Single component and multi-component adsorption of metal ions by activated carbons

The adsorption by activated carbons was investigated as a method to recover metal ions from acid mine drainage. The adsorption of ferrous, manganese, zinc and calcium in single, binary, ternary, and quaternary systems was studied. Equilibrium isotherms were determined at selected pHs to characterize the adsorption process. Adsorption capacities were compared in single, binary, ternary and multi-component systems for different types of activated carbons. The adsorption data fitted Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms in most of the cases. The results indicate that Langmuir isotherm fits the data better in single component systems whereas the Freundlich is better in multi-component systems. Breakthrough curves were presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of adsorption in packed bed for treatment of metal bearing wastewaters.