Abstract
The issue of heavy metal pollution of industrial wastewaters is a major environmental concern nowadays. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions by natural glauconite, in batch and dynamic systems. Glauconite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm, scanning electron microscope, differential thermal analysis, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. Cation exchange capacity, bulk density and point of zero charge were also determined. In the batch system, the impact of initial concentration, contact time, and pH of metal solutions on sorption efficiency was analysed, whereas for the dynamic system, the influence of flow rate was studied. The adsorption capacity in the batch system followed the order: Pb > Cd > Zn > Cu. The highest adsorption rate was achieved in the pH range 7–9. In the column experiments, the selectivity order in the case of mono-cationic system was the same as that of batch system, whereas in the case of poly-cationic system it was: Pb > Zn > Cd > Cu. With the increase of the flow rate, the total capacity at the exhaustion point increased.
Highlights
Heavy metals belong to the group of most dangerous pollutants and exhibit a negative impact on human health and ecosystems [1]
Adsorption techniques are recommended for the removal of heavy metals, at their low concentrations, from aqueous media
The aim of this study was to study the performance of Polish glauconite from the Lublin region in the purification of aqueous solutions containing heavy metal ions, in batch and fixed-bed column adsorption systems
Summary
Heavy metals belong to the group of most dangerous pollutants and exhibit a negative impact on human health and ecosystems [1]. Their harmful effect is related to their ability to accumulate in tissues of living organisms, which causes numerous disorders. Cadmium accumulated in the human body can cause erythrocyte destruction, nausea, drooling, diarrhea, muscle cramps, kidney disease, chronic lung problems, and skeleton deformations. Too much zinc might be responsible for health problems, such as stomach cramps, skin irritation, vomiting, nausea, or anemia [6]. Copper is a component needed for the growth of living organisms, but in excessive amount it can cause various diseases in the pancreas, liver, skin, brain and heart muscles [7], or cause vomiting
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