Removal of Cu(II) from wastewater by waste tire rubber ash

Abstract

The influence of pH, adsorbent dose, initial Cu(II) concentration and contact time on the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution by the batch adsorption technique using waste tire rubber ash as a low-cost adsorbent was investigated. The adsorption equilibrium was achieved after 2 h at pH 4-6, the optimum for the adsorption of Cu(II) ions. A dose of 1.5 g/L of adsorbent was sufficient for the optimum removal of copper ions. The experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and the corresponding sorption constants were evaluated. The adsorption kinetics data were fitted by a first-order equation. The cost of removal is expected to be quite low, as the adsorbent is cheap and easily available in large quantities. The present study showed that waste tire rubber ash was capable of removing copper ions from industrial wastewater samples.