Removing Cadmium from Water Using Economically Inexpensive Adsorbents

Abstract

Recent studies have focused on developing economically inexpensive materials for the removal of pollutants, particularly toxic heavy metals, from wastewater. Cadmium (Cd) is one such hazardous heavy metal, posing significant health risks to humans, animals, and plants. Consequently, numerous methods have been investigated for its effective removal from aqueous solutions. This study evaluates the efficiency of iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) as a low-cost adsorbent for removing cadmium from contaminated water. Several critical factors influencing the adsorption of cadmium onto the FeOOH surface were systematically examined, including solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and adsorption equilibrium time. The results demonstrated that the aqueous solution's pH significantly impacts removal efficiency, with the highest cadmium uptake observed at an optimal pH of 8. The ideal adsorbent dose was determined to be 5 g/L, and the system reached adsorption equilibrium within 4 hours. These findings highlight the potential of FeOOH as an effective material for the remediation of cadmium-contaminated water.