Ronbanchob Apiratikul, Taha F. Marhaba, Suraphong Wattanachira and Prasert Pavasant

pp. 199 - 207

Abstract

Dried Caulerpa lentillifera was shown to have adsorption potential for Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn. The adsorption equilibrium was found to follow the Freundlich isotherm type. The adsorption of binary mixture of
heavy metals solution onto the surface of the algae was found to be of competitive type where the adsorption
capacity for any single metal decreased by 10-40% in the presence of the others. The total adsorption capacity
of the algae was, in most cases, found to decrease by 30-50% when there was more than one heavy metal in
the solution. However, the adsorption of mixtures of Cd and Cu, and of Pb and Cu did not show a reduction
in the total adsorption capacity.

Keywords

• adsorption
• competitive sorption
• algae
• wastewater treatment