Adsorption of Co2+ by Oxides from Aqueous Solution

The adsorption of Co(II) by Fe3O4, Al2O3, and MnO2 has been studied as a function of Co(II) concentration, solution-pH, and temperature. It is observed that the adsorption of cobalt increases markedly with the solution pH between pH 5 and 7.5. Above pH 8 adsorption becomes increasingly masked by precipitation of Co(OH)2 and no resolution of these two contributions to the loss of Co(II) from solution is possible. A log θ/(1–θ) vs. pH plot is found to be linear between pH 5 and 7.5, where θ is the fraction of occupied adsorption sites. The presence of 0.1 m Ba2+ and Mg2+ in the solution does not seem to affect the hydrogen ion dependence of the adsorption of Co(II) on alumina.The adsorption results have been analyzed by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm over a wide range of Co(II) concentration (10−6–10−3 m). The adsorption of Co(II) is found to be an endothermic process and increases markedly with temperature between 30 and 100 °C. The heat of adsorption decreases with increasing surface coverage of the oxides. At saturation coverage, the heats of adsorption for Co(II) on Al2O3, MnO2, and Fe3O4 are −14.9, −14.3, and −6.3 kcal/mol, respectively. Hydrolysis of Co(II) is suggested as a possible mechanism for the marked dependence of adsorption on pH and temperature.