Title: Removal of cadmium (Cd II) from polluted seawater

Authors: C. Riverol

Addresses: Chemical Engineering Department, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, 001 Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract: Cadmium is one of the heavy metals, highly toxic and non-degradable and, therefore, persistent. Discharges containing cadmium are controlled due to its high toxicity level and its tendency to accumulate in living organisms. The present article describes the use of coconut pith as adsorbents for removing cadmium from seawater. The method consists in preparing activated carbon from coir pith, which is a raw material very easy to find in the Caribbean. The results indicate that the capacity of the adsorption can be up to 88.2 mg/g adsorbent, the method is cheap and the efficiency is similar to other chemical methods reported in the literature.

Keywords: adsorption; coconut pith; cadmium removal; seawater pollution; water pollution; heavy metals; activated carbon; coir pith; Caribbean.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2013.054857

International Journal of Water, 2013 Vol.7 No.3, pp.259 - 263

Received: 23 Apr 2012
Accepted: 16 Jul 2012
Published online: 21 Oct 2014 *

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