Effective removal of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ pollutants from wastewater by dielectrophoresis-assisted adsorption

Abstract

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) process could enhance the removal the Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ with less absorbent.

The removal rates of both Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ increased with the increase of voltage.

The overall removal rate of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ in the binary system is higher than that of Cd²⁺ or Pb²⁺ in the single system.

DEP could cause considerable changes of the bentonite particles in both surface morphology and microstructure.

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) was combined with adsorption (ADS) to simultaneously and effectively remove Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ species from aqueous solution. To implement the process, bentonite particles of submicro-meter size were used to first adsorb the heavy metal ions. These particles were subsequently trapped and removed by DEP. The effects of the adsorbent dosage, DEP cell voltage and the capture pool numbers on the removal rate were investigated in batch processes, which allowed us to determine the optimal experimental conditions. The high removal efficiency, 97.3% and 99.9% for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺, respectively, were achieved when the ions are coexisting in the system. The microstructure of bentonite particles before and after ADS/DEP was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Our results suggest that the dielectrophoresis-assisted adsorption method has a high capability to remove the heavy metals from wastewater.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Adsorption / Dielectrophoresis / Heavy metals / Cadmium / Lead / Wastewater

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