Removal of metal ions from wastewater with roadside tree leaves

This paper reports on research related to the removal of heavy metal ions, such as lead, nickel, and zinc from wastewater by using tree leaves. Twelve different kinds of tree leaves were tested at room temperature. The experiments were carried out with 2 g of 40-50 mesh leaves in 200 mL synthetic wastewater containing about 50 mg/L metal ions. The initial pH of the synthetic wastewater was about 5. The experiments showed that the highest removal rates were 96% for lead (Pb++), 61.7% for nickel (Ni++), and 71.3% for zinc (Zn++), compared with 93.9% for lead, 68.5% for nickel, and 72.1% for zinc achieved by activated carbon. Tree leaves appear to beagoodadsorbent for metal ion removal from wastewater.