Adsorption features of heavy metal ions on activated carbon in single and multisolute systems

Simultaneous removal of Ni(II), As(III), and Sb(III) from spiked mine effluent with metakaolin and blast-furnace-slag geopolymers

The mining industry is a major contributor of various toxic metals and metalloids to the aquatic environment. Efficient and economical water treatment methods are therefore of paramount importance. The application of natural or low-cost sorbents has attracted a great deal of interest due to the simplicity of its process and its potential effectiveness. Geopolymers represent an emerging group of sorbents. In this study, blast-furnace-slag and metakaolin geopolymers and their raw materials were tested for simultaneous removal of Ni(II), As(III) and Sb(III) from spiked mine effluent. Blast-furnace-slag geopolymer proved to be the most efficient of the studied materials: the experimental maximum sorption capacities for Ni, As and, Sb were 3.74 mg/g, 0.52 mg/g, and 0.34 mg/g, respectively. Although the capacities were relatively low due to the difficult water matrix, 90-100% removal of Ni, As, and Sb was achieved when the dose of sorbent was increased appropriately. Removal kinetics fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. Our results indicate that geopolymer technology could offer a simple and effective way to turn blast-furnace slag to an effective sorbent with a specific utilization prospect in the mining industry.

Adsorption characteristics of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions onto a natural biosorbent, fallen arborvitae leaves

In this study, the potential of the oriental arborvitae leaves for the adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was evaluated. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis showed that the surface area of arborvitae leaves was 29.52 m(2)/g with pore diameter ranging from 2 to 50 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed C-C or C-H, C-O, and O-C=O were the main groups on the arborvitae leaves, which were the main sites for surface complexation. Finally, effects of adsorbent dose, initial pH, contact time, and coexisting natural organic matters (humic acid (HA)) on the adsorption of Pb(II) were investigated. The results indicated that the pHZPC (adsorbents with zero point charge at this pH) was 5.3 and the adsorption reached equilibrium in 120 min. Isotherm simulations revealed that the natural arborvitae leaves exhibit effective adsorption for Pb(II) in aqueous solution, giving adsorptive affinity and capacity in an order of 'no HA' > 5 mg/L HA > 10 mg/L HA, and according to the Langmuir models, the maximum adsorptions of Pb(II) were 43.67 mg/g, 38.61 mg/g and 35.97 mg/g, respectively. The results demonstrated that the oriental arborvitae leaves showed high potentials for the adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions.