Removal of copper(II) from aqueous samples using natural activated hydroxyapatite sorbent produced from camel bones

A simple and low-cost procedure for the removal of copper(II) ions from contaminated aqueous samples is introduced. The method depends on the adsorption of Cu(II) ions onto a natural activated hydroxyapatite (HAP) adsorbent, simply produced by recycling camel bones food waste, then chemically and physically activated. Activated sorbent samples were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, and SEM-EDX, then initially tested for Cu(II) ions adsorption. Four samples were then selected to complete the physicochemical studies including factors affecting the adsorption efficiencies and thermodynamic studies. As a result, one sorbent sample (chemically activated sample #2) that acquired the highest adsorption efficiency among other sorbents was selected to conduct industrial semi-pilot column experiments for the treatment of copper-contaminated well-water samples. This article presents a simple method for the recycling of a major food waste and environmental pollutant in Saudi Arabia to produce an activated adsorbent that had been applied successfully in the treatment of contaminated aqueous samples.