Simultaneous Removal of Copper and Lead from Industrial Effluents Using Corn Cob Activated Carbon

The purpose of this study was to investigate the adsorption of Pb2+ and Cu2+ from aqueous solution in single and binary systems, and from industrial effluents by corn cob-activated carbon. To achieve this goal, the synthesis of activated carbon was optimized. The significant factors influencing the adsorption process namely the contact time, initial concentration of Pb and Cu ions, solution pH, and adsorbent mass were well examined. The synthesized activated carbon with an impregnation ratio equal to 1 exhibited high specific surface area of 810 m(2)/g and contained mainly acid functions with a zero charge point pH equal to 3.8. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the dominance of chemical bonds as well as functional groups on the activated carbon surface. The optimum pH values were found to be 5.3 for Pb2+ and 5.7 for Cu2+, with removal efficiencies of 77.5% and 86.3%, respectively. This study showed that the nonlinear regression was the best model to describe the kinetic and isotherm adsorption of Pb2+ and Cu2+. The adsorption processes of Pb2+ and Cu2+ are governed by intra-particle diffusion. In the binary solution, Pb2+ and Cu(2+)adsorption rates decreased more than in the single one. This study revealed that corn cob-activated carbon has successfully removed Cu2+ and Pb2+ from industrial effluents, with percentages ranging from 29.9% to 32.1%, and from 41.8% to 48.9%, respectively. With regard to the obtained results, the prepared corn cob activated carbons in Cote d'Ivoire are enabling promising applications for the removal of metal ions from water/wastewater.