Competitive adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ ions from aqueous solutions by multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The individual and competitive adsorption capacities of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ by nitric acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied. The maximum sorption capacities calculated by applying the Langmuir equation to single ion adsorption isotherms were 97.08 mg/g for Pb2+, 24.49 mg/g for Cu2+ and 10.86 mg/g for Cd2+ at an equilibrium concentration of 10 mg/l. The competitive adsorption studies showed that the affinity order of three metal ions adsorbed by CNTs is Pb2+>Cu2+>Cd2+. The Langmuir adsorption model can represent experimental data of Pb2+ and Cu2+ well, but does not provide a good fit for Cd2+ adsorption data. The effects of solution pH, ionic strength and CNT dosage on the competitive adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ ions were investigated. The comparison of CNTs with other adsorbents suggests that CNTs have great potential applications in environmental protection regardless of their higher cost at present. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.