Removal of Pb(II), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solutions Using Alum-Derived Water Treatment Sludge

The sorption of Pb(II), Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using alum-derived water treatment sludge was investigated using the batch adsorption technique. Samples of sludge from two separate water treatment plants were used (one where alum was used alone and one where it was used in combination with activated C). The sorption characteristics of the two samples were generally very similar. Sorption isotherm data for all three ions fitted equally well to both Freundlich and Langmuir equations. Maximum sorption capacity and indices of sorption intensity both followed the order: Cr(III) > Pb(II) > Cr(VI). Kinetic data correlated well with a pseudo-second-order kinetic model suggesting the process involved was chemisorption. Sorption was pH-dependant with percentage sorption of Cr(III) and Pb(II) increasing from