Abstract
In this study, untreated Tectona grandis (UTG) and citric acid- modified T. grandis (CAMTG) bark powder were used for the adsorption of Cu (II) ions from aqueous solution. The UTG and CAMTG were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The adsorption characteristics were carried out by determining the solution pH, initial concentration of Cu (II) ions, effect of time and temperature. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms were used to describe the equilibrium model with Freundlich isotherm giving the best fit. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for CAMTG was higher than that of UTG. Also, there was about a four-fold increase in the adsorption of Cu(II) ions by CAMTG (Ao = 87.0 mg/g) over UTG (Ao = 22.9 mg/g). The kinetic data were explained by employing the pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models. The pseudo-second order kinetic model has an outstanding suitability to the experimental data. The positive enthalpy and negative free energy are indications of the endothermic and spontaneous nature of the copper (II) ion adsorption process. CAMTG is therefore, a more viable adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution than UTG. Key words: Adsorption, copper, equilibrium, kinetics, Tectona grandis.
Highlights
The increased rate at which heavy metals such as copper are released into the environment in the 21st century has raised serious health concerns all over the world
The textures of the external surfaces and morphology of untreated Tectona grandis (UTG) and citric acid- modified T. grandis (CAMTG) were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as reflected in Figures 2a and 2b respectively
This study examined the interaction of Cu (II) ion with the surface of untreated (UTG) and citric acid modified T. grandis (CAMTG) leaves powder
Summary
The increased rate at which heavy metals such as copper are released into the environment in the 21st century has raised serious health concerns all over the world. The rapid and dangerous increase in the level of these heavy metals in the environment is due to the nonchalant attitudes to environmental safety by some industries involved in their production. Some of the methods for separation and recovery of heavy metals are ion exchange, chemical precipitation, electrocoagulation (Akyol, 2012), evaporation and membrane processes (Wang and Chen, 2009) which are used on a large scale.
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