Removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ heavy metals in water by using adsorption-ultrafiltration hybrid process

Abstract

Pollution caused by heavy metals is a serious problem for the environment. Cadmium and Lead are heavy metals that are highly toxic to living beings. These metals are non-biodegradable and remain in the environment for a long period of time. The removal process of these heavy metals with adsorption using Aceh natural zeolite followed by the membrane filtration has been conducted. Operating parameters such as contact time, sample pH and adsorbent dose found to affect the removal efficiency in the adsorption process. PES membrane which prepared by phase inversion technique was used to eliminate the residual heavy metals remained in the effluent of adsorption process. The final concentration after removal with both processess was 0.21 mg/L and 0.242 mg/L for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively. Although the concentration are still above the permitted threshold, which is no more than 0.005 mg/L for Cd2+ and 0.01 mg/L at maximum for Pb2+, this combination can however still be an alternative that can be employed to remove heavy metals in water.