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Removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ from drinking water using polysaccharide extract isolated from cactus pads ( Opuntia ficus indica )
Author(s) -
Onditi Mariah,
Adelodun Adedeji A.,
Changamu Evans O.,
Ngila Jane C.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.43913
Subject(s) - adsorption , freundlich equation , chemistry , langmuir , ionic strength , langmuir adsorption model , polysaccharide , biosorption , nuclear chemistry , ion exchange , chromatography , ion , aqueous solution , organic chemistry , sorption
The use of a polysaccharide extract isolated from cactus pads ( Opuntia ficus indica ) as a low‐cost adsorbent for the removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ from water was investigated. The Brunauer−Emmett−Teller study showed that the surface area of the extract powder was approximately 2.373 m 2 /g. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry was used to monitor changes in ion concentrations during the adsorption. The adsorption mechanism was studied as a function of physicochemical variables such as initial metal ion concentration, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and pH of the solution. The results indicated that the adsorption percentage of the two cations increased with contact time, attaining equilibrium at 150 and 120 min for Cd 2+ and Pb 2+ , respectively. At these optimal times, the adsorption capacity of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ increased with increasing pH. Langmuir, Freundlich, Toth, Dubinin–Radushkevich, Sips, and Redlich–Peterson isotherm models were thereafter applied to understand the adsorption mechanism. The qe plot against C e for the Toth isotherm model had the best fit with low error values and the highest correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) values of 0.9973 and 0.9953 for Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ , respectively. Therefore, the isotherm study reveals that the adsorption mechanism involved is complex because of the presence of different interactions (such as ionic exchange and coagulation), yielding maximum adsorption capacities of 256 and 151 gm/L for Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ , respectively. Generally, the polysaccharide extract exhibited higher adsorption capacity of Pb 2+ than of Cd 2+ under similar conditions. Besides the removal capacities reported in this study, the adsorbent regeneration and its reusability was also investigated. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43913.