Concurrent Removal and Reduction of Cr(VI) by Wool: Short and Long Term Equilibration Studies

Fawwaz H. Jumean^1*, Mustafa I. Khamis^1,2, Ziad A. Sara¹, Mahmoud S. AbouRich¹

¹Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
²Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science & Technology, Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem, Palestine.

DOI: 10.4236/ajac.2015.61005                

Abstract

Hexavalent chromium removal from wastewater using sheep wool was investigated at several equilibration periods. The influence of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage and initial concentration was investigated. Adsorption isotherms for long and short periods were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. For short contact times, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was obeyed with no detectable change in the oxidation state but removal percentages did not exceed 90%. Long contact times resulted in more than 99% removal of Cr(VI). A 2-step mechanism for the removal is proposed. Free wool and wool loaded with Cr(VI) were characterized by FTIR and SEM.

Keywords

Chromium, Wool, Speciation, Adsorption Isotherms

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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