Experimental study of coupling complexation-adsorption of Cu(II) on activated carbon

The water consumed for the industrial or domestic needs is rejected to 80% on average in the form of effluents in charge of harmful substances for the environment, the health of the men, and all the alive beings. An experimental study relating to on the one hand the adsorption of Cu2+ on the activated carbon was undertaken to highlight the importance of certain experimental parameters, in particular the pH, the temperature, the agitation and the mass of carbon. In addition, our work concerned the Cu2+ complexation by the EDTA (Ethylene diamine tetra-acetate), then the adsorption of the complex formed on the activated carbon owing to the fact that this last has a great affinity of adsorption of the organic substances, therefore a comparative study was realised. The whole of our results makes it possible to confirm that the activated carbon adsorbs preferentially the organic component, and that in the case of copper and the EDTA the adsorption of Cu + is more significant than the adsorption of the complex EDTA-Cu2+, because this last was formed in small proportions with various values of the pH; the analysis of the free cation in solution is carried out by atomic absorption.