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.     

The starch modified montmorillonite for the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions

In the present study, we attempted to synthesize a novel sorbent from the starch modified montmorillonite for the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Structure and properties of the adsorbent were characterized by Fourier-transformed infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Field emission scanning electron microscopic (FE-SEM) techniques. Batch experiments were confirmed through the effect of different conditions including pH, contact time, initial metal concentration and adsorbent dose. Specifically, the optimum value of adsorbent dose was achieved as 20 g/l for the removal of almost metal ions. The adsorption data was fitted with the optimum pH value as 5 for all experiments. The contact time at which the uptake of maximum metal adsorption was observed within 45 min for Pb(II), 90 min for Cd(II), and 60 min for Ni(II). In addition, it was revealed in our study that the equilibrium data obeyed the Langmuir model, and the adsorption kinetic followed a pseudo second-order rate model. Obtained results were noticeable for a modified phyllosilicate adsorbent, and with such a simple and low-cost modification for montmorillonite, the potential of this material as an economical and effective adsorbent for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solution was considerably elevated.     

Efficient Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Medium Using Chemically Modified Silica Monolith

The adsorptive removal of lead (II) from aqueous medium was carried out by chemically modified silica monolith particles. Porous silica monolith particles were prepared by the sol-gel method and their surface modification was carried out using trimethoxy silyl propyl urea (TSPU) to prepare inorganic–organic hybrid adsorbent. The resultant adsorbent was evaluated for the removal of lead (Pb) from aqueous medium. The effect of pH, adsorbent dose, metal ion concentration and adsorption time was determined. It was found that the optimum conditions for adsorption of lead (Pb) were pH 5, adsorbent dose of 0.4 g/L, Pb(II) ions concentration of 500 mg/L and adsorption time of 1 h. The adsorbent chemically modified SM was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET/BJH and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The percent adsorption of Pb(II) onto chemically modified silica monolith particles was 98%. An isotherm study showed that the adsorption data of Pb(II) onto chemically modified SM was fully fitted with the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. It was found from kinetic study that the adsorption of Pb(II) followed a pseudo second-order model. Moreover, thermodynamic study suggests that the adsorption of Pb(II) is spontaneous and exothermic. The adsorption capacity of chemically modified SM for Pb(II) ions was 792 mg/g which is quite high as compared to the traditional adsorbents. The adsorbent chemically modified SM was regenerated, used again three times for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions and it was found that the adsorption capacity of the regenerated adsorbent was only dropped by 7%. Due to high adsorption capacity chemically modified silica monolith particles could be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.     

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.     

2-line ferrihydrite: synthesis, characterization and its adsorption behaviour for removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions

Nano-structured 2-line ferrihydrite was synthesized by a pH-controlled precipitation technique at 90 °C. Chemical, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman analyses confirmed the sample to be 2-line ferrihydrite. The nano nature of the prepared sample was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The surface area obtained by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method was 175.8 m(2) g(-1). The nanopowder so obtained was used to study its behaviour for the removal of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions. The relative importance of experimental parameters such as solution pH, contact time and concentration of adsorbate on the uptake of various cations was evaluated. By increasing the pH from 2.0 to 5.5, adsorption of the four cations increased. The kinetics parameters were compared by fitting the contact time data to both linear as well as non-linear forms of pseudo-second-order models. Linear forms of both Langmuir and Freundlich models fitted the equilibrium data of all the cations except for Pb(II) which was also fitted to the non-linear forms of both the models as it gave a low R(2) value of 0.85 for the Langmuir model. High Langmuir monolayer capacities of 366, 250, 62.5 and 500 mg g(-1) were obtained for Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II), respectively. Presence of chloride or sulfate had an adverse effect on cation adsorption. The interactive effects on adsorption from solutions containing two, three or four cations were studied. Surprisingly no Cd(II) adsorption was observed in Pb(II)-Cd(II), Pb(II)-Cd(II)-Zn(II) and Pb(II)-Cd(II)-Cu(II)-Zn(II) systems under the studied concentration range. The overall loading capacity of the adsorbent decreased in mixed cation systems. Metal ion loaded adsorbents were characterized by XRD, FTIR and Raman techniques. The high adsorption capability of the 2-lines ferrihydrite makes it a potentially attractive adsorbent for the removal of cations from aqueous solutions.     

Adsorption of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions by amino modified nanostructured microfibrillated cellulose

The aim of the present study was to investigate the adsorption properties of aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) modified microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) in aqueous solutions containing Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions. The modified adsorbents were characterized using elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, SEM and zeta potential analysis. The adsorption and regeneration studies were conducted in batch mode using various different pH values and contact times. The maximum removal capacities of the APS/MFC adsorbent for Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) ions were 2.734, 3.150 and 4.195 mmol/g, respectively. The Langmuir, Sips and Dubinin-Radushkevich models were representative to simulate adsorption isotherms. The adsorption kinetics of Ni(II) Cu(II), and Cd(II) adsorption by APS/MFC data were modeled using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion kinetics equations. The results indicate that the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and intra-particle diffusion model were adequate to describe the adsorption kinetics.     

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.     

Impact of environmental conditions on the sorption behavior of Pb(II) onto attapulgite

This paper examined the application of attapulgite as an adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) from heavy metal-contaminated water under various conditions. The sorption results indicated that the sorption of Pb(II) on attapulgite was strongly dependent on ionic strength at pH < 7.0. Outer-sphere surface complexation or ion exchange may be the main sorption mechanism of Pb(II) on attapulgite at low pH values. No drastic difference of Pb(II) sorption was observed at pH 7.0–10.0, and the sorption at pH > 10.0 was mainly dominated by inner-sphere surface complexation. The sorption of Pb(II) on attapulgite was affected by foreign ions in solution at pH < 7.0, and was not affected by foreign ions at pH > 7.0. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔH°, ΔS° and ΔG°) were evaluated from the temperature-dependent sorption isotherms, and the results indicated that the sorption process of Pb(II) on attapulgite was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.     

Kinetic,mechanism and equilibrium studies on removal of Pb(II) using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus limettioides</Emphasis> peel and seed carbon

The sorption behaviour of Pb(II) ions onto activated carbon prepared from Citrus limettioides peel (CLPC) and seed (CLSC), which is a novel waste material, was evaluated as a function of contact time, pH, adsorbent dose, ionic strength, initial metal ion concentration and temperature in batch adsorption processes with raw Citrus limettioides peel (CLP) and seed (CLS). The maximum uptake of lead(II) ions was obtained at pH range 4.0–6.0 for CLPC, CLSC and 5.0–6.0 for raw materials (CLP, CLS). The optimal contact time was found to be 3 h. Surface morphology and functionality of the adsorbent were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir isotherm, confirming monolayer coverage of lead(II) ions onto CLP, CLPC, CLS and CLSC. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of CLP, CLPC, CLS and CLSC was found to be 123.60, 166.67, 15.32 and 142.86 mg/g. The calculated thermodynamic parameters showed that the sorption process was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Kinetic studies demonstrated that adsorption of lead(II) ions followed a pseudo-second-order equation, suggesting that the adsorption process is presumably chemisorption. The adsorbents were tested for removal of Pb(II) from electroplating wastewater in connection with the reuse and selectivity of the adsorbents.     

Removal of cadmium(II) and zinc(II) metal ions from binary aqueous solution by rice husk ash

The present study reports the competitive adsorptive removal of cadmium (Cd(II)) and zinc (Zn(II)) ions from binary systems using rice husk ash (RHA), a waste obtained from the rice husk-fired furnaces, as an adsorbent. The initial pH (pH₀) affects significantly the capacity of RHA for adsorbing the metallic ions in the aqueous solution. The pH₀ ≈ 6.0 is found to be the optimum for the removal of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions by RHA. The single ion equilibrium adsorption from the binary solution is better represented by the non-competitive Redlich–Peterson (R–P) and the Freundlich models than by Langmuir model in the initial metal concentration range of 10–100 mg/l. The adsorption of Zn(II) ion is more than that of Cd(II) ion, and this trend is in agreement with the single-component adsorption data. The equilibrium metal removal decreases with increasing concentrations of the other metal ion and the combined effect of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions on RHA is generally found to be antagonistic. Non-modified Langmuir, modified Langmuir, extended-Langmuir, extended-Freundlich, Sheindorf–Rebuhn–Sheintuch (SRS), non-modified R–P and modified R–P adsorption models were tested to find the most appropriate competitive adsorption isotherm for the binary adsorption of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions onto RHA by minimizing the Marquardt's percent standard deviation (MPSD) error function. The extended-Freundlich model satisfactorily represents the adsorption equilibrium data of Cd(II) and Zn(II) ions onto RHA.     

Adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Fe(II), and As(V) on bacterially produced metal sulfides

The adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Fe(II) and As(V) onto bacterially produced metal sulfide (BPMS) material was investigated using a batch equilibrium method. It was found that the sulfide material had adsorptive properties comparable with those of other adsorbents with respect to the specific uptake of a range of metals and, the levels to which dissolved metal concentrations in solution can be reduced. The percentage of adsorption increased with increasing pH and adsorbent dose, but decreased with increasing initial dissolved metal concentration. The pH of the solution was the most important parameter controlling adsorption of Cd(II), Cu(II), Fe(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), and As(V) by BPMS. The adsorption data were successfully modeled using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Desorption experiments showed that the reversibility of adsorption was low, suggesting high-affinity adsorption governed by chemisorption. The mechanism of adsorption for the divalent metals was thought to be the formation of strong, inner-sphere complexes involving surface hydroxyl groups. However, the mechanism for the adsorption of As(V) by BPMS appears to be distinct from that of surface hydroxyl exchange. These results have important implications to the management of metal sulfide sludge produced by bacterial sulfate reduction.     

Removal of Chromium(III) and Cadmium(II) Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Treated Date Seeds: An Eco-Friendly Method

The aim of the research was to prepare low-cost adsorbents, including raw date pits and chemically treated date pits, and to apply these materials to investigate the adsorption behavior of Cr(III) and Cd(II) ions from wastewater. The prepared materials were characterized using SEM, FT-IR and BET surface analysis techniques for investigating the surface morphology, particle size, pore size and surface functionalities of the materials. A series of adsorption processes was conducted in a batch system and optimized by investigating various parameters such as solution pH, contact time, initial metal concentrations and adsorbent dosage. The optimum pH for achieving maximum adsorption capacity was found to be approximately 7.8. The determination of metal ions was conducted using atomic adsorption spectrometry. The experimental results were fitted using isotherm Langmuir and Freundlich equations, and maximum monolayer adsorption capacities for Cr(III) and Cd(II) at 323 K were 1428.5 and 1302.0 mg/g (treated majdool date pits adsorbent) and 1228.5 and 1182.0 mg/g (treated sagai date pits adsorbent), respectively. It was found that the adsorption capacity of H₂O₂-treated date pits was higher than that of untreated DP. Recovery studies showed maximal metal elution with 0.1 M HCl for all the adsorbents. An 83.3–88.2% and 81.8–86.8% drop in Cr(III) and Cd(II) adsorption, respectively, were found after the five regeneration cycles. The results showed that the Langmuir model gave slightly better results than the Freundlich model for the untreated and treated date pits. Hence, the results demonstrated that the prepared materials could be a low-cost and eco-friendly choice for the remediation of Cr(III) and Cd(II) contaminants from an aqueous solution.     

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.     

Adsorption of Pb(II) on a composite material prepared from polystyrene-alumina and activated carbon: Kinetic and thermodynamic studies

The ability of polystyrene-alumina-activated carbon composite as a synthetic adsorbent was investigated for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, adsorbent dosage and contact time were studied. The optimum solution pH for the maximum adsorption of Pb(II) was found to be 4. Kinetic data were best described by pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption process followed both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms at 30 °C. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Desorption studies were carried out by batch and column operations and it was found that 97% Pb(II) could be recovered by the column process using 0.1 M HCl as eluent.     

Design and evaluation of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes by 3-aminopyrazole for the removal of Hg(II) and As(III) ions from aqueous solution

Carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) were chemically modified with 3-aminopyrazole (MWCNTs-f) and applied as an efficient adsorbent to mercury and arsenic adsorption from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterized by FT-IR, EDX, FE-SEM, TGA, and BET. The effects of pH, adsorbent dose, and initial ions concentration on the adsorption efficiency and the optimum conditions were investigated by central composite design. The optimum conditions were obtained at pH 7.6–7.9, adsorbent dose 20 mg, and initial ions concentration 20 ppm. So the maximum adsorption efficiencies in these conditions were 80.5 and 72.4% for the removal of Hg(II) and As(III) by MWCNTs-f, respectively. The quadratic model was used for the analysis of variance and indicated that adsorption of metal ions strongly depends on pH. Also, the pseudo-second-order model has been achieved from the adsorption kinetic studies. Furthermore, the experimental data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacities obtained were 112 and 133 mg g^?1 for the adsorption of Hg(II) and As(III) by MWCNTs-f, respectively. Moreover, a thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption reactions were spontaneous and endothermic with the increase in randomness. In addition, a desorption study showed the favorable regeneration ability of MWCNTs-f even after three adsorption–desorption cycles. Therefore, the MWCNTs-f adsorbent has good potential for the removal of Hg(II) and As(III) pollutants from aqueous solutions.     

Adsorption of Pb(II) and Ni(II) From Aqueous Solution by a High-Capacity Industrial Sewage Sludge-Based Adsorbent

In the present study, adsorption of Ni(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution was investigated using activated carbon synthesized with industrial wastewater sludge. The synthesized adsorbent was analyzed using nitrogen adsorption–desorption and Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) techniques. Batch adsorption mode was used to evaluate the effect of solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature on the adsorption capacity of the synthesized adsorbent. The kinetic data were analyzed using different kinetic models. The pseudo-second-order equation gave the best fit to the experimental data for both metal ions. The equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherm models. The results showed that the data obtained for the Ni(II) and Pb(II) adsorption are in good agreement with the Langmuir model. The Langmuir mono-layer maximum adsorption capacities for Ni(II) and Pb(II) ions were estimated to be 74.06 and 88.76 mg g^?1 at 25°C, respectively. In addition, the thermodynamic studies proved that the adsorption process of both metals could be considered endothermic.     

Sequestration of Aqueous Lead(II) Using Modified and Unmodified Red Onion Skin

The efficacy of onion skins, both unmodified and chemically modified with thioglycolic acid, was investigated as alternative low-cost adsorbents for the sequestration of aqueous lead(II) ions from aqueous solution. The adsorbents were characterised using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy – energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Adsorption experiments were performed using batch sorption processes. The effects of contact time, pH, initial Pb(II) concentration, adsorbent dose, and temperature were investigated. Optimum sorption conditions were found at pH 4 and a 150?min equilibrium time for the modified onion skin and unmodified onion skin. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Temkin models were used to characterize the equilibrium experimental results. The equilibrium process was best described by the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacities of 4.878 and 6.173?mg/g were obtained for modified and unmodified adsorbents, respectively, using the Langmuir model. Kinetic studies indicated that the sorption of Pb(II) ions followed a pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard enthalpy change (ΔH°), entropy change (ΔS°), and free energy change (ΔG°) were evaluated from the sorption experimental measurements. The results showed that the sorption process of Pb(II) ions on unmodified and modified onion skins was feasible and exothermic under the conditions used in this study. The sorption process followed the mechanism of physisorption.     

Synthesis of an attapulgite clay@carbon nanocomposite adsorbent by a hydrothermal carbonization process and their application in the removal of toxic metal ions from water

A new kind of attapulgite clay@carbon (ATP@C) nanocomposite adsorbent has been synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal carbonization process under mild conditions using two cheap, ecofriendly materials (i.e., attapulgite clay (ATP), which is a magnesium aluminum silicate that is abundant in nature, and glucose, which is a green chemical obtained from biomass). Compared to carbon-based materials, this new ATP@C nanocomposite exhibits a high adsorption ability for Cr(VI) and Pb(II) ions with maximum adsorption capacities of 177.74 and 263.83 mg·g(-1), respectively. The results demonstrate that this nanocomposite is an exceptionally promising candidate as a low-cost, sustainable, and effective adsorbent for the removal of toxic ions from water.     

Highly efficient adsorbents of poly(o-phenylenediamine) solid and hollow sub-microspheres towards lead ions: a comparative study

Two kinds of different-shaped poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) polymers: solid and hollow sub-microspheres with both size of about 700 nm synthesized by a solution route without any additional directing agents, were employed as efficient adsorbents for removal of Pb(??) ions from water. Firstly, chemical structures of PoPD sub-microspheres were performed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-vis, (1)H NMR spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and GPC analysis. When used as adsorbents, both PoPD hollow and solid sub-microspheres showed high adsorptivity and adsorption capacity towards Pb(??) ions in water, and mechanisms of adsorption behaviors were revealed by XRD and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). It was found that the pH and concentration of Pb(??) ion solution, as well as contact time and adsorbent dosage affect the degree of adsorption. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics of Pb(??) ions onto PoPD sub-microspheres were also investigated according to experimental data. Comparative investigations of adsorption behaviors revealed that hollow sub-microspheres showed enhanced adsorptivity adsorption capacity towards Pb(??) ions as compared with solid sub-microspheres typical at low adsorbent dosage. PoPD hollow sub-microspheres also showed good adsorptivity for other heavy-metal ions, such as Hg(??), Cd(??) and Cu(??), which implied their potential applications as effective adsorbents for heavy-metal ions in water.     

Use of statistical design of experiments to evaluate the sorption capacity of 7-amine-4-azaheptylsilica and 10-amine- 4-azadecylsilica for Cu(II), Pb(II), and Fe(III) adsorption

7-Amine-4-azaheptylsilica (AAH Si) and 10-amine-4-azadecylsilica (AAD Si) were prepared and used for removal of Cu(II), Pb(II), and Fe(III) from aqueous solutions. Full 2(3) factorial designs with two pseudo-central points were carried out in order to achieve the best conditions of the batch adsorption procedure for metallic ion uptake by the adsorbents. To continue the optimizations, central composite surface design was also employed. These two independent statistical designs of experiments lead to the following conditions: m=30.0 mg of adsorbent; pH 6.0 for Cu(II) and Pb(II), pH 4.0 for Fe(III); t of contact 180 min to guarantee equilibration at higher adsorbate concentration. After optimization of the conditions, isotherms of the metallic ions adsorbed on the AAH Si and AAD Si adsorbents were obtained, which were fitted to nonlinear Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models.