Removal of Cu (II), Co (II) and Ni (II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Modified Sporopollenin

In this study, (E)-2-((2-hydroxynaphthalen-1-yl)methyleneamino)pyridin-3-ol(HNMAP) compound was immobilized on sporopollenin of Lycopodium clavatum spores. The obtained structure was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This newly synthesized compound has been used as an adsorbent in the separation of heavy metals. Batch method was used to separate Cu (II), Co (II) and Ni (II) ions from waste waters. In addition, different experimental parameters such as pH, concentration and duration of interaction were selected to effectively separate heavy metals from aqueous solution and wastewater. The experimental results were applied to Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm equations. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy (ΔG^0), entropy (ΔS^0) and enthalpy (ΔH^0) were calculated from the experimental results to explain the mechanism of the sorption. As a result, this adsorbent has been successfully used to separate Cu (II), Co (II) and Ni (II) from aqueous solutions and waste water.