The study of lead removal from aqueous solution using an electrochemical method with a stainless steel net electrode coated with single wall carbon nanotubes

The present work focused on the removal of lead from aqueous solution on a laboratory scale in a lab-made Plexiglas cell using an electrochemical technique. Electrodes of stainless steel net coated with single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs@SSN) were used as both the anode and cathode. The mechanism of lead removal involved that lead ions were reduced and deposited on the surface of the cathode. The effects of various parameters on the percentage of lead removal were investigated, including electrochemical treatment time, solution pH, applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and the initial lead concentration. Under optimal conditions with 90 min treatment, the lead removal efficiencies ranged from 97.2% to 99.6% when the initial lead concentrations varied from 20 mg dm−3 to 150 mg dm−3. The SWCNTs@SSN electrodes could be easily regenerated. The removal results for lead, iron and aluminum in a factory wastewater using the proposed method showed that the method could be regarded as a potential technique for the treatment of industrial wastewater containing heavy metal ions.

• A new electrode was used to remove lead form solution on this study.
• The mechanism of lead removal on electrode surface was studied.
• The effects of experimental parameters on lead removal were investigated.
• High lead removal was obtained in both synthetically and real wastewaters.
• The exhausted electrode can be easily regenerated using acid rinsed.