Preparation of carbon-based adsorbents from sewage sludge pyrolysis to remove metals from water

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of cheap carbon-based adsorbents from sewage sludge pyrolysis to remove Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ from saline water. Four model solutions of NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2 that simulated seawater composition were used. The model solutions were 456.54 mmolc L−1 NaCl, 9.72 mmolc L−1 KCl, 19.96 mmolc L−1 CaCl2 and 111.09 mmolc L−1 MgCl2. Two carbon adsorbents, one with chemical activation, were prepared by a new method and evaluated for ion adsorption. The results indicated that carbon adsorbent without chemical activation was the most effective in removing ions from different solutions and the removal of metals followed the sequence: Na+ (76.78−69.66) >K+ (66.0−57.80) >Mg2+ (44.84−42.85) >Ca2+ (35.12−12.38). Results showed that it is to possible prepare carbon-based adsorbents from sewage sludge following inexpensive and environmentally acceptable methods.