OPTIMUM CONDITIONS FOR MAXIMUM ADSORPTION OF CD2+ IONS BY CNT-PAC COMPOSITES
Design Expert software was used to optimize the controlling parameters namely, pH, contact time, adsorbent dose and agitation speed for the removal of heavy metals from water by using carbon nanotube-powdered activated carbon CNT-PAC composites. Four varieties of CNT-PAC composites were produced and functionalized using various methods. The KMnO4 treated CNT-PAC showed the best improvement in Cd+2 removal by increasing the removal rate from 38.9 % to 98.4 %. pH of 4.92, agitation speed of 160 rpm, contact period of 60 min, and adsorbent dosages of 214 mg/L were the ideal settings. The adsorbent's Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were investigated. Kl = 0.223, qm = 69.759 mg/g, and R2 = 0.924 were the values of the Langmuir constant. With R2 of 0.961, Kf of 9.215, and n of 3.015, the adsorption system was judged to be more likely to follow the Freundlich model at this point. The pseudo-second-order model could also adequately represent the adsorption behavior. The model values used for the best fit were R2 = 0.996, qe = 34.29 (mg/g), and K2 = 0.0013 (g/mg.min). The pseudo-first order's coefficients were qe= 21.145 (mg/g) and K1= 0.09 (min-1), with an R2 of 0.936. R2 was 0.812 for the intraparticle kinetic model, and Kd was 1.295 (g/mg.min0.5). It has been demonstrated that CNT-PAC, after oxidative fictionalization with KMnO4, is an effective adsorbent for Cd2+ removal from water. Due to its unique characteristics, this innovative nanocomposite material is promising for various adsorption applications.