Removal of cadmium ions from wastewater using innovative electronic waste-derived material

Highlights: • A novel developed adsorbent material derived from waste printed circuit boards' component. • The innovative adsorbent material can effectively remove cadmium ions from aqueous solutions. • The maximum capacity for cadmium ion removal is 2.1 mmol/g. • Cadmium removal capacity is either equivalent or better than commercial resins. - Abstract: Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal even at a trace level. In this study, a novel material derived from waste PCBs has been applied as an adsorbent to remove cadmium ions from aqueous solutions. The effects of various factors including contact time, initial cadmium ion concentration, pH and adsorbent dosage have been evaluated. The maximum uptake capacity of the newly derived material for cadmium ions has reached 2.1 mmol/g at an initial pH 4. This value shows that this material can effectively remove cadmium ions from effluent. The equilibrium isotherm has been analyzed using several isotherm equations and is best described by the Redlich–Peterson model. Furthermore, different commercial adsorbent resins have been studied for comparison purposes. The results further confirm that this activated material is highly competitive with its commercial counterparts