Development of a novel method for Copper sorption: An application of Taguchi Method

The aim of this study is to investigate the application of polypyrrole/ polyaniline (PPy/PANI) nanofiber for Cu (II) sorption from paper mill wastewater. The tests and their optimization results were based on the experiments design in three levels of variables using Taguchi method. The results showed that in Copper removal tests, the pH of the solution was the most effective parameter of the sorption process and the highest Copper removal rate was achieved in acid conditions. The adsorbent mass and contact time also had considerable effect (less than pH) on Copper removal in the Taguchi method. The effect of temperature on the sorption process was also studied and results showed that the temperature improved the Copper sorption. The adsorption percentage increased with the rise in temperature from 20 to 40 °C .The calculated amounts of thermodynamic parameters such as ∆H°(55.33KJ/mol) , ∆S°(0.209KJ/molK) and ∆G°(-7.4 ,-8.87,-11.31KJ/mol) showed that the adsorption of Copper on to nanofiber was feasible spontaneous and endothermic.