Study of the Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption on titania

The removal of heavy metals from wastewaters is a matter of paramount importance due to the
fact that their high toxicity causes major environmental pollution problems. One of the most
efficient, applicable and low cost methods for the removal of toxic metals from aqueous
solutions is that of their adsorption on an inorganic adsorbent. In order to achieve high
efficiency, it is important to understand the influence of the solution parameters on the extent of
the adsorption, as well as the kinetics of the adsorption. In the present work, the adsorption of
Cu(II) species onto TiO2 surface was studied. It was found that the adsorption is a rapid process
and it is not affected by the value of ionic strength. In addition, it was found that by increasing
the pH, the adsorbed amount of Cu2+ ions and the value of the adsorption constant increase,
whereas the value of the lateral interaction energy decreases.