Abstract
BackgroundMercury is considered as a toxic heavy metal in aquatic environments due to accumulation in bodies of living organisms. Exposure to mercury may lead to different toxic effects in humans including damages to kidneys and nervous system.Materials and methodsMulti-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were selected as sorbent to remove mercury from aqueous solution using batch technique. ICP instrument was used to determine the amount of mercury in solution. Moreover, pH, contact time and initial concentration of mercury were studied to determine the influence of these parameters on the adsorption conditions.ResultsResults indicate that the adsorption strongly depended on pH and the best pH for adsorption is about 7. The rate of adsorption process initially was rapid but it was gradually reduced with increasing of contact time and reached the equilibrium after 120 min. In addition, more than 85 % of initial concentration of 0.1 mg/l was removed at 0.5 g/l concentration of sorbent and contact time of 120 min. Meanwhile, the adsorption process followed the pseudo second-order model and the adsorption isotherms could be described by both the Freundlich and the Langmuir models.ConclusionThis study showed that MWCNTs can effectively remove inorganic mercury from aqueous solutions as adsorbent.
Highlights
Mercury is considered as a toxic heavy metal in aquatic environments due to accumulation in bodies of living organisms
This study showed that Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can effectively remove inorganic mercury from aqueous solutions as adsorbent
The peak at 1051 cm−1 is attributed to the (C–O)
Summary
Mercury is considered as a toxic heavy metal in aquatic environments due to accumulation in bodies of living organisms. Exposure to mercury may lead to different toxic effects in humans including damages to kidneys and nervous system. From the toxicological point of view, the level of toxicity of mercury is highly related to its chemical form [6]. At the presence of specific kind of bacteria the inorganic form of mercury transforms to methylmercury which is highly toxic for human and other organisms at food chain [8]. Exposing to mercury results in neurological disorders, damage to central nervous systems, and negatively affects the kidney and liver [9]. Considering these facts, there should be a proper way to handle this element and remove it from the environment
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