Cu (II) removal from synthetic waste water by ion exchange process

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of acid activated South Africa clinoptilolite as an adsorbent in the ion-exchange process for the removal of cations from aqueous solutions. The kinetic parameters affecting the adsorption of Cu (II) ions were studied. The adsorption of Cu (II) from synthetic waste water was found to be dependent on pH, temperature, contact time and initial adsorbate concentration. The pH was varied from 2.5 to 6 and the optimum pH for Cu (II) removal was found to be 4.0. The removal of Cu (II) ions increased with time and attained saturation in about 60-70 min. The equilibrium data showed that the adsorption was endothermic nature. Kinetics data showed that at higher temperatures, the rate of adsorption is higher for the clinoptilolite natural zeolite and that Langmuir equation successfully described the adsorption process