Copper(II) Removal using Three Cation Exchange Resins: Ion Exchange Equilibrium and Kinetics

The removal of copper from aqueous solution by Amberjet 1500H, Amberjet 1300H and Amberlite IRC86 ion exchange resins is described. The Amberjet 1500H shows a remarkable increase in sorption capacity for copper compared to other adsorbents. The adsorption process shows maximum removal of copper in pure aqueous solution for an initial copper concentration of 5.98 mmol/L. The metal ions adsorption could be fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms. The adsorption of copper on these cation exchange resins follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, pseudo-second-order kinetics and an Elovich equation. The intraparticle diffusion of copper on ion exchange resins represents the rate-limiting step. The uptake of copper by the first two ion exchange resins, have good potential for the removal/recovery of copper from aqueous solutions. The equilibrium constants were used to calculate thermodynamic parameters, such as the change of free energy, enthalpy and entropy. We conclude that such ion exchange resins can be used for the efficient removal of copper from water and wastewater.