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Efficient lead sorption from wastewater by carbon nanofibers

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Abstract

Wastewater from many industries contains toxic metal ions, which should be removed before water is released into the environment. Many adsorbents have been developed to remove metals, but their efficiency should be improved by, e.g., increasing surface area. Here, we tested the use of carbon nanofibers synthesized on the surface of activated carbon, to remove lead ions (Pb2+). We studied the effect of carbon nanofiber dose, pH, contact time and agitation speed on the sorption capacity. The best conditions were with nanofiber dose of 0.25 g/L, pH of 5.5, contact time of 60 min and agitation speed of 200 rpm. The nanocomposite product was also used for the removal of lead from industrial wastewater. We also found a successful removal of 67 % of lead ions from semiconductor wastewater sample.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to The Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Malaysia, for funding this project by the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme with Grant No. FRGS 0106-42 administrated by the Ministry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Architecture and Built Environment, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, 63000, Cyberjaya, Malaysia

    Yehya M. Ahmed

  2. Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Group NANORG, Faculty of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Jalan Gombak, 53100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Abdullah Al-Mamun, Ma’an Fahmi R. Al Khatib & Ahmad Tariq Jameel

  3. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nanotechnology and Catalysts Research Center (NANOCAT), University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Mohammed Abdul Hakeem Abdul Rahman AlSaadi

Authors
  1. Yehya M. Ahmed
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  2. Abdullah Al-Mamun
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  3. Ma’an Fahmi R. Al Khatib
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  4. Ahmad Tariq Jameel
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  5. Mohammed Abdul Hakeem Abdul Rahman AlSaadi
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Correspondence to Abdullah Al-Mamun.

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Ahmed, Y.M., Al-Mamun, A., Al Khatib, M.F.R. et al. Efficient lead sorption from wastewater by carbon nanofibers. Environ Chem Lett 13, 341–346 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-015-0509-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-015-0509-3

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