (50 mg) for 120 minutes at aV/W ratio of 90 cm³·g⁻¹. The kinetic data have been subjected to Morris-Weber and Lagergren equations. The kinetics of sorption proceeds a two stage process consisting of a relatively slow initial uptake followed by a much rapid increase in the sorption. The rate constant of intraparticle transport, K_d, comes out to be 8.75·10⁻⁸ mol·g⁻¹·min^−1/2 and the first order rate constant for sorption is 0.0416 min⁻¹. The sorption data of Sn(II) onto Haro river sand followed Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) type isotherms. The Langmuir constant,Q, related to sorption capacity and,b, related to sorption energy are computed to be 10.6±1.1 μmol·g⁻¹ and 1123±137 dm³·mol⁻¹, respectively. The D-R isotherm yields the values ofC _m=348±151 μmol·g⁻¹ and β=−0.01044±0.0008 mol²·kJ⁻² and ofE=6.9±0.3 kJ·mol⁻¹. In all three isotherms correlation factor (γ) is ≥0.99. The influence of common anions and cations on the sorption has been investigated. Zn(II), Mg(II), oxalate, Pb(II), Mn(II) and tartrate reduce the sorption significantly whereas Fe(II) causes substantial increase in the sorption. It is essential that all ions causing a decrease in the sorption of Sn(II) must be absent from the sorptive solution otherwise low sorption yields would result.     

Characteristics of sorption of uncomplexed and complexed Pb(II) from aqueous solutions onto peat

Batch experiments aimed at the sorption of Pb(II) onto peat were performed from an aqueous solution in both the absence and presence of common complexing agents (acetate or citrate). The influence of the initial pH of the solution, metal ion concentration and contact time on the sorption efficiency of Pb(II) was examined at ambient temperature (18 ± 0.5) °C for each experiment. The results showed that the presence of acetate improved the efficiency of the sorption process, while the presence of citrate in the aqueous solution decreased the efficiency of the Pb(II) sorption onto peat. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and confirmed the monolayer sorption of uncomplexed and complexed Pb(II) species onto peat. The values of maximum sorption capacities (q _max) were 135.13 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II) complexed with acetate, q > 79.36 mg g⁻¹ for uncomplexed Pb, q > 38.46 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II) complexed with citrate. The kinetics of Pb(II) sorption onto peat, in both the absence and presence of complexing agents, indicated a pseudosecond order mechanism. Analysis of IR spectra showed that carboxylic and hydroxyl groups had an important role in the binding process of Pb(II) species onto peat.     

Spectral and Thermal Studies of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) Complexes with 3-methylglutaric Acid

Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) 3-methylglutarates were prepared as solids with general formula MC₆ H₈ O₄ ×n H₂ O, where n =0–8. Their solubilities in water at 293 K were determined (7.0×10⁻² −4.2×10⁻³ mol dm⁻³ ). The IR spectra were recorded and thermal decomposition in air was investigated. The IR spectra suggest that the carboxylate groups are mono- or bidentate. During heating the hydrated complexes lose some water molecules in one (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu) or two steps (Cd) and then mono- (Cu) or dihydrates (Mn, Co, Ni) decompose to oxides directly (Mn, Cu, Co) or with intermediate formation of free metals (Co, Ni). Anhydrous Zn(II) complex decomposes directly to the oxide ZnO. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Removal of uranium(VI) from acetate medium using Lewatit TP 260 resin

Removal of uranium(VI) ions from acetate medium in aqueous solution was investigated using Lewatit TP260 (weakly acidic, macroporous-type ion exchange resin with chelating aminomethylphosphonic functional groups) in batch system. The parameters that affect the uranium(VI) sorption, such as contact time, solution pH, initial uranium(VI) concentration, adsorbent dose and temperature have been investigated. Results have been analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm; the former was more suitable to describe the sorption process. The moving boundary particle diffusion model only fits the initial metal adsorption on the resin. The rate constant for the uranium sorption by Lewatit TP260 was 0.441 min⁻¹ from the first order rate equation. The total sorption capacity was found to be 58.33 mg g⁻¹ under optimum experimental conditions. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH = 61.74 kJ/mol; ΔS = 215.3 J/mol K; ΔG = −2.856 kJ/mol) showed the adsorption of an endothermic process and spontaneous nature, respectively.     

Removal of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Co(II) ions from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto natural bentonite

In this study, the removal of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Co(II) ions from aqueous solutions using the adsorption process onto natural bentonite has been investigated as a function of initial metal concentration, pH and temperature. In order to find out the effect of temperature on adsorption, the experiments were conducted at 20, 50, 75 and 90 °C. For all the metal cations studied, the maximum adsorption was observed at 20 °C. The batch method has been employed using initial metal concentrations in solution ranging from 15 to 70 mg L⁻¹ at pH 3.0, 5.0, 7.0 and 9.0. A flame atomic absorption spectrometer was used for measuring the heavy metal concentrations before and after adsorption. The percentage adsorption and distribution coefficients (K _d) were determined for the adsorption system as a function of adsorbate concentration. In the ion exchange evaluation part of the study, it is determined that in every concentration range, adsorption ratios of bentonitic clay-heavy metal cations match to Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevich (DKR) adsorption isotherm data, adding to that every cation exchange capacity of metals has been calculated. It is shown that the bentonite is sensitive to pH changes, so that the amounts of heavy metal cations adsorbed increase as pH increase in adsorbent-adsorbate system. It is evident that the adsorption phenomena depend on the surface charge density of adsorbent and hydrated ion diameter depending upon the solution pH. According to the adsorption equilibrium studies, the selectivity order can be given as Zn²⁺>Cu²⁺>Co²⁺. These results show that bentonitic clay hold great potential to remove the relevant heavy metal cations from industrial wastewater. Also, from the results of the thermodynamic analysis, standard free energy ΔG ⁰, standard enthalpy ΔH ⁰ and standard entropy ΔS ⁰ of the adsorption process were calculated.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene and its adsorption of transition metal ions from aqueous solutions

The present study was undertaken to develop a novel adsorbent for heavy metal ions, and this paper presents the synthesis and characterization of a composite material-silica gel microspheres encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) with a core-shell structure. SG-PS-azo-SA was used to investigate the adsorption of Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Hg(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI), Pd(II), Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) from aqueous solutions. The results revealed that SG-PS-azo-SA has better adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III). Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to analyze the experimental data, the best interpretation for the experimental data was given by the Langmuir isotherm equation with the maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(II), Ag(I), and Au(III) at 1.288 mmol g⁻¹, 1.850 mmol g⁻¹ and 1.613 mmol g^t-1, respectively. Thus, silica gel encapsulated by salicyclic acid functionalized polystyrene (SG-PS-azo-SA) is favorable and useful for the removal of Cu(II), Ag(I) and Au(III) metal ions.     

Removal of Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) by adsorption onto natural clay: a kinetic and thermodynamic study

In this work, we study the elimination of three bivalent metal ions (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺) by adsorption onto natural illitic clay (AM) collected from Marrakech region in Morocco. The characterization of the adsorbent was carried out by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of physicochemical parameters on the clay adsorption capacity for ions Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺, namely the adsorbent dose, the contact time, the initial pH imposed on the aqueous solution, the initial concentration of the metal solution and the temperature, was studied. The adsorption process is evaluated by different kinetic models such as the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich. The adsorption mechanism was determined by the use of adsorption isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. Experiments have shown that heavy metals adsorption kinetics onto clay follows the same order, the pseudo-second order. The isotherms of adsorption of metal cations by AM clay are satisfactorily described by the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacities obtained from the natural clay, using the Langmuir isotherm model equation, are 5.25, 13.41, and 15.90 mg/g, respectively for Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) ions. Adsorption of heavy metals on clay is a spontaneous and endothermic process characterized by a disorder of the medium. The values of ΔH are greater than 40 kJ/mol, which means that the interactions between clay and heavy metals are chemical in nature.     

Post Synthetic Modification of NH2-(Zr-MOF) via Rapid Microwave-promoted Synthesis for Effective Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II)

Excessive heavy metals in the water constitute a health hazard to humans, yet it may be efficiently purified using adsorbents. Herein, for the first time, UiO-66-NH₂ was modified by Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) via microwave heating method to investigate its potential for adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) metal ions. Synthesized MOF was characterized by TGA, XRD, BET, FE-SEM-EDX, and FTIR. The MOF has a huge surface area of 1144 m²/g, a mean pore diameter of 2.84 nm, and a total pore volume of 0.37 cm³/g. The effect of UiO-66-GMA performance was evaluated by investigating the impact of pH (1–9), contact time (0–200 min), initial metal ions concentration (20–1000 mg/L), temperature (25–55 °C), adsorbent dosage (0.5–3 g/L), and co existences of other metals was investigated on Pb(II) and Cd(II) percentage removal. Following an analysis of the adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics, the Temkin isothermal model showed an excellent fit with the adsorption data (R² = 0.99). The adsorption process was a spontaneous endothermic reaction and kinetically followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics model. Microwave heating method produced highly crystalline small Zr-MOF nanoparticles with a short reaction time. It promoted the simple yet highly efficient synthesis of Zr-based MOFs, as shown by the reaction mass space-time yield. The adsorption capability of Pb to the presence of several polar functional groups, including as primary and secondary amines, ester, alkene, and hydroxyl groups. This adsorbent is a potential candidate for wastewater treatment due to its outstanding structural stability in acidic and basic solutions, high removal efficiency, and recyclability.     

Synthesis of tapioca cellulose-based poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand for heavy metals removal from water

A graft copolymerization was performed using free radical initiating process to prepare the poly(methyl acrylate) grafted copolymer from the tapioca cellulose. The desired material is poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand, which is synthesized from poly(methyl acrylate) grafted cellulose using hydroximation reaction. The tapioca cellulose, grafted cellulose and poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand were characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope. The adsorption capacity with copper was found to be good, 210 mg g^?1 with a faster adsorption rate (t_1/2 = 10.5 min). The adsorption capacities for other heavy metal ions were also found to be strong such as Fe³⁺, Cr³⁺, Co³⁺ and Ni²⁺ were 191, 182, 202 and 173 mg g^?1, respectively at pH 6. To predict the adsorption behavior, the heavy metal ions sorption onto ligand were well-fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model (R² > 0.99), which suggest that the cellulose-based adsorbent i.e., poly(hydroxamic acid) ligand surface is homogenous and monolayer. The reusability was checked by the sorption/desorption process for six cycles and the sorption and extraction efficiency in each cycle was determined. This new adsorbent can be reused in many cycles without any significant loss in its original removal performances.     

Carbon dioxide adsorption on the microporous ACC carbon adsorbent

Adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide on the microporous ACC carbon adsorbent and the adsorption deformation of the adsorbent were measured. The heats of adsorption at temperatures raising from 243 to 393 K and pressures from 1 to 5⋅10⁶ Pa were measured. In the low-temperature region (243 K), an increase in the amount adsorbed is accompanied by adsorbent contraction, and at high micropore fillings (a > 10 mmol g⁻¹) the ACC carbon adsorbent expands. At high temperatures, adsorbent expansion is observed in the whole region of micropore filling. At 243 K in the low filling region (a < 1 mmol g⁻¹), the heat of adsorption decreases smoothly from 27 to 24 kJ mol⁻¹. The heat of adsorption remains virtually unchanged in the interval 2 mmol g⁻¹ < a < 11 mmol g⁻¹ and then decreases to 8 kJ mol⁻¹ at a = 12 mmol g⁻¹. Taking into account the nonideal character of the gas phase and adsorbent deformation the heats of adsorption are strongly temperature-dependent in a region of high pressures. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1331–1335, June, 2005.     

Magnetic Fe3O4/ZIF-8 optimization by Box-Behnken design and its Cd(II)-adsorption properties and mechanism

In this study, the preparation of magnetic Fe₃O₄/ZIF-8 (MFZ) and its adsorption properties for Cd(II) from water were investigated. Various characterizations demonstrate that the as-prepared MFZ has well magnetic-separation performance and thermal stability. In batch adsorption tests, the effects of pH, initial concentration, and adsorbent dosage were evaluated. According to the findings, when the pH is 7 and the dosage is 150 mg/L, the adsorption capacity for a 40 mg/L Cd(II) solution reaches 102.3 mg/g in 180 min. The Cd(II) adsorption processes was found to correspond to pseudo-first-order kinetics and Langmuir model according to the adsorption kinetics and isotherms. The Langmuir model predicted a maximal saturation adsorption capacity of 160.26 mg/g at 298 K. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the Cd(II) adsorption is an endothermic, spontaneous process. Ion exchange, coordination reaction, and electrostatic interaction are all involved in Cd(II) adsorption by MFZ. The optimum conditions for Cd(II) adsorption were proposed and confirmed in accordance with the results of the response surface optimization experiments. Furthermore, regeneration tests demonstrate the great repeated regeneration ability of MFZ. According to the anticipated production cost, treating wastewater with a Cd(II) concentration of 40 mg/L would cost roughly US$ 8.35/m³. MFZ showed good potential for Cd(II) removal from water.     

Magnetic, spectral, and thermal behaviour of 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoates of Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II)

Some physicochemical properties of 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoates of Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) were studied. The complexes were obtained as mono-and dihydrates with a metal ion—ligand mole ratio of 1: 2. All complexes are polycrystalline compounds. Their colours depend on the kind of central ion: pink for Co(II) complex, green for Ni(II), and blue for Cu(II) complexes. Their thermal decomposition was studied only in the range of 293 K–523 K because it was found that on heating in air above 523 K 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoates decompose explosively. Hydrated complexes lose crystallization water molecules in one step. During dehydration process no transformation of the nitro group to nitrito one took place. Their solubilities in water at 293 K are of the orders of 10⁻³-10⁻² mol dm⁻³. The magnetic moment values of 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoates determined in the range of 76 K–303 K change from 3.48μ_B to 3.82μ_B for Co(II) complex, from 2.24μ_B to 2.83μ_B for Ni(II) 2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoate, and from 0.31μ_B to 1.41μ_B for Cu(II) complex. 2-Chloro-4-nitrobenzoates of Co(II) and Ni(II) follow the Curie—Weiss law, but the complex of Cu(II) forms dimer.     

Development of a sequential injection anodic stripping voltammetry (SI-ASV) method for determination of Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) in wastewater samples from coatings industry

This paper describes the development and validation of a sequential injection (SI) anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) method using the hanging mercury drop electrode for accumulation of the heavy metal cations Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II). The method was applied to wastewater samples after proper acid digestion in open vessels to eliminate matrix effects. For a deposition time of 90 s at the flow rate of 10 μl s⁻¹, the detection limits of the method were 0.06, 0.09 and 0.16 μmol L⁻¹ for Cd, Pb and Cu, respectively. Under these conditions the linear dynamic range was between 0.20 and 9.0 μmol L⁻¹ and the sampling frequency was 30 analyses per hour. The relative standard deviation of the method was 3%(n=7) at the concentration level of 2.0 μmol L⁻¹. The accuracy of the method was evaluated by spiking the samples with known amounts of the metal cations, and by comparison with an independent analytical technique, the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Average recoveries were around of 84%, and the results showed no evidence of systematic errors in comparison to the ICP-AES.     

Chemically modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes as efficient and selective sorbent for separation and preconcentration of trace amount of Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Pd(II)

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were chemically functionalized by glutaric dihydrazide (GDH) and characterized with FT-IR technique. This new sorbent was used for enrichment and preconcentration of Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Pd(II) ions. The adsorption was achieved quantitatively on MWCNTs at pH 4.0, and then the retained metal ions on the adsorbent were eluted with 1.5 mol L^?1 HNO₃. The effects of analytical parameters including pH of the solution, eluent type, sample volume, and matrix ions were investigated for optimization of the presented procedure. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent at optimum conditions was found to be 33.6, 29.2, 22.1, and 36.0 mg g^?1 for Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Pd(II), respectively. The LOD values of the method were 0.16, 0.19, 0.17, and 0.12 ng mL^?1 (3Sb, n = 10) for Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Pd(II), respectively. The RSDs values of the method were 0.75, 0.85, 1.16, and 1.30 ng mL^?1 for Co(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Pd(II), respectively. The method was applied for the determination of analytes in soil, well water, and wastewater samples with satisfactory results.     

Sorption behavior of hydroxyapatite for 109Cd(II) as a function of environmental conditions

In this work, hydroxyapatite (HAP) was prepared by aqueous precipitation technique and was characterized by using FT-IR to determine its chemical functional groups. A series of batch experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of various environmental factors such as contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, fulvic acid (FA) and temperature on the sorption behavior of HAP towards radionuclide ¹⁰⁹Cd(II). The results indicated that the sorption of ¹⁰⁹Cd(II) on HAP was strongly dependent on pH and ionic strength. A positive effect of FA on ¹⁰⁹Cd(II) sorption was found at pH <7.0, whereas a negative effect was observed at pH >7.0. The Langmuir, Freundlich and D-R models were used to simulate the sorption isotherms at three different temperatures of 298.15, 323.15 and 343.15 K. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH⁰, ΔS⁰ and ΔG⁰) calculated from the temperature dependent sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption process of ¹⁰⁹Cd(II) on HAP was spontaneous and endothermic. At low pH, the sorption of ¹⁰⁹Cd(II) was dominated by outer-sphere surface complexation and ion exchange on HAP surfaces, whereas inner-sphere surface complexation was the main sorption mechanism at high pH. From the experimental results, it is possible to conclude that HAP has good potentialities for cost-effective treatments of ¹⁰⁹Cd(II)-contaminated wastewaters.     

Preparation and characterization of L-glutamic acid-functionalized graphene oxide for adsorption of Pb(II)

An efficient adsorbent (L-Glu/GO) was successfully synthesized by the reaction between L-glutamic acid (L-Glu) and graphene oxide (GO). The structure and morphology of this adsorbent were characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, and TGA. The SEM result indicated that the adsorbent was a nanomaterial with a size of about 50–400 nm. The adsorption experiments of various heavy ions on L-Glu/GO demonstrated that the adsorption performance of Pb(II) was better than others. Various variables affecting the adsorption of L-Glu/GO for Pb(II) were systematically explored. The experimental results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity and equilibrium time of Pb(II) on L-Glu/GO were 513.4 mg g^?1 and 40 minute, respectively. The sorption kinetics and isotherm fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model, respectively. The sorption mainly was a chemical process. Thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The adsorbent could be regenerated with HCl solution. Hence, it was suggested that the L-Glu/GO could be applied in the removal of Pb(II) from wastewaters.     

Preparation and characterization of magnetic bioadsorbent for adsorption of Cd(II) ions

A facile magnetic chitosan composite used for heavy metal ions removal was prepared. The adsorbents with large specific area and rich carboxyl groups exhibited good removal of Cd(II) ions and could be easily separated with magnetic separation. The adsorption capacity of Cd(II) was 48 ​mg ​g⁻¹ and the removal efficiency reached 86.7% after five cycles. Thus, the prepared magnetic chitosan composite could act as a potential adsorbent for Cd(II) ions removal.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-(2-(2-Pyridyl)ethyl)chitosan (PEC) for Pd(II) and Pt(IV) sorption from HCl solutions

Chitosan was modified by grafting 2-pyridyl-ethyl moieties on the biopolymer backbone for the synthesis of a Platinum Group Metal (PGM) sorbent. The sorbent was tested for Pd(II) and Pt(IV) sorption from HCl solutions. Stable for HCl concentrations below 0.5 M, the sorbent reached sorption capacities as high as 3.2 and 2.6 mmol metal g⁻¹ for Pd(II) and Pt(IV), respectively. Metal sorption mainly proceeds by electrostatic attraction in acidic solutions, though a contribution of complexation mechanism cannot be totally rejected. The resistance to intraparticle diffusion is the main controlling mechanism for uptake kinetics. While agitation speed has a limited effect on kinetics, metal concentration and sorbent dosage have a greater effect on the kinetic profiles. The intraparticle diffusivity varies between 3 × 10⁻¹¹ and 4.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ m² min⁻¹. Thiourea (combined with HCl solution) is used for Pd(II) and Pt(IV) desorption. The resin could be desorbed and recycled for a minimum of five cycles maintaining high efficiencies of sorption and desorption.     

Removal and recovery of vanadium(V) by adsorption onto ZnCl2 activated carbon: Kinetics and isotherms

Adsorption of vanadium(V) from aqueous solution onto ZnCl₂ activated carbon developed from coconut coir pith was investigated to assess the possible use of this adsorbent. The influence of various parameters such as agitation time, vanadium concentration, adsorbent dose, pH and temperature has been studied. First, second order, Elovich and Bangham’s models were used to study the adsorption kinetics. The adsorption system follows second order and Bangham’s kinetic models. Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin isotherms have been employed to analyze the adsorption equilibrium data. Equilibrium adsorption data followed all the four isotherms—Langmuir, Freundlich, D-R and Temkin. The Langmuir adsorption capacity (Q ₀) was found to be 24.9 mg g^{− 1} of the adsorbent. The per cent adsorption was maximum in the pH range 4.0–9.0. The pH effect and desorption studies showed that ion exchange mechanism might be involved in the adsorption process. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG ⁰, ΔH ⁰ and ΔS ⁰ for the adsorption were evaluated. Effect of competitive anions in the aqueous solution such as PO₄ ^{3 −}, SO₄ ²⁻, ClO₄ ⁻, MoO₄ ²⁻, SeO₃ ²⁻, NO₃ ⁻ and Cl⁻ was examined. SEM and FTIR were used to study the surface of vanadium(V) loaded ZnCl₂ activated carbon. Removal of vanadium(V) from synthetic ground water was also tested. Results show that ZnCl₂ activated coir pith carbon is effective for the removal of vanadium(V) from water.