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The removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon developed from grinded used tire

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 21, pages 684–694 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

In this study, activated carbon was prepared from waste tire by KOH chemical activation. The pore properties including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and average pore diameter were characterized. BET surface area of the activated carbon was determined as 558 m2/g. The adsorption of uranium ions from the aqueous solution using this activated carbon has been investigated. Various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage level and equilibrium contact time were studied by a batch method. The optimum pH for adsorption was found to be 3. The removal efficiency has also been determined for the adsorption system as a function of initial concentration. The experimental results were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. A comparison of best-fitting was performed using the coefficient of correlation and the Langmuir isotherm was found to well represent the measured sorption data. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the saturated monolayer sorption capacity of uranium ions onto waste tire activated carbon was 158.73 mg/g. The thermodynamic equilibrium constant and the Gibbs free energy were determined and results indicated the spontaneous nature of the adsorption process. Kinetics data were best described by pseudo-second-order model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cryprocess Team/LPDT/FGMGP/Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, BP 32 Al Alia-Bab Ezzouar, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    Ahmed Belgacem, Rachid Rebiai, Hocine Hadoun & Mohamed Belmedani

  2. Centre de Recherche Nucléaire d’Alger, 2 bd Frantz Fanon- BP 399, Alger Gare, Alger, Algeria

    Hocine Hadoun

  3. Centre de Recherche Nucléaire de Draria, B.P. 43, 16003, Draria, Alger, Algeria

    Sihem Khemaissia

  4. Laboratoire Phénomènes de Transfert, Equipe Cryoprocédés/ Faculté Génie Mécanique et Génie des Procédés/Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene, BP 32 Al Alia-BabEzzouar, 16111, Algiers, Algeria

    Ahmed Belgacem

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  1. Ahmed Belgacem
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  2. Rachid Rebiai
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  3. Hocine Hadoun
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  4. Sihem Khemaissia
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  5. Mohamed Belmedani
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Correspondence to Ahmed Belgacem.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Belgacem, A., Rebiai, R., Hadoun, H. et al. The removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon developed from grinded used tire. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 684–694 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1940-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1940-2

Keywords

  • Adsorption
  • Uranium ions
  • Waste tire
  • Activated carbon
  • Isothermal
  • Kinetics models