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Comparative and competitive adsorption of cadmium, copper, nickel, and lead ions by Iranian natural zeolite

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Abstract

The competitive adsorption behavior of cadmium (Cd2+), copper (Cu2+), nickel (Ni2+), and lead (Pb2+) ions using Iranian natural zeolite has been studied in order to determine its applicability in treating industrial wastewater. Tests to determine both the rate of adsorption and the uptake at equilibrium were performed under batch conditions from single- and multi-component solutions. The optimum conditions for the treatment process were investigated by observing the influence of pH levels, the presence of competing ions, varying the mass of zeolite and different contact time. Adsorption kinetics of the zeolite followed first-order kinetics, showing about 100 % of Pb2+ removal within 40 min and reaching an equilibrium state within 24 h for Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+. The results indicated that removal of metals from single- and multi-component solutions is best described by a Freundlich isotherm, in which the distribution coefficient was in the following order: Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Ni2+. In the multi-component solutions, metals exhibit competitive adsorption on the zeolite. The adsorption is reduced to 90, 53, 30, and 22 % of single component of Cu2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+, respectively. However, the total adsorption was higher than single component. Finally, soil solution saturation indices and speciation of metals was assessed using Visual MINTEQ 2.6 software, and probability of precipitation of minerals supported by scanning electron microscopy. The research indicates that Cd2+ and Ni2+ retention by zeolite can be viewed as the result of ion exchange reaction, but Pb2+ and Cu2+ retention is both due to ion exchange and precipitation. These results show that Iranian natural zeolite particularly effective in removing cationic heavy metal species from industrial wastewater.

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  1. Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

    Hajar Merrikhpour & Mohsen Jalali

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  1. Hajar Merrikhpour
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  2. Mohsen Jalali
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Correspondence to Hajar Merrikhpour.

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Merrikhpour, H., Jalali, M. Comparative and competitive adsorption of cadmium, copper, nickel, and lead ions by Iranian natural zeolite. Clean Techn Environ Policy 15, 303–316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-012-0522-1

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