Removal of Cobalt Ions from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption onto Cross-Linked Calcium Alginate Beads

The removal of cobalt ions from dilute aqueous solutions using cross linked calcium alginate beads as the adsorbent is reported in this article. The influence of various experimental parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, contact time and solid to liquid ratio were studied. The adsorption data were applied to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations and various static parameters were calculated. It was observed that the uptake of cobalt ions was found to increase with time and that maximum adsorption was obtained within the first 60 minutes of the process. These results indicate that the cross linked calcium alginate beads have potential for removing cobalt ions from industrial waste water.