Removal of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by Alternanthera philoxeroides biomass

Alternanthera philoxeroides biomass, a type of freshwater macrophyte, was used for the sorptive removal of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions. Variables of the batch experiments include solution pH, contact time, particle size and temperature. The biosorption capacities are significantly affected by solution pH. Higher pH favors higher Ni(II), Zn(II) removal, whereas higher uptake of Cr(VI) is observed as the pH is decreased. A two-stage kinetic behavior is observed in the biosorption of Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cr(VI): very rapid initial biosorption in a few minutes, followed by a long period of a slower uptake. It is noted that an increase in temperature results in a higher Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cr(VI) loading per unit weight of the sorbent. Decreasing the particle sizes of the Alternanthera philoxeroides biomass leads to an increase in the Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cr(VI) uptake per unit weight of the sorbent. All isothermal data are fairly well fitted with Langmuir equations. The thermodynamic parameter, DeltaG degrees, were calculated. The negative DeltaG degrees values of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Zn(II) at various temperatures confirm the adsorption processes are spontaneous.     

Removal of copper(II) from aqueous solution by Jordanian pottery materials

The aim of this work was to assess the possibility of removing some heavy metals from water by a low-cost adsorbent, like Jordanian raw pottery. Five types of raw and modified pottery materials have been investigated. The effects of initial metal concentration, agitation time, pH and temperature on the removal of Cu(II) were studied. A pseudo-first order was used to test the adsorption kinetics. In order to investigate the sorption isotherm, two equilibrium models, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, were analyzed. The effect of solution pH on the adsorption onto pottery was studied in the pH range 1-5. The adsorption was exothermic at ambient temperature and the computation of the parameters, DeltaH, DeltaS and DeltaG, indicated the interactions to be thermodynamically favorable.     

Biosorption of palladium(II) from aqueous solution by moss (Racomitrium lanuginosum) biomass: equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) removal by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) were investigated with self-made polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes in the present work. Permeability and ion rejection efficiency of the membrane were tested before the arsenic removal experiments. A maximum permeate flux 20.90 kg/m(2)h was obtained, and due to the hydrophobic property, the PVDF membrane had high rejection of inorganic anions and cations which was independent of the solution pH and the temperature. The experimental results indicated that DCMD process had higher removal efficiency of arsenic than pressure-driven membrane processes, especially for high-concentration arsenic and arsenite removal. The experimental results indicated that the permeate As(III) and As(V) were under the maximum contaminant limit (10 microg/L) until the feed As(III) and As(V) achieved 40 and 2000 mg/L, respectively. The 250 h simultaneous DCMD performance of 0.5mg/L As(III) and As(V) solution was carried out, respectively. The permeate arsenic was not detected during the process which showed the PVDF membrane had stable arsenic removal efficiency. Membrane morphology changed slightly after the experiments, however, the permeability and the ion rejection of the membrane did not change.     

Kinetic and equilibrium studies of biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution by macrofungus (Amanita rubescens) biomass

The biosorption characteristics of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution using the macrofungus (Amanita rubescens) 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 A. rubescens biomass. Langmuir model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum biosorption capacity of A. rubescens for Pb(II) and Cd(II) was found to be 38.4 and 27.3mg/g, respectively, at optimum conditions of pH 5.0, contact time of 30min, biomass dosage of 4 g/L, and temperature of 20 degrees C. The metal ions were desorbed from A. rubescens using both 1M HCl and 1M HNO(3). The recovery for both metal ions was found to be higher than 90%. The high stability of A. rubescens permitted ten times of adsorption-elution process along the studies without a decrease about 10% in recovery of both metal ions. The mean free energy values evaluated from the D-R model indicated that the biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) onto A. rubescens biomass was taken place by chemical ion-exchange. The calculated thermodynamic parameters, DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees and DeltaS degrees showed that the biosorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions onto A. rubescens 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 Pb(II) and Cd(II) followed well pseudo-second-order kinetics. Based on all results, It can be also concluded that it can be evaluated as an alternative biosorbent to treatment wastewater containing Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions, since A. rubescens is low-cost biomass and has a considerable high biosorption capacity.     

Removal of cadmium (II) from aqueous solutions by adsorption on agricultural waste biomass

This paper reports the feasibility of using various agricultural residues viz. sugarcane bagasse (SCB), maize corncob (MCC) and Jatropha oil cake (JOC) for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution under different experimental conditions. Effect of various process parameters, viz., initial metal ion concentration, pH, and adsorbent dose has been studied for the removal of cadmium. Batch experiments were carried out at various pH (2-7), adsorbent dose (250-2000 mg), Cd(II) concentration (5-500 mg l(-1)) for a contact time of 60 min. The maximum cadmium removal capacity was shown by JOC (99.5%). The applicability of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm suggests the formation of monolayer of Cd(II) ions onto the outer surface of the adsorbents. Maximum metal removal was observed at pH 6.0 with a contact time of 60 min at stirring speed of 250 rpm with an adsorbent dose of 20 g l(-1) of the test solution. The maximum adsorption of cadmium (II) metal ions was observed at pH 6 for all the adsorbents viz; 99.5%, 99% and 85% for JOC, MCC, and SCB, respectively. Order of Cd(II) removal by various biosorbents was JOC>MCC>SCB. JOC may be an alternative biosorbent for the removal of Cd(II) ions from the aqueous solution. FT-IR spectra of the adsorbents (before use and after exhaustion) were recorded to explore number and position of the functional groups available for the binding of Cd(II) ions on to studied adsorbents. These results can be helpful in designing a batch mode system for the removal of cadmium from dilute wastewaters.     

Removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution by oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were employed as sorbent to study the sorption characteristic of Pb(II) from aqueous solution as a function of contact time, pH, ionic strength, foreign ions, and oxidized MWCNTs' contents under ambient conditions using batch technique. The results indicate that sorption of Pb(II) on oxidized MWCNTs is strongly dependent on pH values, and independent of ionic strength and the type of foreign ions. The removal of Pb(II) to oxidized MWCNTs is rather quickly and the kinetic sorption can be described by a pseudo-second-order model very well. Sorption of Pb(II) is mainly dominated by surface complexation rather than ion exchange. The efficient removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution is limited at pH 7-10. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is performed to study the sorption mechanism at a molecular level and thereby to identify the species of the sorption processes. The 3-D relationship of pH, Ceq and q indicates that all the data of Ceq-q lie in a straight line with slope -V/m and intercept C0V/m for the same initial concentration of Pb(II) and same content of oxidized MWCNTs of each experimental data.     

Removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution by agricultural waste biomass

In the present study adsorption of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions onto different agricultural wastes, viz., sugarcane bagasse, maize corn cob and Jatropha oil cake under various experimental conditions has been studied. Effects of adsorbent dosage, Cr(VI) concentration, pH and contact time on the adsorption of hexavalent chromium were investigated. The concentration of chromium in the test solution was determined spectrophotometrically. FT-IR spectra of the adsorbents (before use and after exhaustion) were recorded to explore number and position of the functional groups available for the binding of chromium ions on to studied adsorbents. SEMs of the adsorbents were recorded to explore the morphology of the studied adsorbents. Maximum adsorption was observed in the acidic medium at pH 2 with a contact time of 60min at 250rpm stirring speed. Jatropha oil cake had better adsorption capacity than sugarcane bagasse and maize corn cob under identical experimental conditions. The applicability of the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms was tested. The results showed that studied adsorbents can be an attractive low cost alternative for the treatment of wastewaters in batched or stirred mode reactors containing lower concentrations of chromium.     

Removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution by adsorption onto acid-activated palygorskite

A series of activated palygorskite clay by HCl with different concentrations was prepared and applied as adsorbents for removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. The effects of contact time, adsorbent dosages and pHs of suspension on the adsorption capacities for Cu(II) were investigated. The results showed that adsorption capacity of activated palygorskites increased with increasing the HCl concentration and the maximum adsorption capacity with 32.24 mg/g for Cu(II) is obtained at 12 mol/L of HCl concentration. The variations in IR spectra and pH of solution after adsorption Cu(II) confirmed that the numerous amount of silanol groups (Si-OH) originated by acid treatment were mainly responsible for Cu(II) adsorption onto acid-activated palygorskite. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption mechanisms in the Cu(II)/acid-activated palygorskite system followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with a relatively small contribution of film diffusion. Equilibrium data fitted well with Freundlich isotherm model compared to Langmuir isotherm model, indicating that adsorption takes place on heterogeneous surfaces of the acid-activated palygorskite. Adsorption-desorption studies presented that activated palygorskite has lower adsorption and desorption efficiencies using Cu(CH3COO)2 than that of other inorganic copper salts, such as CuSO4, Cu(NO3)2, and CuCl2.     

Removal of nickel from aqueous solution by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis

The biosorption of the toxic metal (nickel) from aqueous solutions on dried vegetative cell and spore-crystal mixture of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis was tested under laboratory conditions as a function of pH, initial metal ion concentration and temperature. The characteristics of the adsorption process were investigated using Scatchard analysis. Scatchard analysis of the equilibrium binding data for metal ions on vegetative cell and spore-crystal mixture of B. thuringiensis gave rise to a linear plot, indicating that the Langmuir model could be applied successfully. Adsorption behaviour of nickel(II) ion on B. thuringiensis is expressed by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption data with respect to the metal provided an excellent fit to both isotherms. Ni(II) ion uptake of B. thuringiensis's spore-crystal mixture at 250 mg l(-1) was 15.7%, whereas its vegetative cell metal uptake was 10%. The best temperature for ion uptake was found to be at 35 degrees C.     

Removal of chromium(VI) from aqueous solution by activated carbons: kinetic and equilibrium studies

The objective of this study is to assess the uptake of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions onto activated carbons (AC) produced from wood. Two activated carbons are tested, a KOH-activated carbon and a commercial H3PO4-activated carbon (Acticarbone CXV). The adsorption of Cr(VI) is maximal at the lowest values of pH (pH 3) and increases with temperature for both adsorbents. The KOH-activated carbon shows higher capacity for adsorption of Cr(VI) than Acticarbone. The sorption isotherms fit the Langmuir model accurately. The adsorption reaction was found to obey a pseudo second-order rate. The activation energy and the pre-exponential factor as well as the thermodynamic functions related to adsorption reaction, DeltaS degrees , DeltaH degrees , DeltaG degrees , were determined. Nevertheless, the global reaction rate is probably controlled by the intra-particular diffusion of Cr(VI) and the mass diffusivity of Cr(VI) was evaluated.     

Removal and recovery of zirconium from its aqueous solution by Candida tropicalis

Removal and recovery of zirconium from dilute aqueous solutions by Candida tropicalis used as biosorbent, was studied by performing biosorption-desorption tests. This biosorbent was selected after screening a range of microbial species. The process was found to be highly dependent on initial pH and concentration of metal solution. At optimized experimental parameters, the maximum zirconium biosorption capacity of C. tropicalis was 179 mg Zr g(-1) dry weight of biosorbent. The adsorption distribution coefficient value of 3968 ml g(-1) was obtained for zirconium biosorption by C. tropicalis. Different theoretical thermodynamic models governing the adsorption behavior of zirconium were also tested. Zirconium biosorption was found to closely follow the Langmuir model. At low biomass concentrations it was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. However when higher biomass concentrations were used kinetics was changed to pseudo-second-order. The zirconium bound to the biomass was stripped out (60.2% at S/L of 1.0 g of zirconium loaded biomass/l of eluent) using sodium bicarbonate and the biomass could be used for multiple sorption-desorption cycles.     

Removal of nickel(II) ions from aqueous solution using crab shell particles in a packed bed up-flow column

This paper investigates the ability of crab shell to remove nickel(II) ions from aqueous solution in a packed bed up-flow column with an internal diameter of 2 cm. The experiments were performed with different bed heights (15-25 cm) and using different flow rates (5-20 ml/min) in order to obtain experimental breakthrough curves. The bed depth service time (BDST) model was used to analyze the experimental data and the model parameters were evaluated. The column regeneration studies were carried out for seven sorption-desorption cycles. The elutant used for the regeneration of the sorbent was 0.01 M EDTA (disodium) solution at pH 9.8 adjusted using NH4OH. Due to continuous usage of crab shell, a performance loss was observed as the breakthrough curves become more flattened also indicated by the broadened mass transfer zone. The breakthrough time decreased uniformly from 28.1 to 9.5 h as the cycles progressed from one to seven, whereas nickel uptake remained approximately constant throughout the seven cycles. The life-factors for crab shell in terms of critical bed length and breakthrough time were found to be 1.1 cm/cycle and 0.17 per cycle, respectively. The elution efficiency was greater than 99.1% in all the seven cycles. The pH profiles during both sorption and desorption process were also reported. In sorption cycles, there was a sudden raise in pH in the early part of the process and then the pH decreased as the time progressed. In desorption cycles, pH decreased in initial stages and followed by gradual increase in pH, which eventually reached the pH of the inlet elutant.     

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 Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by adsorption using bael leaves (Aegle marmelos)

Biosorption of Pb(II) on bael leaves (Aegle marmelos) was investigated for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution using different doses of adsorbent, initial pH, and contact time. The maximum Pb loading capacity of the bael leaves was 104 mg g^?1 at 50 mg L^?1 initial Pb(II) concentration at pH 5.1. SEM and FT-IR studies indicated that the adsorption of Pb(II) occurs inside the wall of the hollow tubes present in the bael leaves and carboxylic acid, thioester and sulphonamide groups are involved in the process. The sorption process was best described by pseudo second order kinetics. Among Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, the latter had a better fit with the experimental data. The activation energy E_a confirmed that the nature of adsorption was physisorption. Bael leaves can selectively remove Pb(II) in the presence of other metal ions. This was demonstrated by removing Pb from the effluent of exhausted batteries.     

Removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution using modified and unmodified kaolinite clay

Modified kaolinite clay with 25% (w/w) aluminium sulphate and unmodified kaolin were investigated as adsorbents to remove Pb(II) from aqueous solution. The results show that amount of Pb(II) adsorbed onto modified kaolin (20 mg/g) was more than 4.5-fold than that adsorbed onto unmodified kaolin (4.2 mg/g) under the optimized condition. In addition, the linear Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to describe equilibrium isotherm. It is observed that the data from both adsorbents fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm. The kinetic adsorption of modified and unmodified kaolinite clay fitted well to the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, both modified and unmodified kaolinite clay were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, both modified and unmodified kaolinite clay were used to remove metal ions from real wastewater, and results show that higher amount of Pb(II) (the concentration reduced from 178 to 27.5 mg/L) and other metal ions were removed by modified kaolinite clay compared with using unmodified adsorbent (the concentration reduced from 178 to 168 mg/L).     

Adsorption of nickel(II) from aqueous solution onto activated carbon prepared from almond husk

Activated carbon was prepared from almond husk by activating without (MAC-I) and with (MAC-II) H(2)SO(4) at different temperatures. The ability of the activated carbon to remove nickel(II) ions from aqueous solutions by adsorption has been investigated under several conditions such as pH, carbonisation temperature of husk, initial concentration of metal ions, contact time, and adsorbent concentration. Optimal conditions were pH 5.0, the carbonisation temperature of 700 degrees C, 50 min of contact time and adsorbent concentration of 5 g/l. The results indicate that the effective uptake of Ni(II) ions was obtained by activating the carbon, prepared from almond husk at 700 degrees C, through the addition of H(2)SO(4). The removal of Ni(II) were found to be 97.8% at initial concentration of 25mg/l and the adsorbent concentration of 5 g/l. When the adsorbent concentration was increased up to 40 g/l, the adsorption density decreased from 4.89 to 0.616 mg/g for MAC-II. In the isotherm studies, the experimental adsorption data fitted reasonably well the Langmuir isotherm for both MAC-I and MAC-II.     

Removal of nickel from aqueous solutions by sawdust

The main parameters influencing Nickel (II) metal sorption on maple sawdust were: initial metal ion concentration, amount of adsorbent, and pH value of solution. The maximum percent metal removal was attained after about 1h. The greatest increase in the rate of adsorption of metal ions on sawdust was observed for pH changes from 2 to 5. An empirical relationship has been obtained to predict the percentage Nickel (II) removal at any time for known values of sorbent and initial sorbate concentration. The experimental results provided evidence for chelation ion exchange as the major adsorption mechanisms for binding metal ions to the sawdust. The adsorbent can be effectively regenerated using 0.1 M strong acid and reused.     

Removal of disperse dye from aqueous solution by novel adsorbent prepared from biomass plant material

The adsorption of Disperse Orange 25 (3-[N-ethyl-4-(4-nitrophenylazo) phenylamino] propionitrile) onto activated carbon was investigated in a batch system with respect to contact time, carbon dosage, pH and temperature from aqueous solutions. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) adsorption models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms and the isotherm constants were also determined. The Langmuir isotherm model agrees with the experimental data well. Maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) of Disperse Orange 25 onto adsorbent was 118.93 mg g⁻¹ at 20 °C. The first-order, pseudo-second-order kinetic models and the intraparticle diffusion model were used to describe the kinetic data and the rate constants were evaluated as well. The experimental data fitted very well to pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The results show that activated carbon prepared from Euphorbia rigida by sulfuric acid chemical activation could be employed as low-cost material to compare with commercial activated carbon for the removal of disperse dyes from effluents.     

Removal of mercury(II) from aqueous media using eucalyptus bark: Kinetic and equilibrium studies

In this study, eucalyptus camaldulensis bark, a forest solid waste, is proposed as a novel material for the removal of mercury(II) from aqueous phase. The operating variables studied were sorbent dosage, ionic strength, stirring speed, temperature, solution pH, contact time, and initial metal concentration. Sorption experiments indicated that the sorption capacity was dependent on operating variables and the process was strongly pH-dependent. Kinetic measurements showed that the process was uniform and rapid. In order to investigate the mechanism of sorption, kinetic data were modeled using the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic equations, and intraparticle diffusion model. Among the kinetic models studied, the pseudo-second-order equation was the best applicable model to describe the sorption process. Equilibrium isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms. The Langmuir model yields a much better fit than the Freundlich model. Isotherms have also been used to obtain the thermodynamic parameters such as free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of sorption. The maximum sorption capacity was 33.11 mg g⁻¹ at 20 °C and the negative value of free energy change indicated the spontaneous nature of sorption. These results demonstrate that eucalyptus bark is very effective in the removal of Hg(II) from aqueous solutions.     

Removal of copper(II) and lead(II) from aqueous solution by manganese oxide coated sand II. Equilibrium study and competitive adsorption

The adsorption equilibrium of MOCS and the Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions removal capacity by MOCS in single-(non-competitive) and binary-(competitive) component sorption systems from aqueous solutions were investigated. The equilibrium data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Redlich-Peterson isotherms. The characteristic parameters for each isotherm were determined. The Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson isotherms provided the best correlation for both Cu(II) and Pb(II) onto MOCS. From the Langmuir isotherms, maximum adsorption capacities of MOCS towards Cu(II) and Pb(II) are determined at different temperature. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) and Pb(II) per gram MOCS in single component sorption systems were from 5.91 and 7.71 micromol to 7.56 and 9.22 micromol for the temperature range of 288-318 K, respectively. The order of affinity based on a weight uptake by MOCS was as follows: Pb(II)>Cu(II). The same behavior was observed during competitive adsorption that is in the case of adsorption from their binary solution. The thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degrees , DeltaH degrees , and DeltaS degrees) for Cu(II) and Pb(II) sorption on MOCS were also determined from the temperature dependence. This competitive adsorption showed that the uptake of each metal was considerably reduced with an increasing concentration of the other, the adsorption of Cu(II) being more strongly influenced by Pb(II) than vice versa due to the higher affinity of MOCS for the latter.