Abstract
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the adsorption capacity of casts for heavy metals. The casts were excreted by earthworm, Lumbricus rubellus, after having eaten the paper sludge. Various batch experiments on adsorption were performed to compare cast and activated carbon. The pH increase in solution due to extractives from cast was 1.3 and the cation exchange capacity which implies adsorption capacity for solubles is greater on activated carbon than on cast. According to the results of batch experiment, the removal rates of Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn using the activated carbon and casts as adsorbent were 98%, 93%, 94%, 89%, 82% and 95%, 90%, 88%,80%, 66%, respectivity, and this removal were achived less than 90 minutes. It can be said that casts is so good adsorbent as activated carbon is, although adsorption carbon was found to be some large than those of casts through Freundlich isotherm applied for adsorption of soluble. As a result on the experiment of isothermic adsorption from the mixed component solution in the batch, the order of preferable elements in heavy metal adsorption was found to be Pb＞Cd＞Cu＞Cr＞Zn on activated carbon, respectively.
