Removal of Heavy Metals from Industrial Wastewater by Sheep Gut Waste

Abstract

Removal of toxic heavy metals from wastewater is an important environmental challenge. In this work, the Sheep Gut Waste (SGW) is used as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Pb2+, Fe3+, and Cu2+ from aqueous solutions and industrial wastewaters. Bath experiments were used to determine the best adsorption conditions. The effects of contact time, pH, initial metal concentration, and amount of adsorbent on the adsorption process were studied. The time required for the removal of metal ions was about two hour. Effective removal of metal ions was demonstrated at pH values of 4-8. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cu– SGW, Fe- SGW and Pb-SGW were 9.76 mmol g-1, 11.19 mmol g-1, and 3.01 mmol g-1, respectively. Metal adsorption onto SGW was evaluated by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Results indicate that the Langmuir isotherm model is the most suitable one for the adsorption process using sheep gut waste.

Keywords

• Heavy Metals
• Removal
• Sheep Gut Waste
• Industrial Wastewater
• Adsorption Isotherm