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Selection of adsorbents for treatment of leachate: batch studies of simultaneous adsorption of heavy metals

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Abstract

The simultaneous adsorption of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) ions from spiked deionized water and spiked leachate onto natural materials (peat A and B), by-product or waste materials (carbon-containing ash, paper pellets, pine bark, and semi-coke), and synthetic materials (based on urea-formaldehyde resins, called blue and red adsorbents) or mixtures thereof was investigated. The adsorbents that gave the highest metal removal efficiencies were peat A, a mixture of peat B and carbon-containing ash, and a mixture of peat A and blue. At an initial concentration of 5 mg/l for each metal, the removal of each species of metal ion from spiked water and spiked leachate solutions was very good (>90%) and good (>75%), respectively. When the initial concentration of each metal in the solutions was twenty times higher (100 mg/l), there was a noticeable decrease in the removal efficiency of Cu2+, Cd2+, and Ni2+, but not of Pb2+. Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities, qm, on peat A were found to be 0.57, 0.37, and 0.36 mmol/g for Pb2+, Cd2+, and Ni2+, respectively. The order of metal adsorption capacity on peat A was the same in the case of competitive multimetal adsorption conditions as it was for single-element adsorption, namely Pb2+ > Cd2+ ≥ Ni2+. The results show that peat alone (an inexpensive adsorbent) is a good adsorbent for heavy metal ions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia

    Ülis Sõukand, Rutt Kakum & Toomas Tenno

  2. Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia

    Pille Kängsepp

  3. Department of Analytical Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund, SE-22100, Sweden

    Pille Kängsepp & Lennart Mathiasson

  4. School of Pure and Applied Natural Sciences, Kalmar University, Kalmar, Sweden

    Pille Kängsepp & William Hogland

Authors
  1. Ülis Sõukand
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  2. Pille Kängsepp
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  3. Rutt Kakum
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  4. Toomas Tenno
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  5. Lennart Mathiasson
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  6. William Hogland
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Correspondence to Pille Kängsepp.

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Sõukand, Ü., Kängsepp, P., Kakum, R. et al. Selection of adsorbents for treatment of leachate: batch studies of simultaneous adsorption of heavy metals. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 12, 57–65 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-009-0270-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-009-0270-4

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