Comparative study on kinetic adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions using activated sludge and dried sludge

The adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solutions by activated sludge and dried sludge was investigated under laboratory conditions to assess its potential in removing metal ions. The adsorption behavior of metal ions onto activated sludge and dried sludge was analyzed with Weber–Morris intra-particle diffusion model, Lagergren first-order model and pseudo second-order model. The rate constant of intra-particle diffusion on activated sludge and dried sludge increased in the sequence of Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Cd(II). According to the regression coefficients, it was observed that the kinetic adsorption data can fit better by the pseudo second-order model compared to the first-order Lagergren model with R 2 > 0.997. The adsorption capacities of metal ions onto activated sludge and dried sludge followed the sequence Ni(II) ≈ Cu(II) > Cd(II) and Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Cd(II).