Modelling of Copper Adsorption on to Na-P Zeolite Synthesized From Coal Fly

Ash

Payal Jain, M.K.Dwivedi, Priyanka Shrivastava

Dept.of Chemistry,Govt.Holkar (Model,Autonomous)Science College Indore (M.P.)
Abstract
Zeolite was synthesized from coal fly ash by direct hydrothermal treatment with sodium
hydroxide at different concentration ratios at varying temperatures of 350,450 and 550 °C with
activation time of 12 hr. Characterization of coal fly ash and of synthesized zeolite was done
using XRD, SEM and FTIR. Adsorption of Cu(II) ion has been studied and the adsorption
capacity of zeolite has been determined. The results of batch studies revealed that the adsorption
of Cu(II) was strongly pH dependent and maximum Cu(II) removal was observed at equilibrium
pH of 6.0. Optimum adsorbent dose and contact time were found to be 0.5 g/l and 240 minutes
respectively. According to the results of the experiments the adsorption equilibrium of Cu(II) on
zeolite was best described by Langmuir isotherm. The experimental results of this study
demonstrate that zeolite is suitable for adsorption of copper from aqueous solutions.
Keywords: Copper, Fly ash, Na-P Zeolite, isotherms ,kinetics

1. Introduction
Presence of heavy metals in water is a serious environmental threat and their removal by zeolites
both by natural and modified is extensively studied. Thus removal of heavy metals is now
constantly studied because several conventional methods and technologies are proving to be
highly inefficient or costly.
Adsorption of metals in low concentration by zeolites, in its low quatity is most stiking feature of
modified zeolites. Numerous studies so far has confirmed their excellent performance on
removal of metal cations from wastewater, when zeolites are chemically modified by inorganic
salts or organic surfactants it enables them to absorb or bind various cations and anions on
surface and form complexes.
Zeolites are cheap and exhibits excellent selectivity for different cations at low temperature and
therefore it is a research requirement to modify chemical and physical nature of zeolite for
exploring their catalytical and adsorptive properties [1-5].

1
Coal fly ash is a waste material from thermal power plants that is found in abundance in the
world. Throughout the world, much research is being conducted on the use of waste materials in
order to either avert an increasing toxic threat to the environment or to streamline present waste
disposal techniques by making them more affordable. It, therefore, follows logically that an
economically viable solution to this problem should include utilization of waste materials in new
products for other applications rather than disposal in a landfill. One of the promising areas in
this context is synthesis of zeolites from the coa lfly ash. The aluminosilicate glass in coal fly
ash is a readily available source of Si and Al for zeolite synthesis so as to obtain high value
industrial products with environmental utilization [6].

Several studies have been performed on the conversion of Coal Fly Ash into zeolite by
hydrothermal treatment but these have not exhausted all the types of CFA in different parts of the
world [7-19].It is therefore important to study synthesis of zeolite from coal fly ash from various
sources, as applications of zeolite is strongly influenced by the particle morphology, pore size
and architecture and the type of channels therefore in order to improve functional performance of
different kinds of zeolites, many studies were devoted to improve synthetic approach to control
pore channel system and morphology.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite from coal fly
ash, which has many advantages compared with the other methods, in order to establish a more
effective and environmentally friendly method for the treatment of coal fly ash and see its utility
in the removal of copper ion from aqueous solution.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Sampling and Sample Pre-treatment.

Coal fly ash was collected from H.E.G. Thermal Power Station, Mandideep (Bhopal) India. The
sample was sealed and transported in polythene bag and then air dried for 24 h. Before use, they
were screened by 100micron sieve followed by removal of magnetic materials mainly iron
fillings using a magnet which interfere with zeolite formation.

2.2. Zeolite Synthesis

2
The direct hydrothermal method was used for the synthesis of zeolites since it is fast, economic
and less involving than the other fusion and the microwave methods [11-18]. NaOH is added
with coal flyash in different ratios of1:2, 1:1.5 and 1:1.2 and kept for fusion at varying
temperatures of 350,450 and 550oC for 12 hours. After this fusion mixtures were washed with
double distilled water and agitated for 24 hours on magnetic stirrer to wash off excess of alkali,
filtered on whatmann filter paper and dried in oven for 12 hours at 110 oC and stored in
desiccators before use.

2.3. Characterization of Coal Fly Ash and Zeolite

Coal fly ash collected from H.E.G. Thermal Power Station, Mandideep (Bhopal) India. The
chemical constituents of fly ash were analyzed using Bruker S-8 Tiger WDXRF. The surface
area was measured with a model QS-7 Quantasorb surface area analyzer. The specific gravity
was determined using specific gravity bottles. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was
carried out using model LEO 438 VP, UK to study micro structure and qualitative characteristics
of the ash of the fly ash. The identification of the mineralogical constituents and phase properties
of fly ash was examined by Bruker D-8 advance X-ray diffractometer with a Cu-anode. The
diffractometer was operated at 40 kV and 40 mA for 1 h over the range of 2θ from 0° to 80°. The
infrared spectrum of the adsorbent was recorded in potassium bromide and Nujol mull in the
range of 500-4000-1cm using a Perkin Elmer spectrophotometer.

2.4 Sorption method

Batch experiments were performed for the determination of equilibrium time and the selection of
isotherm conditions. Double distilled water sample (20 ml) of known concentration (100-500
mg/l) and pH with desired adsorbent dosage were agitated until the equilibrium was attained. pH
value of aqueous solution of adsorbate was adjusted with either dilute HCl or NaOH solution to a
constant value.

The equilibrium adsorption uptake and percentage removal of adsorbate from the aqueous
solution qe (mg/g) was determined using the following relationship

3
 (C 0 −Ce )V
q e=
Amount adsorbed W

(1)

100(C 0 −Ce )
q e=
And % removal Co

(2)

Where, Co is initial adsorbate concentration (mg/l), Ce is equilibrium adsorbate concentration

(mg/l), V is the volume of solution (l), W is the mass of adsorbent (g)

The fly ash dose was varied from 0.1 to 0.5 g per 20 ml. The effect of pH was studied ranging
from 4 to 10. After the required contact time, the solution was centrifuged. The residue
concentration in centrifuged was determined by AAS.

2.5. Equilibrium Adsorption Isotherm Models

The adsorption isotherm describes how adsorbate interact with an adsorbent and is critical in
optimizing the use of adsorbent. Adsorption equilibrium studies are conducted to correlate the
adsorption capacity (qe, mg·g−1) and residual adsorbate concentration (Ce, mg·L−1) in the liquid
phase [17, 18]. Because of the complex adsorption system in liquid phase, it was essential to
apply various isotherm models, i.e., Langmuir [19], Freundlich [20], Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-
R) [21], and Temkin [22], to find an accurate relationship between dye in the liquid and solid
phase.

Langmuir model (Equation (3)) has been frequently applied for the removal of heavy metals and
dyes [23, 24]. The Langmuir isotherm model is used to establish the relationship in monolayer
coverage of adsorbate molecules. The model assumes that homogeneous active sites exist at the
surface of an adsorbent and that there are no interactions between two adsorbed species [19].

1 1 1
= + (3)
q e K L . qmaxCe qmax

Where KL is the Langmuir constant (intercept/slope), and q max is the maximum adsorption
capacity (mg·g−1) i.e., 1/intercept; both are calculated from the plot 1/q e vs 1/Ce. Moreover, Ce
(mg·L−1) is the equilibrium adsorbate concentration in solution, and qe (mg·g−1) is the equilibrium

4
adsorbent capacity. Further analysis of the Langmuir model can be performed using the
dimensionless equilibrium parameter [25], which is also called the separation factor (Equation
(4)) [26].

1
RL = (4)
1+ KLCo

RL is the dimensionless constant that indicates the favourability of the adsorption process.

Harkin-Jura (H-J) isotherm model assumes the possibility of multilayer adsorption on the surface
of adsorbent having a heterogeneous pore distribution [29]. Mathematically, this model can be
expressed as in Equation (5).

1 B 1
qe 2
= A
−
A ( )
logCe

(5)

Where B and A are H-J constants obtained from plot 1/qe2 vs. logCe.

The heat of adsorption decreases in magnitude with increasing adsorption for most of the
adsorption systems [30]. This behaviour is well considered by the Freundlich isotherm,
previously known as an empirical isotherm. The Freundlich isotherm also assumes the pollutant
undergoes adsorption onto the heterogeneous adsorbent. For solute adsorption from solution, the
Freundlich isotherm is described by Equation (6).

qe = KF Ce1/n (6)

where Kf and 1/n indicate the relative adsorption capacity and the heterogeneity factor,
respectively.

The Temkin isotherm model postulates the following: (i) the heat of adsorption of the surface
molecules decreases linearly rather than logarithmically with coverage [27]; (ii) the adsorption
process is characterized by a uniform distribution of binding energies at the adsorbent surface
[28]; and (iii) this model covers the adsorbate-adsorbent interaction [22]. The nonlinear form of
Temkin model is given by equation (7).

RT
qe = ln (A T Ce) (7)
bT

This equation can be liberalized as Equation (8):

5
 qe =BTln AT +BTlnCe (8)

RT
where BT = , and T and R are absolute temperature (k) and the universal gas constant (8.314
bT
J·mol−1 ·K−1 ), respectively.

The Halsey isotherm (Equation (9)) is suitable for multilayer adsorption; the adsorbent is
heterogeneous in nature if the Halsey isotherm well fits the equilibrium data [31]. The Halsey
isotherm is generally expressed as:

ln KH −lnCe
qe = exp ( ¿
nH
(9)

Equation (9) can be written in liberalized form as Equation (10):

1 1
ln qe= ln KH − ln Ce (10)
nH nH

where kH and n are Halseyʼs isotherm constants and are calculated from the slope and intercept
of the plot lnqe vs. lnCe.

The D-R isotherm (Equation (11)) was also used to analyze the equilibrium data [32]. This
model was neither based on the homogenous surface assumption nor the constant potential of
adsorption.

ln qe = ln qDR – βε2 (11)

where qDR is the theoretical monolayer sorption capacity (mg·g −1 ), and β is the constant of
adsorption energy (mol2 ·KJ−2 ).

2.6. Adsorption Kinetics

Experiments regarding the adsorption kinetics were performed to determine the rate of
adsorption as adsorption is a time dependent process. It is necessary to know the rate of
adsorption for the design and evaluation of a treatment system. Kinetic experiments were
performed by varying the initial adsorbate concentration, i.e., 25, 75, and 100 mg·L−1 over
variable time steps.

2.7 Specific Rate Constant of Adsorption

6
The rate constant of adsorption for various adsorbates is determined from the following first order
rate expression given by Lagergren.

K ad
t
log (qe-q) = log qe - 2 . 303 (12)

Where q and qe are amounts of metal adsorbed (moles/g) at time, ‘t’ and at equilibrium
respectively and Kad is the rate constant for adsorption (min -1). A straight line plot of log (q e-q)
versus ‘t’ suggested the applicability of Lagergren equation. The rate constant of adsorption
(Kad) was calculated from the slope of the plot.

The pseudo-second-order kinetic equation is described as:

t 1 1
= + t (13)
qt k 2 qe 2 qe
Where k2 (g/mg min) is the rate constant and qe and qt (mg/g) are the amount of Cu adsorbed on
the Na-P Zeolite at equilibrium and at time t (min), respectively.

Intra particle
To study the diffusion mechanism of adsorption, the kinetic results were evaluated using the
intraparticle diffusion model. During the intraparticle diffusion process, the adsorbate species are
most probably transferred from the bulk of the solution into the solid phase.
The intraparticle diffusion equation is given as:
qt = Kᵢt1/2 + C
(14)

where Kp (mg/g min1/2) is the intraparticle diffusion rate constant and C is the intercept. The
boundary layer thickness is described by the values of the intercept. The larger the intercept, the
greater is the boundary layer effect. From Table 2, it was observed that the intraparticle diffusion
rate constant increased with an increase in Cu concentrations.

Elovich model
Elovich equation is also used successfully to describe second order kinetic assuming that the
actual solid surfaces are energetically heterogeneous, but the equation does not propose any
definite mechanism for adsorbate–adsorbent [21]. It has extensively been accepted that the

7
chemisorption process can be described by this semi-empirical equation [26]. The linear form of
this equation [21] is given by:
1 1
qt = β ln αβ + β ln t
(15)
where α is the initial adsorption rate (mg/g min), and the parameter β is related to the extent of
surface coverage and activation energy for chemisorption (g/mg).
The Elovich coefficients could be computed from the plots qt versus ln t. The initial adsorption
rate, ae, and the desorption constant, be, were calculated from the intercept and slope of the
straight-line plots of qt against lnt . Table (2) lists the kinetic constants obtained from the Elovich
equation. It will be seen that applicability of the simple Elovich equation for the present kinetic
data indicates that the Elovich equation was able to describe properly the kinetics of copper
adsorption on Na-P Zeolite.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Characterization of Fly ash and Zeolite
3.1.1X Ray Fluorescence
The chemical composition of Coal Fly Ash is shown in Table 1. The type of CFA used in this
study can be classified as class F since it contains a total percentage of SiO 2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 of
more than 80% and CaO of less than 20%. The Coal Fly Ash contains mainly SiO 2, Al2O3 ratio of
2.43:1. The fly ash predominantly consists of trace metals with the chief constituents being
oxides, silicates and aluminosilicates of calcium, iron and other bases. These oxides have a
tendency to form metal hydroxide complexes in the solution and the subsequent acidic or basic
dissociation of these complexes at the solid-solution interface leads to the development of a
positive or negative charge on the surface.
Table 1: Chemical constituents of the fly ash
Constituents SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO TiO2 K2O P2O5 SO3 Na2O MgO LOI
Weight % 55.26 22.75 7.12 4.1 2.95 2.14 1.65 1.58 1.23 0.63 4.1

3.1.2 XRD
X-ray Diffraction revealed the occurrence of the characteristic reflection peaks of CFA and the
generated zeolite material (Figures 1&2). As shown in Fig. 1, the XRD pattern of CFA mainly

8
shows the presence of crystalline quartz and mullite phases. Besides some crystalline phases
(quartz, mullite, hematite etc), ash is primarily composed of amorphous material. The intensity
of quartz is very strong with mullite forming a chemically stable and dense glassy surface layer.
The low calcium oxide intensity is characteristic of low-Ca Class-F fly ash .After CFA treatment
several sharp diffraction peaks of great intensity emerge confirming formation of zeolites (Fig.2).
Data obtained from XRD shows that the quartz and mullite have changed their mineral phases
which is reflected by their intensity count/seconds. Zeolite from alkali activated flyash (1:1.5)
was identified as Na-P type as confirmed by software, JCPDF (1998)[20] corresponding to
maximum peak intensity of 390 counts per second and diffraction angle (2 theta) equal to 28 o .It
is observed that there is reduction in the silica and alumina contents associated with the
crystalline particles of the flyash due to its alkali activation. This can be attributed to the
dissolution of the metal oxides and release of corresponding soluble ions Na+. The Si/Al ratio of
the zeolite crystals present in alkali activated flyash is around one, which corresponds to a
tetrahedral framework structure of the zeolite Na-P where there is presence of the Al 3+ which
have replaced equal number of Si4+. Hence, it can be opined that such replacement of ions results
in development of negative charge in the tetrahedral framework from (SiO 4)-4 to (AlO4)-5. This
can be attributed to development of negative charge on the pores and channels of zeolite
structure and external linkages of Na+ to neutralize it in the tetrahedral framework consisting of
Al 3+ions. The mullite phase did not change much, indicating that it was a relatively stable phase
during the hydrothermal reaction.
3.1.3FTIR

The infrared spectrum of fly ash (Fig. 3) shows broad and weak peaks in the region of 4000-500
cm-1 associated with the functional groups that are on the surface of coal fly ash. The band
appearing at 560 cm-1is associated with octahedral aluminium present in mullite. In addition,
bands appearing between 800-600 cm-1are associated with tetrahedral vibrations formed which
are known as secondary building units and fragments of alumino-silicate system. Band appearing
at 2360 cm-1 could be attributed due to alkyl groups that are present in clay material of coal fly
ash. Bands appearing at 800-1200 cm-1and 450-550 cm-1 assign to asymmetric stretching mode
and bending mode of T-O bond respectively. These bands are more or less dependent on the
crystal structure. The mid infrared region of the spectrum contains the fundamental framework
vibrations of Si(Al)O4 groupings. Although some interference can be made about surface

9
functional groups from IR spectra, the weak and broad bands do not provide any definitive
information about the nature of the surface oxides. The data, however, indicate the presence of
some surface groups on the CFA.

It is observed that there are significant changes in the intensities and the width of various bands
due to interaction of flyash with alkali (fig 4).It can be noticed that there is an increase in
intensity and broadness of the stretching frequency OH band at 3452 cm -1 after the treatment.
This can be attributed to an increase in hydrated products due to the reaction between amorphous
silicate and the alkali. Further the shift in the frequency to lower values indicates change in
acidic character of the terminal Si-OH group. Moreover, asymmetrical stretching of TO4 (SiO4
and AlO4) band corresponding to the variation in frequency from 1076 to 1000 cm -1 and the
increase in its sharpness confirms synthesis of silicates and change in its acidic characteristics.
This can be attributed to substitution of Si+4 by Al+3 in some of the tetrahedral framework of the
primary building units of the aluminosilicates and their external linkage with the Na+ ions due to
their interaction with the alkali .The band at 434 cm -1 indicates the increased crystallization of
product.

3.1.4 SEM analysis

The results of SEM investigation of coal fly ash and zeolite are shown in Fig. 5&6. Fig 5 reveals
typical fly ash morphology and surface texture. Most of the particles present in the fly ash are
sub-angular and spherical in shape. The image also reveals that the particles present in the fly ash
are covered with relatively smooth grains of quartz, clusters of iron (Fe-oxide). Irregular surface
of glass matrix is observed which may be responsible for an increase in adsorbent pore volume.
Fig 6 shows a significant transition in morphology from lumps to crystalline form which is
attributed to chemical reaction between Si4+, Al3+, and Na+ ions and their nucleation and
precipitation of zeolite Na-P crystals.

3.1.5 BET

Surface area for the prepared zeolite material was found to be 60.36m2/g whereas the surface
area of fly ash was only 2.89m 2/g. The increase in surface area could be attributed to the
formation of zeolite structure.

10
3.2 Adsorption studies

3.2.1 Effect of contact time

To study the effect of contact time of Cu metal ion on adsorption behaviour, two concentrations
(100 and 500 mg/l) were used with a fixed adsorbent dose of 5 g/l at 303 K and at a natural pH.
The contact time was varied from 60 min to 240 min for both the concentrations studied. The
percentage efficiency of metal ion adsorption were calculated and plotted in Fig. 7. A perusal of
Fig. 7 indicates that the efficiency of metal absorbed was rapid in initial stage up to 120 min and
after that decreases due to saturation of the active site which do not allow further adsorption to
take place. It is also observed that at higher concentration of Copper metal (500 mg/l), the
absorption efficiency is high (95 %) as compare to the maximum efficiency of 95 % for 5 mg/l
after 240 min of contact time. The observed increase in the adsorption of metal with increasing
concentration may be due to sufficient adsorption sites at adsorbent. The optimal contact time to
attain equilibrium was experimentally found to be about 240 min.
3.2.2 Effect of pH
The pH of the solution was found to influence the adsorption of the adsorbate on adsorbent. The
studies were conducted at adsorbate concentration of 100 mg/l , contact time (240 min) and
adsorbent dose 5 g/l at 303 K. pH was adjusted by adding either 0.1M HCl or 0.1M NaOH. The
results obtained are presented in Fig. 8, which show that adsorption of metal increases with
increase in pH from 4.0 to 6.0 and after that a decrease in absorption capacity has been observed
on further increase in pH to 10.0. Maximum adsorption of copper metal is 95% at an optimum
pH of 6.0. The variation of adsorption with pH shows capacity of copper removal by adsorbent
increases significantly as the pH of solution is increased. If initial pH is too high metal ion could
precipitate out and this deflects the purpose of employing the sorption process as the sorption
process is kinetically faster than the precipitate. The adsorption of Cu metal becomes slower
because of competitive adsorption between H+ ions and heavy metal cation.

3.2.3 Effect of adsorbent dose

To investigate the effect of mass of adsorbent on the adsorption of Copper metal, a series of
adsorption experiments was carried out with different adsorbent dosage varied from 5g/l to 25g/l
at an initial metal concentration of 100mg/l at natural pH and temperature 303 K. The contact
time was kept 240 min and the results are shown in Fig 9. It is observed that the percentage

11
removal efficiency of metal ion increases slightly with increase in adsorbent dose from 5g/l to 25
g/l and after that becomes constant. The maximum efficiency at a dose of 5 g/l is 95 % for 100
mg/l of metal concentration respectively. This can be attributed to increased adsorbent surface
area and availability of more adsorption sites resulting from the increase in adsorbent dosage.

3.2.4 Adsorption Isotherms

Langmuir Isotherm

The adsorption of metal ion at equilibrium with increase in initial dye concentration at 303 K has
been fitted in Langmuir model and Freundlich isotherms. In Langmuir isotherm, 1/q e (mg/g) has
been plotted against 1/Ce (mg/l) and a straight line with slope 1/bqm is obtained. A perusal of
data shows that the adsorption of metal ion on zeolite follows the Langmuir isotherm. Langmuir
constants qm and b are calculated and the values of these constants are given in Table 2 along
with coefficient of correlation (R2).

Freundlich Isotherm

The equilibrium adsorption data has also been data fitted in the linear form of Freundlich
isotherm model and the plots of log q e against log Ce are linear. The values of KF and 1/n,
calculated from intercept and slope of the plot respectively, are given in Table 2. The values of
the regression coefficients indicate that the data satisfactorily follow both Langmuir and
Freundlich models but the Langmuir isotherm fits the experimental data better.

Temkin Isotherm
For Temkin isotherm model isotherm [27-28] qe values were plotted against ln Ce values.
Parameters obtained from the graph are given in table 2.
Dubinin- Radushkevich
Values of qm and β were calculated according to D-R model and the coefficient of determination
reflected a poor fit to the experimental equilibrium data compared to the other models used at
constant temperature of 30 °C.
Harik-jura isotherm assumes the possibility of multilayer adsorption on the surface of
adsorbents having heterogeneous pore distribution. The model is expressed by equation (5). R 2

12
value reported fig 15 shows a better fit to the adsorption data then Frendlich, Hasley, Temkin and
Dubinin- radushkevich models.

Hasley Isotherm is used to evaluate multilayer adsorption at a relatively large distance from
surface. Due to low value of correlate ion coefficient (Table 2) it concludes low distribution of
activated sites but to points to multilayer adsorption on zeolites.
Table 2 Freundlich, Langmuir,Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Hasley, Harkin-Jura
isotherm parameters at 303 K
Parameter Units Values
Langmuir qm mg-g-1 114.94
b 4.35
R2 0.975
RL 0.043
Frendlich KF mg-g-1 0.338
1/n 0.607
R2 0.931
Temkin At L-mg-1 0.3502
bt KJ-mol-1 85.216
Bt 29.074
R2 0.8374
Dubinin-Radushkevich qDR mol-g-1 73.1856
β (mol-g-1)2 0.07
E KJ-mol-1 2.6726
R2 0.8479
Halsey n 10.449
K 1.5×1012
R2 0.9576
Harkin Jura A mg-g-1 -769.23
B -3.3076
R2 0.9628
3.3. Kinetic Studies
The graph of pseudo first order for log (qe − qt ) versus time (t) in minutes exhibits straight lines
and confirms the adsorption process to follow first order rate kinetics. The K ad value calculated
from slope of the plot (Table 3).
Pseudo second order

To describe copper (II) sorption, the modified pseudo-second order equation is used (13).
A plot of t/qt against t of equation (13) showed a linear relationship and the values obtained are
shown in Table 3.

13
Elovich analysis
For Elovich analysis a linear relationship was obtained between qt, and ln t over the whole
sorption period. It is clear that a simple Elovich equation may be used to describe the kinetics of
sorption of copper (II) on NaP Zeolite while an expression for a fractional power function kinetic
reaction failed. Table 3 lists the kinetic constants obtained from the Elovich equation. It will be
seen from the data that the values of a and b varied as a function of the initial Copper (II)
concentration (C0) and Zeolite. Although the Elovich equation does not provide any mechanistic
evidence, it has proved suitable for highly heterogeneous systems of which the adsorption of
copper (II) on to Na-P1 zeolite is undoubtedly such a case.

Intra particle diffusion

During intra particle diffusion larger value of intercept (14.662) represent greater boundary layer
effect which clearly shows that rate constant increases with increase in Cu ion concentration.
Kad (mg/g min0.5) value can be obtained from the slope of the plot of q t (mg/g) versus t 0.5 is given
in Table 3.
Table 3: Kinetic model parameters
Models Parameter Units Values
Langergren’s first order Kad min-1 0.0161
R2 0.917
-1 -1
Pseudo second order K2 g-mg -min 0.29559
-1
qe mg-g 3.9277
2
R 0.9996
Elovich α mg-g-1-min-1 2398.55
β g-mg-1 0.6734
R2 0.995
Intraparticle Kad mg-g-1-min-0.5 0.298
C 14.66
R2 0.965

IV. CONCLUSION

14
The studies revealed that zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash can be fruitfully employed as
adsorbent for the removal of Copper metal ion. The pH was found to be significant factor
which affects the adsorption capacity of metal. The removal of copper metal ion is about 95 %
at 100 mg/l with a dose of adsorbent of 5 g/l and pH 6.0 at 303 K. The optimum contact time
was found to be 240 min. The adsorption data was analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich
models and fitted well. The fitness of Langmuir’s model indicated the formation of monolayer
coverage of the adsorbate on the outer surface of the adsorbent.
The characteristic parameter and mechanism of adsorption were also investigated using
isotherms and kinetic models. The adsorption data reflected best fits in the following order
based on coefficient of determination: Langmuir>Harik-Jura> Hasley> Frendlich> D-
R>Temkin. The adsorption data obeyed pseudo-second order kinetics model>Elovich>Intra
particle> First order.
The developed adsorbent is quite cheaper than commercially available activated carbon, while
their performance is comparable.

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1000

1:1.5
750
In te n sity (A rb . U n it)

500

250

0
0 30 60 90
2

Fig. 1: X-ray diffraction pattern of CFA Fig. 2: X-ray diffraction pattern of

Zeolite

0.8

C FA

0.6
T r a n s m itta n c e

0.4

0.2

0.0
1000 2000 3000 4000
W ave N um ber (cm -1)

Fig 3: FTIR spectra of coal fly ash Fig 4:FTIR spectra of alkali activated coal flyash

18
Fig 5:SEM of coal flyash Fig 6:SEM of Zeolite

100 100
90
80 80
70
% Removal

60

%Removal
60
100 mg/l 50
40
500 mg/l 40
20 30
20
0 10
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time (min.) pH

Fig: 7 Effect of contact time Fig. 8: Effect of pH on adsorption of Cu+2 ions

110
100
% Adsorption

90
80
70
60
50
0 Amount
5 of10
adsorbent(gL-1)
15 20 25

Fig. 9: Effect of adsorbent dose on Cu+2 ions

2.5 2.5

2 2
f(x) = 0.61 x + 2.13 f(x) = 0.61 x + 2.13
R² = 0.93 1.5 R² = 0.93 1.5
log qe
log qe

1 1

0.5 0.5

0 0
-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0
log Ce log Ce

Fig 10: Langmuir isotherm Fig 11: Frendlich isotherm

19
 120
100 5
80 4 f(x) = − 0 x + 4.29
f(x) = 29.07 x − 30.51
60 R² = 0.84 3 R² = 0.85
Qe

ln Qe
40 2
20 1
0 0
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 0 2000000 4000000 6000000 8000000
ln Ce Є²

Fig 12: Tempkin isotherm Fig 13: Dubinin- Radushkevich isotherm

0 3.05
0 3
f(x) = 0 x + 0 0
R² = 0.96 f(x) = − 0.1 x + 2.69 2.95
0 R² = 0.96
1/qe2

ln qe

0 2.9
0 2.85
0
0 2.8
0 2.75
-1.4 -1.3 -1.2 -1.1 -1 -0.9 -0.8 -0.7 -0.6 -3.2 -3 -2.8 -2.6 -2.4 -2.2 -2 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4
log Ce ln Ce

Fig 14: Harkin-Jura Fig 15: Hasley Isotherm

0.6 60
0.4 f(x) = − 0.01 x + 0.81
R² = 0.92 50 f(x) = 0.25 x + 2.19
0.2 R² = 1
0 40
log ( qe-qt)

-0.220 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 30

t/qt

-0.4
20
-0.6
-0.8 10
-1
0
-1.2 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220
Time (min.) Time(min)

Fig.16: Langergren’s plot of Cu+2 adsorption Fig 17: Pseudo II order

20
 20 20
f(x) = 1.49 x + 10.97 19
R² = 1 f(x) = 0.3 x + 14.66
15 R² = 0.97
18
10 17
Qt

qt
16
5
15
0 14
3 4 5 6 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
ln t √𝑡

Fig 18: Elovich model Fig 19: Intra-particle at 303 K

21