Title
Elimination of Cr(VI) using activated carbon prepared from mushroom medium
Authors
LAN-SHU XU FU-LI FAN XIAO-XU CAI and XIAO-JUAN JIN

Received April 2, 2015
Published Volume 51 Issue 1-2 January-February
Keywords activated carbon, mushroom medium, adsorption, Cr(VI)

Abstract
Mushroom medium, which is mainly composed of wood flour, is a kind of waste largely obtained from the mushroom cultivation industry. The typical method of reusing it is by burning it to generate heat. In the present paper, mushroom medium-based activated carbon was prepared and the removal for Cr(VI) through it was explored. The combined effect of five process parameters, i.e. contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and temperature, on Cr(VI) adsorption were studied. The maximum adsorption capacity of activated carbon towards Cr(VI) was found under the following conditions: pH 2, contact time of 3 h, temperature of 60 °C and adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g. The adsorbed amount of Cr(VI) decreased with an increase in the initial concentration. In addition, the kinetics of Cr(VI) adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order rate expression. As regards the adsorption isotherms, the data were fitted better by the Langmuir model than by the Freundlich model.