Evaluation of Pb (II) Removal from Water Using Sodium Alginate/Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Beads

Abstract

This study examined the removal of Pb 2+ ions from aqueous solution with two different lead concentrations using a hydrogel-forming polymer based on hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and sodium alginate (SA). The feasibility of the adsorption behavior of SA/HPC beads has been investigated with three varying ratios of 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0 under a stir condition. The adsorption experiments were done to determine the effects of contact time, lead concentration and SA-HPC ratio to the adsorption capacity of SA-HPC hydrogel beads. The results showed that the ratio 75:25 showed higher adsorption capacity compared to 100:0 and 50:50. It showcased 47.72 mg/g adsorption capacity and 95.45% adsorption percentage after three hours of contact time. The adsorption kinetic model indicated that the adsorption of Pb 2+ ions onto the beads followed a pseudo-second order kinetic equation. This means that the adsorption mechanism shows a chemisorption process and its sole rate-limiting step is intraparticle diffusion.