Cd+2 SORPTION FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION USING ROSEMARY PLANT: PERFORMANCE AND ISOTHERM STUDY

Abstract

This research was conducted to verify the removal efficiency of cadmium ions from an aqueous solution using a low-cost natural adsorbent. Rosemary plant was used in a batch system, and to understand this process more, several factors were investigated as follows: pH, contact time, initial metal ions concentration, amount of adsorbent material, and agitation speed. All experiments were carried out at room temperature. Whereas, the results showed the optimal value of removal was 83% for cadmium onto rosemary plant, under optimum operating conditions: pH 5, the adsorbent material dosage 2 g/100 ml, contact time 60 min, the metal concentration 10 mg/L, and agitation speed 250 rpm. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm model fits the equilibrium adsorption data for Cd⁺²better than the Langmuir model. This study found that the rosemary plant as a cost-effective and locally adsorbent for removing Cd⁺²from polluted water is efficient. Thus, it is possible to use the rosemary plant as a low-cost material to be used to adsorb heavy metals from wastewater.