Removal of copper from aqueous solution using activated silica fume with/without apocarbonic anhydrase

The use of silica fume waste material in the remediation of polluted heavy metal water to remove copper ions has been studied. For studying metal adsorption, 1 g of silica fume has been taken as adsorbent and then it is suspended in 50 mL of 1 mg/mL CuCl sub(2) at pH range 3-11 with / without apocarbonic anhydrase and contacted batchwise in a thermostatic (t=30 [degrees]C + or - 01 [degrees]C) water bath agitator for 1 h to enable equilibration of the sorbent and solution phases. The copper concentrations in the samples taken from the silica fume treated aqueous solutions of polluted river water and CuCl sub(2) solution with/without apo carbonic anhydrase have been determined by spectrophotometric method using 1-amino-2-hydroxy-4-naphthalenesulfonic acid. The results show that activated silica fume has a high level of adsorption capacity for Cu super(2+) ion. Consequently, it is concluded that the silica fume can be successfully used for the removal of the copper ions from the aqueous solutions with heavy metals.