Abstract
The adsorption capacity of seven inorganic solid wastes [air-cooled blast furnace (BF) slag, water-quenched BF slag, steel furnace slag, coal fly ash, coal bottom ash, water treatment (alum) sludge and seawater-neutralized red mud] for Cd2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+ and Cr3+ was determined at two metal concentrations (10 and 100 mg L−1) and three equilibrium pH values (4.0, 6.0 and 8.0) in batch adsorption experiments. All materials had the ability to remove metal cations from aqueous solution (fly and bottom ash were the least effective), their relative abilities were partially pH dependant and adsorption increased greatly with increasing pH. At equimolar concentrations of added metal, the magnitude of sorption at pH 6.0 followed the general order: Cr3+ ≥ Pb2+ ≥ Cu2+ > Zn2+ = Cd2+. The amounts of previously sorbed Pb and Cd desorbed in 0.01 M NaNO3 electrolyte were very small, but those removed with 0.01 M HNO3, and more particularly 0.10 M HNO3, were substantial. Water treatment sludge was shown to maintain its Pb and Cd adsorption capability (pH 6.0) over eight successive cycles of adsorption/regeneration using 0.10 M HNO3 as a regenerating agent. By contrast, for BF slag and red mud, there was a very pronounced decline in adsorption of both Pb and Cd after only one regeneration cycle. A comparison of Pb and Cd adsorption isotherms at pH 6.0 for untreated and acid-pre-treated materials confirmed that for water treatment sludge acid pre-treatment had no significant effect, but for BF slag and red mud, adsorption was greatly reduced. This was explained in terms of residual surface alkalinity being the key factor contributing to the high adsorption capability of the latter two materials, and acid pre-treatment results in neutralization of much of this alkalinity. It was concluded that acid is not a suitable regenerating agent for slags and red mud and that further research and development with water treatment sludge as a metal adsorbent are warranted.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Alan O’Brien of BlueScope Steel Ltd. for supplying the blast furnace and steel slags, Paul Vievers of Tarong Energy for supplying the fly and bottom ash, the late Dr. David McConchie of Virotec International for supplying the Bauxsol and Robert Townsley of Seqwater (Mt. Crosby) for supplying the water treatment sludge. We are indebted to Mark Raven of CSIRO Land and Water for mineralogical analysis of the materials, Dr. Xin-Lin Hong of Wuhan University College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences for surface area determinations and David Appleton of the University of Queensland for the metal determination.
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Zhou, YF., Haynes, R.J. A Comparison of Inorganic Solid Wastes as Adsorbents of Heavy Metal Cations in Aqueous Solution and Their Capacity for Desorption and Regeneration. Water Air Soil Pollut 218, 457–470 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0659-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0659-7