Efficient removal of aqueous manganese (II) cations by activated Opuntia ficus indica powder: Adsorption performance and mechanism

Abstract

The adsorption of manganese ions from aqueous solutions by pure and acid-treated Opuntia ficus indica as natural low-cost and eco-friendly adsorbents was investigated. The adsorbents' structures were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Specific surface areas were determined using the Brunauer-Emmett-Tell equation. The study was carried out under various parameters influencing the manganese removal efficiency such as pH, temperature, contact time, adsorbent dose and initial concentration of manganese ion. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 42.02 mg/g for acid-treated Opuntia ficus indica, and only 20.8 mg/g for pure Opuntia ficus indica. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms equations were tested, and the best fit was obtained by the Langmuir model for both adsorbents. The thermodynamic study shows that chemisorption is the main adsorption mechanism for the activated adsorbent while physisorption is the main adsorption mechanism for the pure adsorbent. The kinetics of the adsorption have been studied using four kinetics models of pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich and intraparticle diffusion. Structural analyses indicate the appearance of MnOx oxides on the cellulose fibers. The adsorption mechanisms consist of an electrostatic interaction followed by oxidation of the Mn (II) to higher degrees, then probably by binding to the surface of the adsorbent by different C-O-MnOx bonds.