A Basic Study for Removal of Heavy Metal Elements from Wastewater using Spent Lithium-Aluminum-Silicate(LAS) Glass Ceramics

Abstract

In this study, the heavy metal ions (of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Hg) in wastewater were removed using a spent Li 2 O-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -based crystallized glass previously used as an induction top plate material. Changes in the removal efficiency of heavy metals according to different reaction parameters, such as the amount of zeolite used as a heavy-metal adsorbent, adsorption time, initial concentration of the heavy metals, and pH of the initial solution, were investigated. As the amount of zeolite added increased, the heavy-metal removal efficiency also increased. Adsorption time had a considerable influence on adsorption characteristics, and the removal efficiency of all heavy metals increased with increasing adsorption time. In the case of Cd, the removal efficiency was greatly improved depending on the adsorption time. The initial concentration of the heavy-metal solution did not affect the removal efficiency; however, the initial pH of the heavy-metal solution affected the removal efficiency. More specifically, the removal efficiency of Cd increased while that of Pb and Cr decreased with increasing pH. The adsorption characteristics of Hg were not significantly affected by pH.