Muhandisī-i Bihdāsht-i Muḥīṭ (Mar 2015)
Batch Experiment of Cu Removal from Aquous Solution by Phragmites Australis Nanostructure
Abstract
Background: Water and soil pollution by heavy metals is a serious threat to environment and human health. Therefore finding an effective method for removing heavy metals from water is very important. The main objective of this research is to investigate the possibility of removing Cu (II) from aqueous solution using Phragmites australis micro and nanoparticles. Methods: Phragmites australis natural adsorbents were prepared from Khuzestan canebrakes and characterized by PSA, IDEX, SEM and FTIR. The effects of various parameters such as pH, pHpzc, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and primary copper ion concentration on cu removal were studied. Results: The results indicated that the maximum removal of Cu (II) was equal to 80.22 and 90.85% for phragmites australis micro and nanosorbent. Amongst studied kinetic models, the most consistent and the least errors amount was accordance with Elovich model and the correlation coefficient for micro and nanosorbent was 85% and 99%, respectively. The adsorption isotherm data were fitted to Langmuir model and the Langmuir adsorption capacity for micro and nanosorbent was equal to 5.23 and 8.59 mg g−1, recpectively. Conclusion: Overally, the results revealed that Phragmites australis nanosorbent can be an attractive option for copper removal from contaminated waters.
