Abstract
Alkali-activated adsorbents were synthesized by mixing three different slags from the steel industry: blast furnace slag (BFS), ladle slag (LS), and Lintz–Donawitz converter slag (LD). These powdered slag-based geopolymers (GP) were used to remove nickel(II) from aqueous solutions in fixed-bed column studies. The experiments were conducted in pH 6 using a phosphate buffer with initial nickel(II) concentration of 50 mg/L. Samples were taken at time intervals of between 5 and 90 min. Three adsorption–desorption cycles were implemented with a flow rate of 5 mL/min. The geopolymers were characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), specific surface area measurements, and a leaching test. The data were found to describe the Thomas, Adams–Bohart, and Yoon–Nelson models well. For GP (BFS, LS), experimental adsorption capacity was 2.92 mg/g, and for GP (LD, BFS, LS), it was 1.34 mg/g. The results indicated that the produced adsorbents have the potential to be used as adsorbents for the removal of nickel(II).
Highlights
IntroductionUntreated industrial wastewater is harmful to the environment as it includes substances such as heavy metals
Elemental composition was determined by using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer (PANalytical Axios mAX) and nickel concentrations were analyzed by using Atomic absorption spectroscopy (PerkinElmer A Analyst 200, Waltham, MA, USA)
The nickel(II) ions were successfully removed from aqueous solution in column studies using slag-based geopolymer adsorbents GP (BFS, ladle slag (LS)) and GP (LD, blast furnace slag (BFS), LS), which were prepared using non-conventionally used slags obtained from the steel industry
Summary
Untreated industrial wastewater is harmful to the environment as it includes substances such as heavy metals. The toxicity of heavy metals can endanger life forms; it is essential to remove them to avoid damaging the environment [2]. Due to its simplicity and effectiveness, adsorption has recently become a popular research approach in wastewater treatment. It is a suitable technology for use in the removal of heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) [1,3,4,5,6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
