Removal of Aluminum from Water Samples by Sorption onto Powdered Activated Carbon Prepared from Olive Stones

Recent studies have revealed the poisonous nature of aluminum(III) species to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Therefore, this investigation aims to develop batch adsorption experiments in the laboratory, aiming to the removal of aluminum(III) from aqueous solutions onto powdered activated carbon (PAC). The latter (which is an effective and inexpensive sorbent) was prepared from olive stones generated as plant wastes and modified with an aqueous modifying oxidizing agent, viz. $HNO_3$. The main parameters (i.e. initial solution pH, sorbent and $Al^{3+}$ ions concentrations, stirring times and temperature) influencing the sorption process were examined. The results obtained revealed that the sorption of $Al^{3+}$ ions onto PAC is endothermic in nature and follows first-order kinetics. The adsorption data were well described by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) adsorption models over the concentration range studied. Under the optimum experimental conditions employed, the removal of ca. 100% $Al^{3+}$ ions in the concentration range $1.35-2.75\;mg{\cdot}l^{-1}$ was attained. Moreover, the procedure was successfully applied to the recovery of aluminum spiked to some environmental water samples with an RSD (%), does not exceed 1.22%.