Adsorption of copper and lead in aqueous solution onto bentonite modified by 4'-methylbenzo-15-crown-5.

The adsorption of heavy metal ions (Cu2+ and Pb2+) onto organobentonite modified by 4'-methylbenzo-15-crown-5 (MB15C5) from bentonite compared with natural bentonite (N-Bentonite) is described in this paper. The kinetic parameters of the models are calculated and discussed, and closely fitted a pseudo-second-order model in all cases. For bentonite modified with MB15C5 (MB15C5-Bentonite) and N-Bentonite, the equilibrium data closely fitted the Langmuir model and showed the following affinity order: Pb2+ > Cu2+, and the adsorption capacity of MB15C5-Bentonite is higher than that of N-Bentonite for Pb2+ and Cu2+. The effect of pH is examined over the range 1.5-6. The adsorption of Cu2+ and Pb2+ increases with increasing pH and the adsorption of Cu2+ and Pb2+ reaches a maximum at pH 3.5-6.