REMOVAL OF LEAD AND CADMIUM IONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION BY ADSORPTION ONTO Jatrophas curcas ACTIVATED CARBON

Abstract

Abstract Lead and cadmium are among the heavy metals linked most often to human poisoning. They have the ability of dissolving in wastewaters and when discharged into surface waters, they can be concentrated on aquatic lives and materials. The Adsorption capacity of activated carbon prepared from Jatropha curcas husk (JAC) was carried out in removing the ions of these metals from aqueous solution. This was also compared with that of commercial activated carbon (LAC).Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration of the ions. Adsorption varied with increase in initial concentration of each ions with optimum adsorption at a particular initial concentration for each ion. The result shows that the two adsorbents removed Lead and Cadmium ions adequately following the order LAC (97.8% Pb(II) ion and JAC (98.2% Pb(II) ion and LAC (95.5% Cd (II) ion and JAC (97.00% Cd (II) ion. Adsorption of Pb (II) and Cd (II) ion decreases with increase in pH, varies with increase in Adsorbent dosage and increases with increase in temperature.The data fitted on Langmuir adsorption isotherm as evidence by their higher values of R2, LAC (0.998) and JAC (0.998) for Adsorption of Lead ion and LAC (0.999) and JAC (0.995) for Adsorption of Cadmium ion. The result shows the JAC as an adsorbent made from agricultural waste of Jatropha curcas could be effectively employed in the adsorption of lead and cadmium ions.