Adsorption of metal ions onto Moroccan stevensite: kinetic and isotherm studies

The aim of this paper is to study the adsorption of the heavy metals (Cd(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II)) from aqueous solutions by a natural Moroccan stevensite called locally rhassoul. We carried out, first, a mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of stevensite. The surface area is 134 m2/g and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) is 76.5 meq/100 g. The chemical formula of stevensite is Si3.78Al0.22Mg2.92Fe0.09Na0.08K0.08O10(OH)2⋅4H2O. Adsorption tests of Cd(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) in batch reactors were carried out at ambient temperature and at constant pH. Two simplified models including pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second- order were used to test the adsorption kinetics. The equilibrium time and adsorption rate of adsorption were determined. The increasing order of the adsorption rates follows the sequence Mn(II) > Pb(II) > Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II). The Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R), Langmuir, and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) models were adopted to describe the adsorption isotherms. The maximal adsorption capacities at pH 4.0 determined from the D-R and Langmuir models vary in the following order: Cu(II) > Mn(II) > Cd(II) > Zn(II) > Pb(II). The equilibrium data fitted well with the three-parameter Redlich-Peterson model. The values of mean energy of adsorption show mainly an ion-exchange mechanism. Also, the influence of solution pH on the adsorption onto stevensite was studied in the pH range 1.5-7.0.