Removal of uranium(VI) by adsorption onto peanut activated shell carbon powder

Abstract

In this paper, we investigated the possibility of using peanut shell activated carbon (PSAC) as an adsorbent to remove U(VI) pollution from wastewater. Batch tests were carried out to study the influence of solution pH, contact time, temperature and initial metal concentration on the U(VI) adsorption process. The experimental results indicated 35 °C was the optimal temperature for U(VI) adsorption over the temperature range from 20 to 45 °C. Moreover, the adsorption process was highly pH dependent in the pH range of 2.0-6.0. The pH 5.5 was found to be most beneficial to U(VI) removal. The U(VI) uptake followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and reached equilibrium within 60 min. Isotherm adsorption data exhibited good correlation with Langmuir equation with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 387.57 mg/g dry weight of PSAC. In conclusion, PSAC can be used as an efficient adsorbent for uranium-bearing wastewater treatment.