Adsorption of Copper (II) Ions in Aqueous Solution by a Natural Mouka Smectite and an Activated Carbon Prepared from Kola Nut Shells by Chemical Activation with Zinc Chloride (ZnCl₂)

The aim of this work was to test the adsorption efficiency of copper (II) ions in an aqueous solution on Natural Smectite (NS) and Activated Carbon (AC). The experiments carried out in batch mode made it possible to determine the stirring time, the adsorbent mass, the pH, the initial concentration of copper (II) ions, the isotherms and the adsorption kinetics. It appears that the stirring time was 15 minutes for the AC and 20 minutes for the NS. The adsorption was at maximum for the two adsorbents at optimum pH of 3.5 for a mass of 0.05 g each. The quantity of copper (II) ions adsorbed was 26.6 mg/L for NS and 36.6 mg/g for AC of a concentration of 600 mg/L each. The Langmuir isotherm was the one that best described the adsorption process for the two adsorbents. The adsorption kinetics obtained was that of the pseudo second-order for our two adsorbents. The results obtained showed that these two adsorbents were effective for the adsorption of copper (II) ions in an aqueous solution.