Adsorption of Copper and Zinc Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Montmorillonite and Bauxite as Low-Cost Adsorbents

The objectives of this study were to investigate the adsorption of Cu-II and Zn-II on montmorillonite and bauxite and to discuss the usability of these adsorbents in environmental applications. The maximum adsorption was found for Cu (II) on bauxite with a Kf value of 4.179 L g(-1); the maximum adsorbed capacity (Q(o)) calculated from the Langmuir model reached 9.115 mg g(-1). Both raw materials have the potential to be effectively used to produce low-cost sorbents for copper and zinc removal from wastewater. They could be used as alternative adsorptive barriers and as amendments to soils at old mining areas, to prevent metal leaching into groundwater, or to isolate urban waste leachate.