Equilibrium and kinetic modeling studies for copper and cadmium removal from aqueous solutions by ground nut husk

This study investigates the equilibrium and kinetics of copper and cadmium adsorption from aqueous solutions using groundnut husk. Characterization of the groundnut husk reveals various functional groups and a porous morphology. Isothermal studies were conducted, and different models were evaluated to fit the data. The Langmuir model exhibits the best fit for copper adsorption, while the Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) isotherm models show superior fitting for cadmium adsorption. Results suggest that physisorption significantly influences both cases, with mean sorption adsorption energy lower than 8000 J/mole. Error analysis reveals that the Freundlich and Temkin models demonstrate maximum adsorption capacity, with lower Chi-square (chi(2)), Sum of Square Errors (SSE), and SAE compared to Langmuir and DR models. Additionally, intra-particle diffusion was analyzed using the Weber and Morris equation. Evaluation of model parameters indicates that cadmium demonstrates better nonlinear fitting of data compared to copper. FTIR and SEM analysis confirm the involvement of various functional groups in adsorption and reveal changes in surface distribution post-adsorption due to copper and cadmium presence.