Adsorption of lead(II) from aqueous solution onto several types of activated carbon fibers

In this work, the adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution was investigated on various types of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) manufactured from polyacrylonitrile and phenolic resin. The textural and physicochemical properties of the ACFs were determined by the N-2-BET method and acid-base titration. The experimental adsorption equilibrium data of Pb(II) on the ACFs were obtained in a batch adsorber, and the Langmuir isotherm model better fitted the experimental data. The effects of the type of ACF and precursor of ACF, solution pH and temperature upon the adsorption of Pb(II) on the ACFs were examined in detail. The adsorption capacity was highly dependent upon the precursor of ACF. The Pb(II) adsorption capacity of the ACFs augmented when the solution pH and temperature were increased from 2 to 4 and from 288 to 308 K, respectively. The effect of the pH was attributed to the interactions between the surface of the ACF and Pb2+ ions present in the water solution. The Pb(II) adsorption capacity of the ACFs was enhanced by oxidation with HNO3 solution and the enhancement factor was between 1.1 and 1.4. The reversibility of the adsorption of Pb(II) was investigated by first adsorbing Pb(II) on an ACF and then desorbing the Pb(II). It was noticed that Pb(II) was substantially desorbed from ACF while reducing the solution pH to 2. It was concluded that the Pb(II) was mainly adsorbed on the ACFs by chemisorption, electrostatic interactions and ion exchange.