Equilibrium, Kinetics, and Thermodynamics of the Removal of Nickel(II) from Aqueous Solution Using Cow Hooves

The feasibility of using powdered cow hooves (CH) for removing Ni2+ from aqueous solution was investigated through batch studies. The study was conducted to determine the effect of pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, adsorbent particle size, and temperature on the adsorption capacity of CH. Equilibrium studies were conducted using initial concentration of Ni2+ ranging from 15 to 100 mgL−1 at 208, 308, and 318 K, respectively. The results of our investigation at room temperature indicated that maximum adsorption of Ni2+ occurred at pH 7 and contact time of 20 minutes. The thermodynamics of the adsorption of Ni2+ onto CH showed that the process was spontaneous and endothermic. Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models were used to quantitatively analysed the equilibrium data. The equilibrium data were best fitted by Freundlich isotherm model, while the adsorption kinetics was well described by pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. The mean adsorption energy obtained from the D-R isotherm revealed that the adsorption process was dominated by physical adsorption. Powdered cow hooves could be utilized as a low-cost adsorbent at room temperature under the conditions of pH 7 and a contact time of 20 minutes for the removal of Ni(II) from aqueous solution.