Copper Removal Efficiency Research Articles

Biosorption of copper ions from aqueous solution by Codium vermilara: Optimization, kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies

In this investigation, the efficiency of Codium vermilara for copper ions removal from aqueous solution was studied. Central Composite Design has been used for the Response Surface Methodology and has been found to be an effective method for investigating the influences of various variables and their interactions on the efficiency of Cu2+ ions removal. The interactive impacts of four variables: algal dose, pH, initial concentrations of copper and contact time on the copper removal efficiency were assessed. Algal dose 0.75 g/L, pH 5.28, contact time 70.51 min, and copper concentration 48.75 mg/L were found to be the conditions of optimum biosorption. The efficiency of copper removal was found to be 85.5% under these optimum conditions. Copper removal on the biomass of C. vermilara followed well the kinetics of pseudo-first-order, Elvoish and Intraparticle diffusion. Compared to the other models, Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm best suited the experimental data revealing that the adsorption mechanism was physical adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters exhibited non-spontaneous, randomness and endothermic biosorption of Cu2+ ions. Additionally, the biosorbent characterization was estimated by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared analysis. Thus, C. vermilara could be used as possible biosorbent for removing heavy metals and other pollutants from the environment.

Effect of soil type on heavy metals removal in bioelectrochemical system

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is widely used to remediate heavy metal pollution of soil, and the applicability of soils with different physical and chemical properties under micro-electric field has not been studied. In this study, copper was effectively removed in four typical soil-filled MFCs. The removal efficiencies of copper from closed-circuit MFCs filled with paddy, red, black and alluvial soils were 2.9, 1.50, 3.48 and 3.40 times higher than those in the open-circuit control group, respectively. However, the contributions of electromigration and diffusion mechanisms were different under different soil types. The greatest copper removal (19.3 ± 0.8%) was achieved based on electromigration of the electric field inside the paddy soil MFC in 63 days, while the greatest copper removal (25 ± 2%) was achieved under the action of diffusion mechanism inside the red soil MFC. According to redundancy analysis, the removal of copper by electromigration was positively correlated with electricity generation performance and acid extractable Cu content, whereas copper removal based on diffusion was positively related to soil pore volume and acid extractable Cu content. The cation exchange capacity and total organic carbon of soil were negatively correlated with the acid extractable Cu content, and electrical conductivity of soil was positively correlated with the MFC electricity generation performance. Furthermore, the directional movement of protons under an electric field alleviated the issue of soil acidification caused by citric acid.

The particle-size sieving technique to remediate Pb- and Cu-contaminated agricultural soil

In order to find a cost-effective remediation to treat lead (Pb)- and copper (Cu)-contaminated agricultural soil, the particle-size sieving technique (PST) combined with the replacement of clean sands was employed in this study. The speciation and removal efficiency of lead and copper in the contaminated soil were investigated. The sieving separation was carried out by dry sieving (screening sizes ranging from 4.000 to 0.025 mm) and wet sieving (three different sizes of 2.000–0.053, 0.053–0.002 and <0.002 mm). The results indicate that the organic and exchangeable species concentration of heavy metals in the contaminated soil is proportional to the organic matter and water content of the soil. The concentration of heavy metals is unrelated to particle sizes greater than 0.053 mm soil under the dry-sieving PST. For soil particles of size 2.000–0.053 mm, the heavy-metal concentration of soil treated by the dry-sieving PST is higher than that of the wet-sieving PST because the dry-sieving PST cannot separate finer soil particles (<0.053 mm) completely. Both dry- and wet-sieving PSTs with replacement of clean sands can decrease the heavy-metal concentration of the contaminated soil dramatically, and the remediated soil has the potential to be restored to its cultivation function.

Removal of heavy metals by Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilm placed on zeolite from aqueous solutions (case study: the wastewater of Kerman Bahonar Copper Complex)

Industrial wastewater needs to be treated because of the heavy metals presence and their effects on the environment. The aim of this study was to remove heavy metals ions such as copper and zinc from aqueous solutions by using Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilm which was placed on zeolite. The paper was experimental. Synthetic and real samples were evaluated in laboratory scale. To evaluate the removal efficiency, the effective parameters such as pH, copper and zinc concentrations, and contact time were examined. Optimal conditions were obtained with experiments on the synthetic samples. To study the adsorption isotherms, Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were investigated. The copper and zinc cations maximum removal efficiency at 40 mg/L within 10 days was obtained as 54.61% and 57.35%, respectively. By using Langmuir isotherm, the experimental data were fitted with correlation coefficients of 0.98 and 0.95 for copper(II) and zinc(II), respectively. The results showed that the hybrid of zeolite and bacterial biofilm system has the best efficiency for removing the metal copper and zinc cations.

Micromotor for removal/detection of blood copper ion

Blood copper poisoning seriously affects human health, and the therapeutic effect of traditional treatment methods has been limited owing to their long treatment cycle, high cost, and separation of diagnosis and treatment. Based on the micromotor technology, a new kind of micromotor magnetic mesoporous silica/ZnS·Mn/gold/tetraethylenepentamine/heparin (MMS/ZM/Au/T/Hep) was reported for the direct removal/detection of excessive blood copper, achieving the integration of diagnosis and treatment. The structure, motion behavior and biocompatibility of the MMS/ZM/Au/T/Hep micromotors were characterized. Further, the removal efficiency and fluorescence detection of the excessive blood copper by the micromotors were investigated. Results indicated that the removal rate of blood copper ion was as high as 74.1% due to the synergistic effect of the mesoporous structure, adsorbent functional group and movement ability. Meanwhile, the MMS/ZM/Au/T/Hep micromotors can selectively monitor blood copper concentration according to the change of fluorescence signal after separation from blood with the limit of detection of 0.33 ppm and the limit of quantification of 1.10 ppm, respectively. The precision (%) of inter-day and intra-day variations was 1.11% and 18.07%. This work may provide possible options for removing and detecting excess copper ions in blood.

Extracting of copper from simulated leaching solution of copper-cadmium residues by cyclone electrowinning technology

Cyclone electrowinning technology has obvious technical advantages in treating polymetallic mixed solutions, and it has been widely used to separate and purify cu, au, ag, Ni, co and other metals. Simulated leaching solution of copper‑cadmium residues was prepared as electrolyte, the extraction of copper by three-stage cyclone electrowinning in sequence were investigated in this study, and the optimum conditions of each stage were determined. In the first stage, the purity of cathode copper can reach over 99.996%, and the current efficiency can reach to 98.75% when the current density was 300A/m2 and the electrolyte circulation flow was 400 L/h. in the second stage, the purity of cathode copper can achieve the standard of the cathode copper(>99.99%)，and the current efficiency can reach to 98.93% when the conditions are determined as the current density of 400A/m2 and the circulation flow of 700 L/h. in the third stage, the cathode copper with over 99.9% purity can be obtained and the current efficiency can reach to 93.37% when the current density was 200A/m2 and the circulation flow was 500 L/h. the concentration of copper ions in the electrolyte can be reduced to below 0.1 g/L and the removal efficiency of copper can reach over 99% in the study. Compared to the traditional electrowinning process，the cyclone electrowinning shows the advantages of high metals selectivity，high current efficiency, high purity of electrolytic products and low environmental pollution, which has good economic and social environmental benefits

Treatment of Pb (II) and Cu (II) using Na-bentonite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (Fe) modified by sodium (Na) bentonite (B-nZVI) was prepared to remove copper (II) (Cu2+) and lead (II) (Pb2+) from an aqueous solution. B-nZVI and sodium bentonite were characterised by X-ray diffraction, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). From the XPS spectra, lead (II) was detected on the surface of B-nZVI, indicating that lead (II) was removed by adsorption to B-nZVI. The copper (II) in the solution obtained electrons from B-nZVI and was reduced to copper (0). Sodium bentonite (B-nZVI) showed higher removal efficiencies for lead (II) than copper (II) under various conditions. As the concentration of copper (II) increased from 75 to 200 mg/l at a constant lead (II) concentration of 100 mg/l, the removal efficiency of lead (II) decreased considerably, from 81 to 49%. The removal efficiencies of copper (II) and lead (II) by B-nZVI were close to 100% at pH = 6. The temperature of best removal efficiency for copper (II) and lead (II) was 50°C when the adsorbent dose was 1 g/l, the pH was 5, the concentration of lead (II) was 200 mg/l, the concentration of copper (II) was 100 mg/l and the adsorption time was 4 h. In general, the synthesised B-nZVI exhibits great potential as an excellent material for use in the treatment of waste water that simultaneously contains copper (II) and lead (II).

Simultaneous enhancement of heavy metal removal and electricity generation in soil microbial fuel cell.

As an environmentally sustainable bioelectrochemical technology, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) has attracted great attention. In this study, a three-chamber MFC (TC-MFC) was enhanced with different auxiliary reagents to remove heavy metals from soil. The results showed that the removal efficiency of heavy metals from soil increased with increasing auxiliary reagent concentration. When 1mol/L citric acid, HCl, or acetic acid were used as an auxiliary reagent, the total copper (500mg/kg) removal efficiency after 74 days of TC-MFC treatment was 3.89, 5.01 and 2.01 times that of the control group, respectively. The highest soil electrical conductivity (15.29ms/cm), ionic heavy metal content (94.78%), electricity generation performance (363.04mWh), and desorption stability of heavy metals were obtained when using 1mol/L HCl as an auxiliary reagent, indicating that HCl was more suitable for the remediation of heavy metals in soil using a TC-MFC. Correlation analysis showed that the electricity generation of the TC-MFC was linearly related to the removal efficiency of heavy metals from soil (R2=0.9296). At the same time, higher content of ionic heavy metals in the soil led to better migration of heavy metals under the internal electric field of the TC-MFC.

Biosorption of copper by immobilized biomass of Aspergillus australensis. Effect of metal on the viability, cellular components, polyhydroxyalkanoates production, and oxidative stress.

Heavy metals are toxic especially when they are introduced into the environment due to anthropogenic activities such as metallurgy, mining, and tanning. Removing these pollutants has become a worldwide concern since they cannot be degraded into nontoxic forms causing extended effects in the ecosystems. The use of an Aspergillus australensis was evaluated in order to remove Cu2+ from simulated wastewater. The fungus was isolated from river sludges contaminated with heavy metals and was first evaluated for the determination of Cu2+ tolerance levels. Microscopic fluorescence analysis was carried out to determine the effect of Cu2+ presence on the viability, cellular components, polyhydroxyalkanoates production, and oxidative stress of the fungus, as a response to the stress caused by exposure to metal. In order to achieve copper removal, the A. australensis biomass was produced using batch cultures, and the mycelium was immobilized on a textile media in order to compare the copper-removal efficiency of live or dead biomass. The optimal values of pH and temperature for biomass production were established by using a surface response analysis. Live immobilized biomass was capable of removing Cu2+ from 1.54 ± 0.19 to 2.66 ± 0.26mg of copper/ g of dry biomass, while values of 1.93 ± 0.03 to 2.36 ± 0.29mg of copper/g of dry biomass were observed when dead biomass was used. As was expected, copper removal using biomass varied depending on the pH and temperature used.

Enhancing of Copper (II) Adsorption Efficiency by Mixing Plantain and Orange Peelings as Bio-Sorbent Support

The present study focuses on the valorization of plantain and orange peels in the field of water treatment contaminated by heavy metals, especially copper (II). To carry out this study, simplex centroid mixture design was used to determine best mixture from plantain and orange peelings through iodine number, specific surface area and point of zero charge. The influence of contact time, adsorbed amount, bio-sorbent mass, medium temperature and medium pH were equally investigated from best mixture and thermodynamic parameters were also carried out. The results show that R2, Absolute Average Deviation (AAD), biais factor and exactitude factor are respectively 89.39%, 0.01, 1.00 and 1.00 for iodine number, 94.13%, 0.03, 0.99 and 0.99 for Specific surface Area (SA) and 97.05%, 0.01, 1.00 and 1.00 for Point of Zero Charge (PZC). These values are in agreement with the interval set to validate the model. Besides, desirability is 1.00, 0.80 and 0.77 respectively for specific surface area, iodine number and zero point of charge and closer to 1. The best mixture from this study is 90% of orange peelings proportion and 10% of plantain peelings proportion. The results also show that contact time is 10 min, adsorbed amount of copper ions (II) increases with initial copper concentration, bio-sorbent mass and medium temperature. Adsorbed amount increases for pH between 3 and 5 and decreases for pH greater than 5. The efficiency of Copper (II) removal is about 88.11% for the native bio-sorbent and 97.04% for activated bio-sorbent. These efficiencies are higher than those obtained from orange and plantain peelings taken individually and are ranged between 70 and 85%. The pseudo second order describes perfectly the adsorption mechanism followed by intra particular diffusion while the isotherm adsorption is well described by Langmuir and Freundlich model. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that adsorption reaction is spontaneous, reversible and endothermic.

Heavy metal precipitation from sulfide produced from anaerobic sulfidogenic reactor

A sulfidogenic reactor was established employing biological sulfate reduction process for treating industrial wastewater, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and leachate produced from E-waste landfill sites containing heavy metals. Heavy metal sulfide precipitation was carried out by using sulfide rich effluent from sulfidogenic reactor as well as through chemical precipitation using Na2S. A methanogenic Continuously Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) operating on synthetic jaggery wastewater was converted into sulfidogenic reactor by gradually increasing SO4-- concentration in the influent. The process steps involved (i) Establishing and operating methanogenic reactor (ii) Converting of methanogenic reactor into sulfidogenic reactor and (iii) Utilizing sulfide rich effluent for heavy metal precipitation. CSTR methanogenic reactor was first established and operated at loading rate of 0.5 kg COD/m3d. COD removal of 80% was achieved. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) in the reactor was 1900–1950 mg/l with biogas production of 1–1.2 l/d. Subsequently, methanogenic reactor was converted into a sulfidogenic reactor by gradually increasing COD: SO4--from 20:1 to 5:1. Sulfate removal efficiency of 80% demonstrated that methanogenic population in the reactor was successfully replaced by Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) population. Sulfate in the influent was converted into sulfide under anaerobic conditions prevailing in sulfidogenic reactor and sulfide rich effluent from the reactor was then used to precipitate Copper from wastewater. Copper removal efficiency upto 60% was achieved by biogenic sulfide precipitation as compared to 90% by chemical precipitation.

Remediation of Clayey Soil Contaminated with Copper Sulfate Using Washing-Enhanced Electrokinetics Technique

The present study focused on remediation of clayey soil contaminated with two percentages of copper sulfate using washing-electrokinetics technique enhanced by purging solutions and mid compartment. The intact soil samples are obtained from Al-Ahdab oil field located in the southeast of Iraq, where the soil samples are contaminated synthetically with two percentages of copper sulfate (6666.66 and 26666.66) ppm for 30 days. The electrokinetics technique enhanced with a mid compartment to reduce the exist way of contaminant from the soil. Also, it is enhanced by purging solutions in the anode, mid, and cathode compartments to control the pH value of solutions in the resvoirs. The activated carbon is used to prevent the reverse osmotic flow from cathode to anode. The main results of physical model are the variation of electrical current with time, pH value, and the accumulated volume of osmotic flow. Increasing the concentration of copper causes raising the electrical current generated during the remediation process, so the chemical reaction occurred in the anode, mid and cathode compartments are increased. The removal efficiency of copper from soil samples ranged 98.4 to 99.6%, which indicated high efficiency within short time, but using washing process causes a reduction in the time required for remediation by 30% and causes a slight increase in the removal efficiency.

Applicability of solid process residues as sorbents for the treatment of industrial wastewaters

Abstract In the present work, four different geopolymers: PG (alkaline activated metakaolinite), PGA (aluminum oxide + PG), AG (alkaline activated analcime) and AAG (aluminum oxide + AG) and one commercially available MgO based sorbent: PM (PalPower M10) were compared on the basis of their copper adsorption capacity from aqueous solutions. It was observed that PM (PalPower M10) outperformed all the other sorbents studied for copper removal efficiency and was consequently selected for further study. The effect of the main adsorption parameters such as pH (1–5), dosage (0.25–5 g/L) and contact time (15–1440 min) were systematically investigated with synthetic solutions of differing copper concentrations (100–500 mg/L). The results indicated that PM sorbent removed all the copper ions at pH 4 with a dosage of 1 g/L and contact time of 24 h from solutions that contained only copper ions, whereas the presence of other ions - including Fe - significantly decreased the copper removal efficiency. Due to presence of other elements like As, Al, Zn in industrial wastewater, a higher dosage of PM sorbent (∼45–90 g/L) was required in order to remove all the metal ions after 24 h. The regeneration results suggested that the attached copper ions can be successfully stripped using a 2 M ammonia solution allowing the PM sorbent to be regenerated. These findings demonstrate the potential of geopolymers to treat industrial wastewaters, especially for the removal of metal ions like copper.

Copper Analysis by Two Different Procedures of Sequential Extraction after Electrodialytic Remediation of Mine Tailings.

The analysis of Cu distribution in pre-treated mine tailings after electrodialytic remediation was carried out by using two methods of sequential extraction. The initial content of copper in the tailings was 1109 mg Cu/kg of dry tailing, where close to 40% of the sample in weight corresponded to a soluble fraction. The tailing was treated with a leaching solution for 24 h. Three different solutions were tested: H2SO4 + HNO3 with pH = 1.9; H2SO4 + HNO3 with pH = 4.2; and NH4Cl 0.8 mol/L with pH = 5.5. After that, electrodialytic remediation experiments were carried out using an electric field of 2.7 V/cm for 15 days. The best performance for the complete cell was obtained with H2SO4 + HNO3 solutions, with a copper removal efficiency in the range of 62% to 67% and a current efficiency between 6% and 9%. The results of the remaining copper concentration between anode and cathode, from both procedures of sequential extraction, showed similar trends. The differences were mainly attributed to the use of different extractant solutions and extraction times. Soluble and exchangeable fractions were easily removed, with efficiencies higher than 80%. The lowest copper removal efficiency was obtained with NH4Cl 0.8 mol/L.

In-situ Cu(II) enrichment and recovery from low-strength copper-laden wastewater using a novel electrically enhanced microbial copper recovery cell (MCRC)

An innovative electrically enhanced microbial copper recovery cell (MCRC) was proposed in this study to achieve fast and efficient in-situ enrichment and recovery of copper (Cu) ions from low-strength copper-laden water. The unique design of the system enabled in-situ copper recovery without altering the properties of wastewater or introducing other undesired substances. The copper ions could be efficiently enriched and removed, and this process was greatly enhanced by the application of additional voltage. The MCRC obtained a maximum current density of 1.62 ± 0.01 A m−2, and exhibited outstanding copper removal efficiency of 95.4% with an initial copper concentration of 5 mg L–1 at an applied voltage of 0.8 V, as well as the copper removal rate significantly increased by 196%. Furthermore, it was found out that the removal efficiency maintained >93% when the initial copper concentration increased 4 times to 20 mg L–1, while the removal rate increased 380%, which indicated the high potential of the MCRC system for practical applications. The deposited copper at the cathode could promote the electrochemical catalytic activity, as which favored the electron transfer reaction and lessened the internal resistance by 91%. This MCRC system provided a potential and efficient treatment strategy to improve the enrichment and recovery of copper ions for low-strength copper-laden wastewater.

The effects of refractory pollutants in swine wastewater on the growth of Scenedesmus sp. with biofilm attached culture

Microalgae have been widely used for treatment of swine wastewater. However, the research on combined treatment of refractory pollutants ammonia nitrogen, Cu (II) and antibiotics from swine wastewater was still scattered. This study, the growth and removal efficiency of NH4Cl, CuSO4, tetracycline, norfloxacin and sulfadimidine with selected Scenedsmus sp. was investigated by biofilm attached culture. The results showed that low concentration of ammonia nitrogen had little effect on algae growth. The highest biomass productivity was 6.2 g/(m2d) at the concentration of NH4Cl of 50.0 mg/L, which was similar to that of a standard growth medium BG 11. Cu (II) concentration of 1.0 mg/L could accelerate the growth of Scenedsmus sp., and the highest biomass was 57.2 g/m2 in 8 days. Moreover, the highest biomass mean values was 59.5 g/m2, 57.1 g/m2, and 58.1 g/m2, respectively, when tetracycline concentration was 20.0 mg/L, norfloxacin concentration was 100.0 mg/L and sulfadimidine concentration was 10.0 mg/L. The removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen, copper, tetracycline, norfloxacin and sulfadimidine with Scenedsmus sp. at their optimal initial concentration by biofilm attached culture was 85.2%, 64.6%, 74.6%,71.2%, and 62.3%, respectively. This study provides a theoretical basis for the purification of refractory substances from swine wastewater.

Fixed-bed adsorption of copper from aqueous media using chitosan-coated bentonite, chitosan-coated sand, and chitosan-coated kaolinite.

Fixed-bed studies were performed to evaluate the removal efficiency of copper (Cu(II)) from aqueous solution using chitosan-coated bentonite (CCB), chitosan-coated sand (CCS), and chitosan-coated kaolinite (CCK). The thermal and morphological properties of CCB, CCK, and CCS were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. Dynamic experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of solution pH (3.0 to 5.0) and initial Cu(II) concentration (200 to 1000 mg/L) on the time to reach breakthrough (tb), total volume of treated effluent (Veff), and adsorption capacity at breakthrough (qb). Results show that increasing the initial Cu(II) concentration inhibits the column performance where lower Veff, tb, and qb were obtained. Decreasing the pH from 5.0 to 3.0 led to improved removal efficiency with higher values of Veff, tb, and qb. Under pH 3.0 and 200 mg/L, the maximum removal efficiency of 68.60%, 56.10%, and 58.90% for Cu(II) was attained using CCB, CCS, and CCK, respectively. The Thomas model was determined to adequately predict the breakthrough curves based on high values of coefficient of determination (R2 ≥ 0.8503). Regeneration studies were carried out using 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M NaOH solution in the saturated column of CCB, CCK, and CCS.

THE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF BIOLOGICAL IRON SULFIDE COMPOSITES ON COPPER REMOVAL BY CHANGING GEOCHEMICAL FORMS

The growth of biological iron sulfide composites and their efficacy for changing the geochemical forms of copper in sediment have been investigated. The role of bacteria in copper removal was identified using copper concentrations in three forms extracted via three sequential extraction methods. Furthermore, bacterial community diversity was investigated between different treatments. Copper was transformed from the weak acidic extraction state to the reduction state and the oxidation state under the action of biological iron sulfide composites. The conversion rates of copper from the weak acidic extraction state to other states was up to 76.66% and the increasing rates of the reduction state was up to 177.85%. Higher dissolved oxygen does harm sulfate reducing bacteria and results in low removal efficiency of copper. It can be inferred that differences in the bacterial community structure resulted in differences between conversion rates and biological efficacy through the correlation between copper concentration and alpha diversity or beta diversity. Furthermore, bacterial 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that Proteobacteria, which sulfate reducing bacteria belong to, were predominant in the group with higher removal efficiency. The biological iron sulfide composites affected the removal efficiency of copper by increasing the sulfate reducing bacteria activity inside the sediments

Electrochemical removal of copper from a simulated wastewater using a rotating tubular packed bed of woven screens electrode Removal of heavy metals using packed bed rotating electrode

Copper removal from a simulated wastewater was investigated by using rotating tubular packed bed of woven screens electrode as a cathode in a new design of electrochemical reactor. Effects of electrolysis operating parameters like current (0.5–2.5 A), rotation speed (150–750 rpm), and initial copper concentration (100–500ppm) were investigated. Optimization of process parameters was carried out by adopting response surface methodology (RSM) combined with Box–Behnken Design (BBD) where copper removal efficiency was selected as a response function. The results indicated that current has the main effect on the copper removal efficiency followed by rotation speed and concentration. The results of regression analysis revealed that the experimental data could be fitted to a second-order polynomial model with a value of determination coefficient (R2) equal to 0.9894 and Fisher test at value of 51.57 for. The optimum conditions of the process parameters based on RSM method were an initial copper concentration of 205 ppm, current of 2.5A, and rotation speed of 750 rpm utilizing cathode composed of screens with mesh no. 30 where a final copper concentration less than 2 ppm was obtained after 30 min.

Practical study on the electrochemical simultaneous removal of copper and cadmium from simulated wastewater using rotating tubular packed bed cathode

The simultaneous removal of copper and cadmium from a simulated wastewater using rotating tubular packed bed of woven screens electrode was investigated. The effect of weight present of each metal on the removal efficiency and current efficiency was studied. The experiments were carried out at current 1.5 A, rotation speed 450 rpm, pH=2, and total concentration of metals (300 ppm) at different weight percent of each metal. The results showed that the removal efficiency of copper increased from 93.5 % to 99.33% as its weight percent increased from 20% to100%. In a similar fashion, the removal efficiency of cadmium increased from 80% to 90% as its weight percent increased from 20% to100 %. The results confirmed that the removal efficiency of any metals decreased in the presence of other metal. The results established that current efficiency for the simultaneous removal of copper and cadmium decreased with increasing of electrolysis time and Cd percent weight or decreasing of Cu weight percent. Current efficiency is higher at the initial stage of electrolysis and then declined with increasing time for all weight percent of metals.