Pine bark as bio-adsorbent for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn: batch-type and stirred flow chamber experiments.

The objective of this work was to determine the retention of five metals on pine bark using stirred flow and batch-type experiments. Resulting from batch-type kinetic experiments, adsorption was rapid, with no significant differences for the various contact times. Adsorption was between 98 and 99% for Pb(2+), 83-84% for Cu(2+), 78-84% for Cd(2+), 77-83% for Zn(2+), and 70-75% for Ni(2+), and it was faster for low concentrations, with Pb suffering the highest retention, followed by Cu, Cd, Ni and Zn. The fitting to the Freundlich and Langmuir models was satisfactory. Desorption increased in parallel to the added concentrations, with Pb always showing the lowest levels. Stirred flow chamber experiments showed strong hysteresis for Pb and Cu, sorption being mostly irreversible. The differences affecting the studied heavy metals are mainly due to different affinity for the adsorption sites. Pine bark can be used to effectively remove Pb and Cu from polluted environments.