Adsorption of Cd(II) from aqueous solution onto pyrite

The physicochemical factors such as equilibrium time, solution pH, initial concentration of Cd(II), particle size and temperature that control the adsorption of Cd(II) from aqueous solutions onto pyrite has been investigated through batch experiments. Prior to this study, pyrite was characterized through chemical and XRD-analysis. The point of zero charge, pH_pzc was determined using the batch equilibrium technique and was found to be 6.4. The equilibrium time was 30 min at the solution pH of 6.0. The pH influence of Cd(II) adsorption was remarkable and maximum metal uptake was observed at 6.0 which is closer to pH_pzc. Under this weakly acidic condition Cd(II) ions are responsible for adsorption. Concentration dependence of metal uptake indicates that saturation of pyrite surface by adsorbate occurs at an initial Cd(II) concentration of 350 mg/L and the corresponding metal uptake was 576.5 mg/L of −150 mesh size pyrite at pH 6.0 and 30 °C. Particle size affects the adsorption capacity to a great extent and a decrease in particle diameter enhances metal uptake. The effect of temperature on adsorption performance reveals that the effective temperature for Cd(II) adsorption is 30 °C. The empirical Freundlich isotherm was applied to represent the adsorption process, which fits the experimental data quite well. The work reveals that natural pyrite is a very good choice as an adsorbent for the removal of toxic metals from industrial wastewater and bears significant industrial implications.