Removal of Pb(II) from water using synthesized kaolin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) used to remediate contaminated groundwater is limited due its lack of durability and mechanical strength. To address these issues, synthesized kaolin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (K-nZVI) was used to remove Pb(II) ion from aqueous solution. This study has demonstrated that synthesized K-nZVI was efficient in removing Pb(II) from aqueous solution containing 500 mg L−1 of Pb(II), where 90.1% of Pb(II) was removed within 60 min using 5 g L−1 of K-nZVI having a nZVI mass fraction of 20% at pH 5–6. Ni(II) and Cd(II), as co-existent ions, were also removed by the synthesized K-nZVI. This however had little effect on the removal of Pb(II) from solution. The synthesized K-nZVI could be reused more than 5 times when applied to remove Pb(II) from solution with concentrations of 50 mg L−1. Additionally, synthesized K-nZVI was efficient in removing Pb(II) (98.8%) and total Cr (99.8%) from an electroplating wastewater, indicating that the synthesized nZVI is a potential remediation material when used for the treatment of electroplating wastewater containing metal ions.