Adsorptive studies of hazardous dye Tropaeoline 000 from an aqueous phase on to coconut-husk

This contribution presents result pertaining to the adsorptive removal of water-soluble hazardous dye Tropaeoline 000, on to a low cost adsorbent-coconut-husk and its efficiency in the dye colour sorption was compared with activated carbon (AC). The results obtained from the batch experiments revealed the ability of the coconut-husk to remove the Tropaeoline 000 dye. The adsorption of dye was carried out at different pH, temperatures, amount of adsorbent, contact time, concentration of adsorbate (initial dye concentration) and particle size. The adsorption studies revealed that the ongoing adsorption validates both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm at temperatures 30, 40 and 50 degrees C. The adsorption isotherm data was also employed to calculate thermodynamic parameters like DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees . The negative values of DeltaG degrees indicate that the dye adsorption process is a spontaneous in nature. The positive value of DeltaH degrees shows the endothermic nature of AC/coconut-husk system whereas negative value of DeltaH degrees indicates that the exothermic nature of AC/coconut-husk. The adsorption was found to undergo via a pseudo-second order adsorption kinetics and the results revealed that coconut-husk, an agricultural waste, proved to be an excellent low cost adsorbent.     

Preparation and evaluation of cerium(IV) tungstate powder as inorganic exchanger in sorption of cobalt and europium ions from aqueous solutions

Cerium(IV) tungstate powder was chemically synthesized and exploited as adsorbent material for the decontamination study of cobalt and europium ions from radioactive waste solutions under simulated conditions using batch technique. The influences of pH, particle size and temperature have been reported. The uptake of europium was found to be slightly greater than that of cobalt and the apparent sorption capacity increases with increase in temperature. Thermodynamic parameters such as changes in Gibbs free energy (DeltaG degrees), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees), and entropy (DeltaS degrees) were calculated. The numerical value of DeltaG degrees decreases with an increase in temperature, indicating that the sorption reaction of each ion was spontaneous and more favorable at higher temperature. The positive values of DeltaH degrees correspond to the endothermic nature of sorption processes and suggested that chemisorption was the predominant mechanism. A comparison of kinetic models applied to the sorption rate data of each ion was evaluated for the pseudo first-order, the pseudo second-order, intraparticle diffusion and homogeneous particle diffusion kinetic models. The results showed that both the pseudo second-order and the homogeneous particle diffusion models were found to best correlate the experimental rate data. The numerical values of the rate constants and particle diffusion coefficients were determined from the graphical representation of the proposed models. Activation energy (E(a)) and entropy (DeltaS++) of activation were also computed from the linearized form of Arrhenius equation.     

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies on the adsorption of m-cresol onto micro- and mesoporous carbon

Investigations were conducted in batch mode to study the adsorption behaviour of m-cresol on a porous carbon prepared from rice husk (RHAC) by varying the parameters such as agitation time, m-cresol concentration (50-300 mg/l), pH (2.5-10) and temperature (293-323 K). Studies showed that the adsorption decreased with increase in pH and temperature. The isotherm data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevic (D-R) models. The kinetic models such as pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models were selected to understand the reaction pathways and mechanism of adsorption process. The thermodynamic equilibrium coefficients obtained at different temperatures were used to evaluate the thermodynamic constants DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees. The sorption process was found to be exothermic in nature (DeltaH degrees : -23.46 to -25.40 kJ/mol) with a decrease in entropy (DeltaS degrees: -19.44 to -35.87 J/(mol K)). The negative value of Gibbs free energy, DeltaG degrees indicates that the adsorption occurs via a spontaneous process. The decrease in the value of -DeltaG degrees from 17.70 to 13.54 kJ/mol with increase in pH and temperature indicates that the adsorption of m-cresol onto activated carbon is less favourable at higher temperature and pH range. The influence of mesopore and a possible mechanism of adsorption is also suggested.     

Equilibrium, thermodynamic and kinetic studies for the biosorption of aqueous lead(II), cadmium(II) and nickel(II) ions on Spirulina platensis

The biosorption of lead(II), cadmium(II) and nickel(II) ions from aqueous solution by Spirulina platensis was studied as a function of time, concentration, temperature, repetitive reactivity, and ionic competition. The kinetic results obeyed well the pseudo second-order model. Freundlich, Dubinin Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm models were applied in describing the equilibrium partition of the ions. Freundlich isotherm was applied to describe the design of a single-stage batch sorption system. According to the thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees calculated, the sorption process was endothermic and largely driven towards the products. Sorption activities in a three metal ion system were studied which indicated that there is a relative selectivity of the biosorbent towards Pb2+ ions. The measurements of the repetitive reusability of S. platensis indicated a large capacity towards the three metal ions.     

Biosorption of cadmium(II) from aqueous solution by red algae (Ceramium virgatum): equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

The biosorption characteristics of Cd(II) ions using the red alga (Ceramium virgatum) were investigated. Experimental parameters affecting the biosorption process such as pH, contact time, biomass dosage and temperature were studied. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models were applied to describe the biosorption isotherms. The biosorption capacity of C. virgatum biomass for Cd(II) ions was found to be 39.7 mg/g. From the D-R isotherm model, the mean free energy was calculated as 12.7 kJ/mol, indicating that the biosorption of Cd(II) the metal ions was taken place by chemisorption. The calculated thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees ) showed that the biosorption of Cd(II) ions onto C. virgatum was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic at 293-323 K. Evaluation of experimental data in terms of biosorption kinetics showed that the biosorption of Cd(II) C. virgatum followed well pseudo-second-order kinetics.     

Adsorptive removal of Erythrosine dye onto activated low cost de-oiled mustard

The present paper is aimed to investigate and develop cheap adsorption methods for colour removal from wastewater using waste material de-oiled mustard as adsorbent. De-oiled mustard, a biosorbent, was successfully utilized for removing a water-soluble xanthene dye, Erythrosine from wastewater. Kinetic studies of adsorption of Erythrosine at de-oiled mustard were carried out at 30 degrees C, using aqueous solutions with 5 x 10(-5)M concentration of Erythrosine. The adsorption process followed a pseudo-first order model. The equilibrium process can be well described by both Freundlich and Langmuir models, at 30, 40 and 50 degrees C. Free energy of adsorption (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), and entropy (DeltaS degrees ) changes were calculated to predict the nature of adsorption. The estimated values for DeltaG degrees were -12.81 x 10(3) and -12.57 x 10(3) over activated carbon and activated de-oiled mustard at 203 K (30 degrees C), indicate toward a spontaneous process. The positive value for DeltaH degrees indicates that the adsorption of Erythrosine dye to de-oiled mustard is an endothermic process.     

Adsorption characteristics of brilliant green dye on kaolin

Experimental investigations were carried out to adsorb toxic brilliant green dye from aqueous medium using kaolin as an adsorbent. Characterization of kaolin is done by measuring: (i) particle size distribution using particle size analyzer, (ii) BET surface area using BET surface analyzer, and (iii) structural analysis using X-ray diffractometer. The effects of initial dye concentration, contact time, kaolin dose, stirring speed, pH and temperature were studied for the adsorption of brilliant green in batch mode. Adsorption experiments indicate that the extent of adsorption is strongly dependent on pH of solution. Free energy of adsorption (DeltaG0), enthalpy (DeltaH0) and entropy (DeltaS0) changes are calculated to know the nature of adsorption. The calculated values of DeltaG0 at 299K and 323K indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous. The estimated values of DeltaH0 and DeltaS0 both show the negative sign, which indicate that the adsorption process is exothermic and the dye molecules are organized on the kaolin surface in less randomly fashion than in solution. The adsorption kinetic has been described by first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle-diffusion models. It was observed that the rate of dye adsorption follows pseudo-second-order model for the dye concentration range studied in the present case. Standard adsorption isotherms were used to fit the experimental equilibrium data. It was found that the adsorption of brilliant green on kaolin follows the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.     

Biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution using green alga (Ulva lactuca) biomass

The biosorption characteristics of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution using the green alga (Ulva lactuca) biomass were investigated as a function of pH, biomass dosage, contact time, and temperature. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models were applied to describe the biosorption isotherm of the metal ions by U. lactuca biomass. Langmuir model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm. The monolayer biosorption capacity of U. lactuca biomass for Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions was found to be 34.7mg/g and 29.2mg/g, respectively. From the D-R isotherm model, the mean free energy was calculated as 10.4kJ/mol for Pb(II) biosorption and 9.6kJ/mol for Cd(II) biosorption, indicating that the biosorption of both metal ions was taken place by chemisorption. The calculated thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees ) showed that the biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions onto U. lactuca biomass was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic under examined conditions. Experimental data were also tested in terms of biosorption kinetics using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The results showed that the biosorption processes of both metal ions followed well pseudo-second-order kinetics.     

Removal of direct blue-106 dye from aqueous solution using new activated carbons developed from pomegranate peel: adsorption equilibrium and kinetics

The use of cheap, high efficiency and ecofriendly adsorbent has been studied as an alternative source of activated carbon for the removal of dyes from wastewater. This study investigates the use of activated carbons prepared from pomegranate peel for the removal of direct blue dye from aqueous solution. A series of experiments were conducted in a batch system to assess the effect of the system variables, i.e. initial pH, temperature, initial dye concentration adsorbent dosage and contact time. The results showed that the adsorption of direct blue dye was maximal at pH 2, as the amount of adsorbent increased, the percentage of dye removal increased accordingly but it decreased with the increase in initial dye concentration and solution temperature. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow pseudo-second-order rate kinetic model, with a good correlation (R(2)>0.99) and intra-particle diffusion as one of the rate determining steps. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-RadushKevich (D-R) and Harkins-Jura isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data at different temperatures. In addition, various thermodynamic parameters, such as standard Gibbs free energy (DeltaG degrees ), standard enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), standard entropy (DeltaS degrees ), and the activation energy (E(a)) have been calculated. The adsorption process of direct blue dye onto different activated carbons prepared from pomegranate peel was found to be spontaneous and exothermic process. The findings of this investigation suggest that the physical sorption plays a role in controlling the sorption rate.     

Studies on sorption of Cd(II) on Tata chromite mine overburden

Chromite mine overburden containing iron as oxide/hydroxide, a waste material generated in chromite mines was used as sorbent for cadmium. The iron content of material was 43.75% with a specific surface area of 50.8m(2)/g. Batch experiments were conducted to study the sorption behavior of Cd(II) on this material. The variable experimental parameters were: time, pH, temperature, Cd(II) and sample concentration. The point of zero charge (PZC) of the overburden sample was experimentally determined as 6.48 which shifted to a pH of 7.8 when the sample was equilibrated with 100 mg/L Cd(II) solution. Maximum loading capacity of the overburden sample was found to be approximately 19 mg Cd/g of material. It was observed that within 30 min the sorption attains equilibrium. Hence, the sorption data generated at 30 min with various initial Cd(II) concentrations and temperatures were taken to evaluate the thermodynamic parameters, i.e., DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees . The DeltaG degrees values reflect the feasibility of the metal removal from aqueous solution. The negative values of DeltaH degrees confirmed the exothermic sorption of cadmium and the positive DeltaS degrees values suggested the increased randomness at the solid-solution interface. The sorption data fitted well to both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models indicating a monolayer sorption. The value of Freundlich parameter 'n' (n is indicative of sorption intensity) lying between 1.46 and 1.59 shows that the surface of the sorbent is heterogeneous in nature.     

Guava (Psidium guajava) leaf powder: novel adsorbent for removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions

Batch sorption experiments were carried out using a novel adsorbent, guava leaf powder (GLP), for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Potential of GLP for adsorption of MB from aqueous solution was found to be excellent. Effects of process parameters pH, adsorbent dosage, concentration, particle size and temperature were studied. Temperature-concentration interaction effect on dye uptake was studied and a quadratic model was proposed to predict dye uptake in terms of concentration, time and temperature. The model conforms closely to the experimental data. The model was used to find optimum temperature and concentration that result in maximum dye uptake. Langmuir model represent the experimental data well. Maximum dye uptake was found to be 295mg/g, indicating that GLP can be used as an excellent low-cost adsorbent. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion models were tested. From experimental data it was found that adsorption of MB onto GLP follow pseudo second order kinetics. External diffusion and intraparticle diffusion play roles in adsorption process. Free energy of adsorption (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy change (DeltaH degrees ) and entropy change (DeltaS degrees ) were calculated to predict the nature of adsorption. Adsorption in packed bed was also evaluated.     

Biosorption of Cu(II) ions onto the litter of natural trembling poplar forest

The litter of natural trembling poplar (Populus tremula) forest (LNTPF) was used for the biosorption of Cu(II) ions in a batch adsorption experiments. The sorption capacity of LNTPF was investigated as a function of pH, particle size, agitating speed, initial Cu(II) concentration, adsorbent concentration and temperature. The efficiency of copper uptake by the used LNTPF increases with a rise of solution pH, adsorbent concentration, agitating speed, temperature, and with a decline of particle size and initial Cu(II) concentration. The biosorption process was very fast; 94% of Cu(II) removal occurred within 5 min and equilibrium was reached at around 30 min. Batch adsorption models, based on the assumption of the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order mechanism were applied to examine the adsorption kinetics. The pseudo-second order model was found to best fit the kinetic data. EPR studies combined with FTIR spectroscopy were used to represent the biosorption mechanism. Thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaH degrees, DeltaS degrees and DeltaG degrees were calculated. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic and spontaneous. Equilibrium data fitted well to Langmuir adsorption model. This study proved that the LNTPF can be used as an effective, cheap and abundant adsorbent for the treatment of Cu(II) containing wastewaters.     

Seaweeds for the remediation of wastewaters contaminated with zinc(II) ions

Eleven different species of marine macroalgae were screened at different pH conditions on the basis of zinc(II) biosorption potential. Among the seaweeds, a green alga, Ulva reticulata, exhibited a highest uptake of 36.1 mg/g at pH 5.5 and 100 mg/l initial zinc(II) concentration. Further experiments were conducted to evaluate the zinc(II) biosorption potential of U. reticulata. Sorption isotherm data obtained at different pH (5-6) and temperature (25-35 degrees C) conditions were fitted well with Sips model followed by Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson and Langmuir models. A maximum zinc(II) biosorption capacity of 135.5 mg/g was observed at optimum conditions of 5.5 (pH) and 30 degrees C (temperature), according to the Langmuir model. It was observed from the kinetic data that the zinc(II) biosorption process using U. reticulata follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees were calculated and they indicated that the present system was a spontaneous and an endothermic process. The influence of the co-ions (Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) along with zinc(II) present in the wastewater was also studied. Desorption of zinc(II) ions from the zinc(II)-loaded biomass were examined using 0.1 M CaCl(2) at different pH conditions in three sorption-desorption cycles. A fixed-bed column (2 cm i.d. and 35 cm height) was employed to evaluate the continuous biosorption performance of U. reticulata. The column experiments at different bed heights and flow rates revealed that the maximum zinc(II) uptake was obtained at the highest bed height (25 cm) and the lowest flow rate (5 ml/min). Column data were fitted well with Thomas, Yoon-Nelson and modified dose-response models. The column regeneration studies were carried out for three sorption-desorption cycles. A loss of sorption performance was observed during regeneration cycles indicated by a shortened breakthrough time and a decreased zinc(II) uptake.     

Adsorption of basic dye on high-surface-area activated carbon prepared from coconut husk: equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Adsorption isotherm and kinetics of methylene blue on activated carbon prepared from coconut husk were determined from batch tests. The effects of contact time (1-30 h), initial dye concentration (50-500 mg/l) and solution temperature (30-50 degrees C) were investigated. Equilibrium data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The equilibrium data were best represented by Langmuir isotherm model, showing maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 434.78 mg/g. The kinetic data were fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion models, and was found to follow closely the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters such as standard enthalpy (DeltaH degrees), standard entropy (DeltaS degrees) and standard free energy (DeltaG degrees) were evaluated. The adsorption interaction was found to be exothermic in nature. Coconut husk-based activated carbon was shown to be a promising adsorbent for removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions.     

Sorption equilibrium of mercury onto ground-up tree fern

The sorption behavior of mercury at different temperatures onto ground-up tree fern was investigated. The experimental results were fitted to two two-parameter isotherms, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, as well as to two three-parameter isotherms, the Redlich-Peterson and Sips isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. A comparison of best-fitting was performed using the coefficient of determination and Chi-square test. Both the Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson isotherms were found to well represent the measured sorption data. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the saturated monolayer sorption capacity of mercury ions onto ground-up tree fern was 26.5 mg/g at 298 K. It was noted that an increase in temperature resulted in a higher mercury ion loading per unit weight of the tree fern. In addition, various thermodynamic parameters, such as DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees, and DeltaS degrees, were calculated and compared with the sorption of mercury by other sorbents.     

Adsorption of reactive dye onto carbon nanotubes: equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics

The adsorption efficiency of carbon nanotubes for Procion Red MX-5B at various pHs and temperatures was examined. The amount adsorbed increased with the CNTs dosage; however, the adsorption capacity initially increased with the CNTs dosage (<0.25 g/l) and then declined as the CNTs dosage increased further (>0.25 g/l). The linear correlation coefficients and standard deviations of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were determined and the results revealed that Langmuir isotherm fitted the experimental results well. Kinetic analyses were conducted using pseudo first- and second-order models and the intraparticle diffusion model. The regression results showed that the adsorption kinetics were more accurately represented by a pseudo second-order model. Changes in the free energy of adsorption (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ) and entropy (DeltaS degrees), as well as the activation energy (E(a)) were determined. DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees were 31.55 kJ/mol and 216.99J/molK, respectively, at pH 6.5 and 41.47 kJ/mol and 244.64 J/molK at pH 10. The activation energy was 33.35 kJ/mol at pH 6.5. DeltaH degrees, DeltaG degrees and E(a) all suggested that the adsorption of Procion Red MX-5B onto CNTs was by physisorption.     

Removal of malachite green by using an invasive marine alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea

The biosorption of a cationic dye, malachite green oxalate (MG) from aqueous solution onto an invasive marine alga Caulerpa racemosa var. cylindracea (CRC) was investigated at different temperatures (298, 308 and 318 K). The dye adsorption onto CRC was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Equilibrium data were analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) equations. All of the isotherm parameters were calculated. The Freundlich model gave a better conformity than Langmuir equation. The mean free energy values (E) from DR isotherm were also estimated. In order to clarify the sorption kinetic, the fit of pseudo-first-order kinetic model, second-order kinetic model and intraparticle diffusion model were investigated. It was obtained that the biosorption process followed the pseudo-second-order rate kinetics. From thermodynamic studies the free energy changes were found to be -7.078, -9.848 and -10.864 kJ mol(-1) for 298, 308 and 318 K, respectively. This implied the spontaneous nature of biosorption and the type of adsorption as physisorption. Activation energy value for MG sorption (E(a)) was found to be 37.14 kJ mol(-1). It could be also derived that this result supported physisorption as a type of adsorption.     

Utilization of fermentation waste (Corynebacterium glutamicum) for biosorption of Reactive Black 5 from aqueous solution

A fermentation waste, Corynebacterium glutamicum, was successfully employed as a biosorbent for Reactive Black 5 (RB5) from aqueous solution. This paper initially studied the effect of pretreatment on the biosorption capacity of C. glutamicum toward RB5, using several chemical agents, such as HCl, H(2)SO(4), HNO(3), NaOH, Na(2)CO(3), CaCl(2) and NaCl. Among these reagents, 0.1M HNO(3) gave the maximum enhancement of the RB5 uptake, exhibiting 195mg/g at pH 1 with an initial RB5 concentration of 500mg/l. The solution pH and temperature were found to affect the biosorption capacity, and the biosorption isotherms derived at different pHs and temperatures revealed that a low pH (pH 1) and high temperature (35 degrees C) favored biosorption. The biosorption isotherm was well represented using three-parameter models (Redlich-Peterson and Sips) compared to two-parameter models (Langmuir and Freundlich models). As a result, high correlation coefficients and low average percentage error values were observed for three-parameter models. A maximum RB5 uptake of 419mg/g was obtained at pH 1 and a temperature of 35 degrees C, according to the Langmuir model. The kinetics of the biosorption process with different initial concentrations (500-2000mg/l) was also monitored, and the data were analyzed using pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models, with the latter describing the data well. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as DeltaG degrees, DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees, were calculated, indicating that the present system was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The use of a 0.1M NaOH solution successfully desorbed almost all the dye molecules from dye-loaded C. glutamicum biomass at different solid-to-liquid ratios examined.     

Phosphoric acid modified-Y zeolites: a novel, efficient and versatile ion exchanger

Large pore HY zeolite was modified with phosphoric acid by wet method. The modified zeolite was converted to Na(+) form using aqueous NaHCO(3) solution(.) The Na(+) form of modified zeolite, represented as PNa(2)Y, was characterized by XRD, BET surface area, SEM, and AAS techniques. The XRD analysis showed diffraction patterns same as that of parent HY zeolite, as a result there has been no structural degradation during modification. It was then tested for sorption of Cu(2+) ions from aqueous solution. The Cu(2+) content of the solution was analyzed by AAS. PNa(2)-Y shows higher sorption capacity ( approximately 40%) than the parent Na-Y ( approximately 23%) zeolite, which is attributed to the double of amount Na(+) content in PNa(2)-Y compared to the Na-Y zeolite. Equilibrium modeling data were found to fit more to the linear Langmuir model than the Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters such as change in free energy (DeltaG degrees ), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), and entropy (DeltaS degrees ), were also calculated. These parameters confirmed that the sorption of Cu(2+) is feasible, spontaneous and endothermic.     

An adsorption study of Al(III) ions onto chitosan

The adsorption of Al(III) from aqueous solutions onto chitosan was studied in a batch system. The isotherms and the kinetics of adsorption with respect to the initial Al(III) concentration and temperature were investigated. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the experimental isotherms. Equilibrium data fitted very well to the Langmuir model in the entire concentration range (5-40 mg/L). The negative values of free energy (DeltaG degrees ) and enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ) for the adsorption of Al(III) onto chitosan indicated that the adsorption process is a spontaneous and exothermic one. Two simplified kinetic models, based on pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order equations, were tested to describe the adsorption mechanism. The pseudo second-order kinetic model resulted in an activation energy of 56.4 kJ/mol. It is suggested that the overall rate of Al(III) ion adsorption is likely to be controlled by the chemical process. The values of the enthalpy (DeltaH(#)) and entropy (DeltaS(#)) of activation were 53.7 kJ/mol and -164.4 J/molK, respectively. The free energy of activation (DeltaG(#)) at 30 degrees C was 103.5 kJ/mol.