Dynamic characteristics of Cr(VI) sorption on used black tea leaves (UBTLs) as a low-cost adsorbent are studied. Batch experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Cr(VI) concentration, solution pH and temperature on the removal process. Both of adsorption and reduction, involved in the process, are affected by the processing parameters. The adsorption kinetics is described successfully using pseudo-second order rate equation and the rate constant decreases with increasing the initial concentration of Cr(VI) up to 150 mg/L (for 0.1 g/L UBTLs) then becomes slow. Experimental and calculated kinetic data for equilibrium are well expressed by Langmuir isotherm. The solution pH has a profound effect on the adsorption rate. The rate constant increases linearly with an increase in temperature, and the low value of activation energy of adsorption, 16.3 kJ/mol, indicates that Cr(VI) is easily adsorbed on UBTLs. The maximum Cr(VI) adsorptive conditions, with a minimum reduction, were achieved from the dynamics of operational parameters: the initial Cr(VI) concentration <150 mg/L (for 0.1 g/L UBTLs); the initial solution pH = 1.54-2.00 and the processing temperature <50 • C, for the possibility of its practical application.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.