Adsorption of Cr(VI) by Natural Clinoptilolite Zeolite from Aqueous Solutions: Isotherms and Kinetics

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of natural zeolite for Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. Following simple modification of adsorbent, the effect of operational parameters including pH (2–10), adsorbent dosage (2–20 g/L), contact time (5–150 min) and Cr(VI) concentration (10–50 mg/L) were studied according to one-factor-at-a-time procedure. The maximum Cr(VI) removal of 99.53% was obtained at initial pH of 2, contact time of 30 min, adsorbent dosage of 8 g/L and initial chromium concentration of 10 mg/L. The Freundlich isotherm was best fitted with experimental data (R2 = 0.951). Also, type 1pseudo second order kinetic model showed the most correlation (R2 = 1) with the experimental data. According to obtained results, it can be concluded that the application of clay-like adsorbents such as natural clinoptilolite zeolite can be considered as an efficient alternative for final treatment of effluents containing Cr(VI).