Adsorption of Metal Ions Onto Moroccan Stevensite: Kinetic and Isotherm Studies

The aim of this paper is to study the adsorption of the heavy metals (Cd(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II)) from aqueous solutions by a natural Moroccan stevensite called locally rhassoul. We carried out, first, a mineralogical and physicochemical characterization of stevensite. The surface area is 134 m2/g and the cation exchange capacity (CEC) is 76.5 meq/100 g. The chemical formula of stevensite is Si3.78Al0.22Mg2.92Fe0.09Na0.08K0.08O10(OH)2.4H2O. Adsorption tests of Cd(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) in batch reactors were carried out at ambient temperature and at constant pH. Two simplified models including pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second- order were used to test the adsorption kinetics. The equilibrium time and adsorption rate of adsorption were determined. The increasing order of the adsorption rates follows the sequence Mn(II) > Pb(II) > Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Cd(II). The Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R), Langmuir, and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) models were adopted to describe the adsorption isotherms. The maximal adsorption capacities at pH 4.0 determined from the D-R and Langmuir models vary in the following order: Cu(II) > Mn(II) > Cd(II) > Zn(II) > Pb(II). The equilibrium data fitted well with the three-parameter Redlich-Peterson model. The values of mean energy of adsorption show mainly an ion-exchange mechanism. Also, the influence of solution pH on the adsorption onto stevensite was studied in the pH range 1.5-7.0.