Attenuation of divalent toxic metal ions using natural sericitic pyrophyllite

The present study investigated the effectiveness of an inexpensive and ecofriendly alumino silicate clay mineral, sericitic pyrophyllite, as an adsorbent for the possible application in the removal of some divalent toxic metal cations such as Pb2+, Cu2+and Zn2+ from aqueous systems. Batch scale equilibrium adsorption studies were carried out for a wide range of initial concentration from 24.1 to 2410 μmol L−1 for lead, 78.65 to 7865 μmol L−1 for copper and 76.45 to 7645 μmol L−1 for zinc solutions. The removal of Pb2+ was almost complete at low concentration (maximum lead removal capacity, LRC, 32 mg of lead/g of pyrophyllite) with 10 g L−1 of adsorbent in a 30 min equilibration time. The effects of temperature on adsorption of heavy metal ions were studied. The applicability of the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich adsorption models in each case of lead, copper and zinc adsorption was examined separately at different temperatures. The adsorption process was found to be endothermic and the Freundlich adsorption model was found to represent the data at different temperatures more suitably.