Factor analysis of copper adsorption in aqueous solution by hydroxyapatite

Abstract

Copper is a frequent contaminant of wastewater, which can lead to human intoxication and environmental damage. The hydroxyapatite (HAP) can be used to remove this substance from wastewater, as it is easy to produce and has high yield. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the influence of several factors (factorial design) on the adsorption of Cu+2 in solution. HAP was produced by means of aqueous precipitation and subsequently characterized by XRD, FTIR, EDS, and TEM. The influence of the variables pH, initial concentration (Ci), and adsorbent mass on the adsorption of Cu+2 was performed through 12 factorial design (23), with four central points. The three variables analyzed were statistically significant, being possible to observe removals above 80% of the dissolved metal in solution. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the pH of the solution (1), the adsorbent mass (3), the initial concentration of metal (2), and the interaction 2×3 were statistically significant. The maximum Cu+2 removal efficiency obtained in the optimization procedure was 85.33%.