Adsorption Removal of Copper, Zinc and Cadmium in Aqueous Solutions and Road Runoff by Carbonized Mulch: Heavy Metal Removal by Carbonized Mulch

Carbonized mulch (CM) was used to remove copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in solutions and urban road runoff in this study. Parameters investigated included pH, sorbent amount and reaction time. The removal of all three metals by CM was determined by pH and the peak at pH 5.5. The adsorption kinetics of all three metals by CM could meet the pseudo-first-order equation. The adsorption isotherms of all three metals by CM could be greatly described by Langmuir equation, as well as by Freundlich equation. The peak uptakes were 30.8 mg Cu/g CM, 69.9 mg Zn/g CM and 27.5 mg Cd/g CM. Obtained results indicate that CM could be used to deal with heavy metals in road runoff, although there are the influences of real runoff qualities (including light metal cations, anions e.g.).