Factorial experimental design for adsorption silver ions from water onto montmorillonite

This research work involved the use of factorial design technique to investigate the adsorption of silver ions from water onto montmorillonite. There is a growing interest in using low-cost and commercially available materials for the adsorption of heavy metals. Clay particles are strongly anisotropic and exhibit faces and edges, which are very different in surface area and in chemical behavior. It has been reported that the abundance of clay minerals and their low cost has posed them a strong candidate as adsorbent for removal of heavy metal from wastewater. In this study, a factorial experimental design technique was used to investigate the adsorption of silver ions from water onto montmorillonite. The experimental factors and their respective levels that were selected include a pH of 3-8, an adsorbent dosage of 0.5-2.0 g/L and an initial silver ions concentration of 20-200 mg/L. The results were analyzed statistically using the Student's t-test, analysis of variance, F-test and lack of fit to define most important process variables affecting the percentage silver ions adsorption. KEYWORDS: montmorillonite, factorial design analysis, silver ions adsorption