Typha domingensis leaf powder for decontamination of aluminium, iron, zinc and lead: Biosorption kinetics and equilibrium modeling

The present study explores the effectiveness of Typha domingensis leaf powder for simultaneous removal of aluminium, iron, zinc and lead ions from aqueous solution. Batch experiments were carried out in laboratory at room temperature and at initial ions concentrations simulating the concentrations of these cations in real wastewater samples. The sorption process was examined applying the first and second order kinetic mechanisms. The results were best described by the second order rate kinetics. The applicability of the three equilibrium isotherm models was investigated. The obtained data follow the three investigated isothermal models in the following order: Langmuir > Freundlich > Temkin, for all the studied metal ions. The infrared spectra of native and exhausted Typha leaf powder confirmed ions-biomass interactions responsible for sorption. The results showed that Typha domingensis leaf powder can easily be envisaged as a new low cost natural biosorbent for metal clean up operations in aquatic systems.     

Saraca indica leaf powder for decontamination of Pb: removal, recovery, adsorbent characterization and equilibrium modeling

The present study explores the effectiveness of Saraca indica leaf powder, a surplus low value agricultural waste, in removing Pb ions from aqueous solution. The influence of pH, biomass dosage, contact time, particle size and metal concentration on the removal process were investigated. Batch studies indicated that maximum biosorption capacity for Pb was 95.37% at the pH 6.5. The sorption process followed the first order rate kinetics. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted best to both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Morphological changes observed in scanning electron micrographs of untreated and metal treated biomass confirmed the phenomenon of biosorption. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of native and exhausted leaf powder confirmed lead biomass interactions responsible for sorption. Acid regeneration was tried for several cycles with a view to recover the sorbed metal ion and also to restore the sorbent to its original state. The findings showed that Saraca indica leaf powder can easily be envisaged as a new, vibrant, low cost biosorbent for metal clean up operations.     

Lead removal from wastewater using fluted pumpkin seed shell activated carbon: Adsorption modeling and kinetics

Activated carbon produced from fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) seed shell was utilized for the removal of lead (II) ion from simulated wastewater. Adsorption tests were carried out in series of batch adsorption experiments. Several kinetic models (Bhattacharya-Venkobacher, Elovich, pseudo first and second order, intra-particle and film diffusion) were tasted for conformity to the experimental data obtained. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were also used to test the data. The amount of lead (II) ion adsorbed at equilibrium from a 200 mg/L solute concentration was 14.286 mg/g. The experimental data conform very well to the pseudo-second order equation where equilibrium adsorption capacities increased with increasing initial lead (II) concentration. The rate of the adsorption process was controlled by the film (boundary layer) diffusion as the film diffusion co-efficient values obtained from data analysis were of the order of 10 ⁶cm²/s. From the plots, the linear regression coefficient (R²) of the Langmuir model was higher than that of the Freundlich: the adsorption isotherm obeyed the Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model.     

Removal of zinc(II) from aqueous solutions using modified agricultural wastes: kinetics and equilibrium studies

In recent years, the need for safe and economical methods to eliminate heavy metals from contaminated waters has necessitated research on the production of low-cost alternatives to commercially available activated carbon. In the present work, in order to enhance the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water, Zizyphus vulgaris wastes were modified chemically to produce an adsorbent rich in carboxylic groups to enhance the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water. Adsorption of Zn(II) ions on the produced adsorbent was then optimized. The optimal ratio for esterification involved the treatment of Z. vulgaris wastes (1 g) with 0.0037 mmol malic acid in the presence of a very small amount of water for 2 h at 140 °C. The maximum values for adsorption capacity, q _max, were 28.7 and 164.6 mg/g on native and modified Z. vulgaris wastes, respectively, at pH 5 and 30 °C with a contact time 2 h and an initial metal ion concentration of 400 mg/L. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models and demonstrated the significant capacity for Z. vulgaris wastes in the removal of Zn(II) ions from aqueous solutions.     

Application of nanoadsorbents for removal of lead from water

Enormous increase in the application of various heavy metals including lead for commercial and non-commercial purposes has also led to their enhanced occurrence in the effluents from industries and domestic discharge creating substantial environmental concerns. The existing techniques for removal of these contaminants such as reverse osmosis and ion exchange suffer a few disadvantages and hence, thrust to develop efficient techniques for the removal have been ever increasing. Adsorption based on the use of nanoadsorbents is promising being cost effective and based on the ease of operation. The present work furnishes a detailed overview on nanoadsorbents for removal of lead from water. The various nanoadsorbents covered in the analysis include alumina, anatase, carbon nanotubes, chitosan, copper, iron and zinc oxide, magnetite, nanoclay and zirconium nanoparticles. The review also gives an insight into the synthesis and characterization of nanoadsorbents followed by guidelines on optimum operating parameters to be used in the removal process for maximizing the extent of removal. The typical optimum conditions established based on the critical analysis of literature are pH ≤ 6, contact time ≥60 min and optimum adsorbent dose dependent on the nanomaterials. Comparison of different nanoparticles revealed that titanium oxide and hematite nanoparticles are the best, giving 100% removal efficiency for lead ions. The sequestration was mainly dependent on adsorbent dose that has to be kept optimum to yield adequate surface area and number of adsorption sites. Overall, nanoadsorbents have been established to yield efficient removal of lead from water.     

Lead removal from aqueous solution by basaltic scoria: adsorption equilibrium and kinetics

Pb-contaminated water is a dangerous threat occurring near metallurgic and mining industries. This circumstance produces serious environment concern, due to Pb(II) high toxic effects. Several reactive materials have been reported for Pb(II) adsorption, but not all reached final Pb(II) suitable concentrations, or they are expensive and rejected in massive remediation technologies; hence, natural materials are good options. The adsorption behavior of a volcanic scoria (two sieved fractions 1425 and <425 µm) was studied toward synthetic Pb(II) water solutions in batch experiments (170.4–912.3 mg L^?1) with high removal efficiencies (97%). The Langmuir model fits both fractions with high linear correlation coefficients (0.9988 and 0.9949) with high maximum capacity values (588.23 and 555.55 mg g^?1). Separation factor R _L parameter varies with initial concentration, and the empirical equation predicts the limits of the material usefulness, a criterion proposed in this paper for conditions’ selection. The Lagergren pseudo-second-order analysis demonstrates chemisorption; calculated rate constant (416.66 mg g^?1 min^?1). Weber–Morris intraparticle model proves that the adsorption phenomena occur fast on the material surface (k _inst = 72 g mg^?1 min^?0.5). The characterization of the volcanic material afforded the elemental composition (X-ray fluorescence), and the empirical formula was proposed. X-ray diffraction patterns verify the material structure as basalt, with a plagioclase structure that matches anorthite and albite, mostly composed of quartz. The presence of oxides on the material surface explain the high Pb(II) adsorption capacity, observed on the surface by scanning electronic microscopy. The studied volcanic scoria has potential use as a Pb(II) adsorbent in water remediation technologies.     

Insight into adsorption equilibrium,kinetics and thermodynamics of lead onto alluvial soil

In the present study, adsorption of lead (II) ions from aqueous solution by alluvial soil of Bhagirathi River was investigated under batch mode. The influence of solution pH, sorbent dose, initial lead (II) concentration, contact time, stirring rate and temperature on the removal process were investigated. The lead adsorption was favored with maximum adsorption at pH 6.0. Sorption equilibrium time was observed in 60 min. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed by the Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin–Radushkevich and Temkin adsorption isotherm models. The kinetics of lead (II) ion was discussed by pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, intra-particle diffusion, and surface mass transfer models. It was shown that the adsorption of lead ions could be described by the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The activation energy of the adsorption process (E _a) was found to be ?38.33 kJ mol^?1 using the Arrhenius equation, indicating exothermic nature of lead adsorption onto alluvial soil. Thermodynamic parameters, such as Gibbs free energy (?G ⁰), the enthalpy (?H ⁰), and the entropy change of sorption (?S ⁰) have also been evaluated and it has been found that the adsorption process was spontaneous, feasible, and exothermic in nature. The results indicated that alluvial soil of Bhagirathi River can be used as an effective and low cost adsorbent to remove lead ions from aqueous solutions.     

Removal of ibuprofen from aqueous solution by functionalized strong nano-clay composite adsorbent: kinetic and equilibrium isotherm studies

The functionalized nano-clay composite adsorbent was prepared, and its properties were characterized using FT-IR, XRD and SEM techniques. The synthesized nano-clay composite was studied with regard to its capacity to remove ibuprofen under different adsorption conditions such as varying pH levels (5–9), initial ibuprofen concentrations (3, 5 and 10 mg L^?1), contact time, and the amount of adsorbent (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 g). In order to evaluate the nanocomposite adsorption capacity, the adsorption results were assessed using nine isotherm models. The results showed that the optimum adsorption pH was 6 and that an increase or decrease in the pH reduced the adsorption capacity. The adsorption process was fast and reached equilibrium after 120 min. The maximum efficacy of ibuprofen removal was approximately 95.2%, with 1 g of adsorbent, 10 mg L^?1 initial concentration of ibuprofen, 120 min contact time and pH = 6. The optimal adsorption isotherm models were the Freundlich, Fritz–Schlunder, Redlich–Peterson, Radke–Prausnitz, Sip, Toth and Khan models. In addition, four adsorption kinetic models were employed for adsorption system evaluation under a variety of experimental conditions. The kinetic data illustrated that the process is very fast, and the reaction followed the Elovich kinetic model. Therefore, this nano-clay composite can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of ibuprofen from aqueous solutions, such as water and wastewater.     

Evaluation of adsorption potential of bamboo biochar for metal-complex dye: equilibrium,kinetics and artificial neural network modeling

Metal-complex dyes are widely used in textile industry, but harmful to the environment and human health due to aromatic structure and heavy metal ions. The objective of this work was to evaluate the adsorption potential of bamboo biochar for the removal of metal-complex dye acid black 172 from solutions. Freundlich model was more suitable for the adsorption process of bamboo biochar than Langmuir isotherm, indicating multilayer adsorption of acid black 172 on a heterogeneous bamboo biochar surface. Adsorption kinetics analysis of pseudo-second-order and Weber–Morris models revealed that intraparticle transport was not the only rate-limiting step. The bamboo biochar exhibited a good adsorption performance even at high ionic strength. Analysis based on the artificial neural network indicated that the temperature with a relative importance of 29 % appeared to be the most influential parameter in the adsorption process for dye removal, followed by time, ionic strength, pH and dye concentration.     

Hexavalent chromium removal from aqueous solutions by using low-cost biological wastes: equilibrium and kinetic studies

The batch removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions using almond shell, activated sawdust, and activated carbon, which are low-cost biological wastes under different experimental conditions, was investigated in this study. The influences of initial concentration, adsorbent dose, adsorbent particle size, agitation speed, temperature, contact time, and pH of solution were investigated. The adsorption was solution pH dependent and the maximum adsorption was observed at a solution pH of 2.0. The capacity of chromium adsorption under equilibrium conditions increased with the decrease in particle sizes. The equilibrium was achieved for chromium ion after 30?min. Experimental results showed that low-cost biosorbents are effective for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solution. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model gave a better fit of the experimental data as compared to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Experimental data showed a good fit with the Freundlich isotherm model. Changes in the thermodynamic parameters, including Gibbs free energy (??G_o), enthalpy (??H_o), and entropy (??S_o), indicated that the biosorption of hexavalent chromium onto almond shell, activated sawdust, and activated carbon was feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic in the temperature range 28?C50?°C.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of hydroxy sodalite from fly ash for the removal of lead ions from water

Zeolites are known to possess valuable physiochemical properties such as adsorption, cation exchange, molecular sieving, and catalysis. In addition, zeolites are highly selective scavengers of a variety of heavy metals from liquid effluents through the process of ion exchange. The present study was performed to hydrothermally synthesize Na₈[AlSiO₄]₆(OH)₂·2H₂O (also known as hydroxy sodalite hydrate). Due to its small aperture size, this material can be an ideal candidate for the separation of small molecules and ions from aquatic and gas mixtures. Synthetic zeolites offer many advantages over natural zeolites, such as higher ion affinity and adsorption capacity. Batch adsorption isotherm studies were conducted to evaluate the obtained adsorbent for the lead ion removal from aqueous media. Modeling lead ion adsorption using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm expressions determined the capacity of the adsorbent. A removal efficiency of 98.1 % in a 3.0 g/l adsorbent/solution mixture with a maximum adsorption capacity of 153.8 mg/g was obtained. One potential application of the synthesized zeolite is for the lead removal in point-of-use treatment devices.     

Adsorption of lead, zinc and cadmium ions from contaminated water onto Peganum harmala seeds as biosorbent

Peganum harmala seeds were assessed as biosorbent for removing Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺and Cd²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions. The effects of various parameters such as the aqueous solution pH, the contact time, the initial metal concentration and the amount of adsorbent in the process were investigated. The adsorption efficiencies increased with pH. It was found that about 95 % of lead, 75 % of zinc and 90 % of cadmium ions could be removed from 45 ml of aqueous solution containing 20 mg l^?1 of each cation with 2 g of adsorbent at pH 4.5 after 15 min. The quantitative desorption of cadmium from adsorbent surface was achieved using 10 ml of a 0.5 M nitric acid solution. This condition was attained for lead and zinc ions with 10 ml of 1 M hydrochloric acid solution. Kinetic investigation of the process was performed by considering a pseudo-second-order model. This model predicts the chemisorption mechanism of the process. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models were tested for describing the equilibrium data. It was found that the Freundlich model describes the experimental data resulting from the adsorption of lead ions. However for cadmium and zinc ions, the adsorption equilibria were interpreted with the Langmuir model.     

Adsorption studies for the simultaneous removal of arsenic and selenium using naturally prepared adsorbent materials

The adsorption properties of eggshell membranes (ESM), eggshells (ES) and orange peels (OP) were studied for the removal of arsenic (total As) and selenium (total Se). The effect of chemical treatment of these adsorbents by HNO₃ and NaOH was also investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Analysis of the FT-IR spectra showed that treatment with NaOH and HNO₃ had an effect on the functional groups present in the materials and also on the adsorption by extension. Thermal analysis showed that ES were more thermally stable than the others with no water molecules in their matrix, which could have caused a substantial weight loss at around 70 °C. In terms of adsorption capacities, chemical treatment increased the adsorption capacities of ESM and OP achieving up to 170 μg g^?1 (As) and 160 μg g^?1 (Se), and 120 μg g^?1 (As) and 70 μg g^?1 (Se), respectively, with not much activity for ES in terms of adsorption. The two adsorbents (NaOH-treated OP and ESM) were then tested in environmental water samples and the results showed that 68.9 % of As and 74.8 % of Se, and 54.1 % of As and 47.3 % of Se were removed from domestic wastewater samples investigated using OP and ESM, respectively. Moreover, better selectivities towards the compounds of interest were achieved.     

Optimization and modeling of boric acid extraction from colemanite in water saturated with carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide gases

In this study, the boric acid extraction from colemanite ore in aqueous media saturated by CO₂ and SO₂ gases was studied and the effects of relevant parameters, namely; reaction temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, mean particle size, stirring speed and reaction time have been investigated on the boric acid extraction from colemanite ore by using the fractional factorial design and central composite design methods. The chosen experimental parameter levels were as follows: reaction temperature, 11.4–58.6 °C; solid-to-liquid ratio, 0.0685–0.1315 g/mL; mean particle size, 0.2835–3 mm; stirring speed, 107–893 rpm; reaction time, 7.125–22.875 min. A model has been developed between the boric acid extraction efficiency from colemanite ore and relevant parameters by means of variance analysis by using the matlab computer software and the obtained model was used to determine optimum conditions. The optimum conditions were found to be as follows: reaction temperature, 41 °C; solid-to-liquid ratio, 0.0685 g/mL; mean particle size, 0.2835 mm; stirring speed, 266 rpm; reaction time, 7 min. The calculated boric acid extraction efficiency from colemanite ore was approximately 99.9% under the optimum conditions.     

Acid-treated zeolite (clinoptilolite) and its potential to zinc removal from water sample

Zinc compounds are important group of pollutants which enter water flows from industrial factories sewage. In this research, use of both natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) and its sulfuric acid-modified form as a cheap adsorbent for removing zinc from its solutions has been investigated. The effect of acid concentration, contact duration, pH of solution, initial concentration of zinc, amount of adsorbent and its size was investigated. On average, the maximum adsorption amount is calculated to be 91.1 % with contact duration of 300 min. By increasing contact duration, more adsorption is achieved. Results show that if the more zeolite is used, the more adsorption is achieved. According to results, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were investigated and the adsorption of zinc by modified zeolite was described by both models very well.     

Kinetic,equilibrium and thermodynamic studies of thiamethoxam adsorption by multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Because of their high adsorption capacity, carbon nanotubes have caught the attention of the scientific community and a number of experimental results confirmed their ability to adsorb many toxins from water. The aim of this work was to study the kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics of thiamethoxam adsorption by multi-walled carbon nanotubes in aqueous solutions. To further elucidate the influence of nanotube structure on the adsorption mechanism, the experiments were performed on both fresh (pristine) and nitric acid-modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The results of the kinetic studies were analyzed using three kinetic models, while the adsorption equilibrium was tested against four different adsorption models. Based on the results, and the physico-chemical properties of the adsorbent and adsorbate, it is proposed that the dominant mechanism for thiamethoxam molecules attaching to multi-walled carbon nanotubes is caused by aromatic π–π interactions (electron donor–acceptor interactions). The results of thermodynamic calculations based on the adsorption data indicate the exothermic nature of the process, regardless of the carbon nanotube type used. The decrease in entropy and the consequent negative change in Gibbs free energy, as expected, confirm the spontaneity of thiamethoxam adsorption on both pristine and functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes.     

Sorptive removal of ibuprofen from water using selected soil minerals and activated carbon

Pharmaceuticals have gained significant attention in recent years due to the environmental risks posed by their versatile application and occurrence in the natural aquatic environment. The transportation and distribution of pharmaceuticals in the environmental media mainly depends on their sorption behavior in soils, sediment?Cwater systems and waste water treatment plants, which varies widely across pharmaceuticals. Sorption of ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, onto various soil minerals, viz., kaolinite, montmorillonite, goethite, and activated carbon, as a function of pH (3?C11), ionic strength (NaCl concentration: 0.001?C0.5?M), and the humic acid concentration (0?C1,000?mg/L) was investigated through batch experiments. Experimental results showed that the sorption of ibuprofen onto all sorbents was highest at pH 3, with highest sorption capacity for activated carbon (28.5?mg/g). Among the minerals, montmorillonite sorbed more ibuprofen than kaolinite and goethite, with sorption capacity increasing in the order goethite (2.2?mg/g)?<?kaolinite (3.1?mg/g)?<?montmorillonite (6.1?mg/g). The sorption capacity of the selected minerals increased with increase in ionic strength of the solution in acidic pH condition indicating that the effect of pH was predominant compared to that of ionic strength. An increase in humic acid concentration from low to high values made the sorption phenomena very complex in the soil minerals. Based on the experimental observations, montmorillonite, among the selected soil minerals, could serve as a good candidate to remove high concentrations of ibuprofen from aqueous solution.