Removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution by multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with 8-hydroxyquinoline: Kinetic study

Abstract Carbon nanotubes were modified with 8-hydroxyquinoline and used for the removal of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions. Different instrumentation parameters and methods of development for determining metal ions from aqueous solutions using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry were studied. The adsorption of heavy metals from aqueous solution by the pristine and modified MWCNTs was studied kinetically using different kinetic models, and the results showed that the adsorption process best fitted the pseudo-second-order model and the Elovich model. The mechanism of adsorption was explored using the intra-particle diffusion model and the liquid-film model.