Comparative study of selenite adsorption on carbon based adsorbents and activated alumina

The sorption characteristics of carbon-based adsorbents such as activated carbon and chitin for the removal of selenite, Se (IV), an anionic, hazardous contaminant, are compared with those of alpha and gamma alumina. Batch experiments were conducted to determine the influence of pH, concentration of adsorbate, adsorbent loading and temperature on the sorption characteristics of the adsorbents. Generally, low pH of the solution resulted in favorable selenium removal. With the exception of activated carbon, uptakes decreased with increase in temperature. In comparison, chitin was found to be far less effective for the removal of Se (IV) from aqueous solutions. The data also showed that gamma alumina provided higher selenium removal percentages (99%) compared to alpha alumina (94%), activated carbon (87%) and chitin (49%). The selenite removal was found to decrease with increasing initial Se (IV) concentration in the solution. Adsorption capacities of the adsorbents are reported in terms of their Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The adsorption capacity (on unit mass basis) of the adsorbents for selenite is in the order: chitin (specific area (sa) = 9.58 m2 g(-1)) < activated carbon (sa = 96.37 m2 g(-1)) < alpha alumina (sa = 6 m2 g(-1)) < gamma alumina (sa = 150 m2 g(-1)).