New synthetic material removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions and wastewater

Abstract

(E)-2-[(1H-Imidazol-4-yl)methylidene]-Hydrazinecarbothioamide ligand (EIMH) was investigated to remove heavy metal ions from wastewater. Thus, the present study leads to the adsorption/complexation of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ in aqueous solution on EIMH under various conditions such as contact time, temperature, and pH. The EIMH ligand was characterized using FTIR and X-ray diffraction. The metal ion concentration in the aqueous samples was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The uptake is rapid with maximum adsorption being observed within 10 min for Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+. Results obtained revealed that 99.80% of lead, 99.25% of copper and 98.68% of cadmium were removed at pH 2–8. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate that the adsorption of heavy metals onto EIMH is physical in nature. Finally, EIMH is able to remove the three heavy metals to a concentration less than 0.5 ppm from wastewater and with an efficiency of 96.81% for lead, 99.44% for copper and 97.76% for cadmium. Keywords: Synthesis ligand, Crystal structure, Adsorption, Wastewater, Metal