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Remediation of Tributyltin Contaminated Seawater by Adsorption Using nFe3O4, Activated Carbon and nFe3O4/Activated Carbon Composite Material

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Abstract

The remediation of tributyltin (TBT) by adsorption onto nFe3O4, activated carbon and nFe3O4/activated carbon composite material as a function of adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, stirring speed, initial TBT concentration and temperature was studied. The effect of temperature on kinetics and equilibrium of TBT sorption on the precursors and the composite was thoroughly examined. The adsorption kinetics is well fitted using a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption isotherm data of nFe3O4, activated carbon could be described by the Freundlich isotherm model whereas nFe3O4/activated carbon composite could be described by the Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models. Thermodynamic parameters (i.e. change in the free energy (∆G°), the enthalpy (∆H°) and the entropy (∆S°)) were also evaluated. The overall adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous in nature. The results obtained also showed that 99.9, 99.7 and 80.1 % TBT were removed from contaminated natural seawater by nFe3O4/activated carbon composite, activated carbon and nFe3O4, respectively.

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Abbreviations

q e :

Amount of TBT adsorbed at equilibrium per unit weight of the adsorbent (in milligrams per gram)

q t :

Amount of TBT adsorbed at any time (in milligrams per gram)

k 1 :

Pseudo-first-order rate constant/minute

k 2 :

Rate constant of pseudo-second-order adsorption (in grams per milligram minute)

h o :

Initial adsorption rate (in milligrams per gram per minute)

α E :

Constant in the Elovich rate equation (in grams per square minute per milligram)

β :

Constant in the Elovich rate equation (in grams minute per milligram)

k p :

Rate coefficient for particle diffusion controlled process

k :

Fractional power rate constant

c a :

Amount of adsorbed TBT on the adsorbent (in milligrams per gram)

c e :

Equilibrium concentration of TBT in the bulk solution (in milligrams per litre)

c o :

Initial concentration of the TBT aqueous solution

R :

Gas constant (in joules per mole kelvin)

k L :

Langmuir isotherm constant

A max :

Maximum monolayer TBT adsorption capacity (in milligrams per gram)

k F :

Freundlich isotherm constant

n F :

Exponent in the Freundlich isotherm

k T :

Temkin isotherm constant

b T :

Constant in the Temkin isotherm (in joules per mole)

n T :

Constant in the Temkin isotherm, n T = RT/b T

k D–R :

Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) isotherm constant

ε :

Polanyi potential = RT ln(1 + 1/c e)

E :

Mean free energy (in joules per mole), E = 1/√2k D–R

q m :

Maximal substance amount of adsorbate per gram of the adsorbent

ΔG°:

Standard Gibbs free energy (in kilojoules per mole)

ΔH°:

Standard enthalpy change (in kilojoules per mole)

ΔS°:

Standard entropy change (in joules per kelvin per mole)

T :

Absolute temperature

K c :

Thermodynamic equilibrium constant

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Acknowledgments

Olushola Sunday Ayanda wishes to thank Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa for the 2012 and 2013 University CONFCOM award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, P.O. Box 1906, Bellville, South Africa

    Olushola S. Ayanda, Olalekan S. Fatoki & Bhekumusa J. Ximba

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, P.M.B 1515, Ilorin, Nigeria

    Folahan A. Adekola

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  1. Olushola S. Ayanda
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  2. Olalekan S. Fatoki
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  3. Folahan A. Adekola
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  4. Bhekumusa J. Ximba
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Correspondence to Olushola S. Ayanda.

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Ayanda, O.S., Fatoki, O.S., Adekola, F.A. et al. Remediation of Tributyltin Contaminated Seawater by Adsorption Using nFe3O4, Activated Carbon and nFe3O4/Activated Carbon Composite Material. Water Air Soil Pollut 224, 1684 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1684-0

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