The aim of this work is to investigate and model the simultaneous adsorption of Cu(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) in the presence and absence of humic acid on kaolinite-based clays. The preliminary capacity estimation of clays for metal was made with the use of a modified Langmuir approach, and adsorption data collected at various pH were processed using the FITEQL 3.2 computer program to establish the model. The three types of surface sites responsible for adsorption were considered to be the permanent charge sites X 2 22 , and variable charge sites comprised of BS 1 OH silanol groups and BS 2 OH aluminol groups of kaolinite-based clays. Heavy metal cations were assumed to bind to the surface in the form of outer sphere and inner sphere monodentate complexes. When humic acid was added, divalent metal ion adsorption was modeled using a multisite binding model by the aid of FITEQL 3.2. Since the stability of the ternary surface complexes in the presence of humic acid was higher than that of the corresponding binary heavy metal cation complexes, the adsorption versus pH curves were steeper (and distinctly S-shaped) compared with the tailed curves observed in binary claymetal ion systems, probably due to the fact that humic acid-coated kaolinite essentially constituted the active surface for metal sorption. Although competitive metal adsorption from (metal ions mixture1humate) solutions was generally lower than those from individual metal ion solutions, Cd 21 , being the metal ion with the highest affinity toward permanent charge sites, was the least affected ion at relatively low pH from competitive adsorption. Prog, 28: 493-506, 2009 Keywords: heavy metals, competitive adsorption, clay, FITEQL, adsorption modeling INTRODUCTION Cadmium(II), lead(II), and copper(II) are wellknown toxic heavy metals, which pose a serious threat to the fauna and flora of receiving water bodies when discharged into industrial wastewater. In spite of strict regulations restricting their careless disposal, these metal cations may still emerge in a variety of wastewaters stemming from catalyst, painting and coating, extractive metallurgy, antibacterials, insecticides and fungicides, photography, metal electroplating, fertilizer, mining, pigments, stabilizers, alloy industries, electrical wiring, plumbing, heating, roofing and building construction, piping, water purification, gasoline additive, and battery industries [1,2]. The acute toxicity of these heavy metals has caused various ecological catastrophes in human history such as the ''itai-itai'' disease due to cadmium [3]. Prolonged effect may cause other chronical disorders [4]. Various methods such as hydrometalurgical technologies, ion exchange, electrodialysis, reverse osmosis, precipitation, and adsorption have been used for heavy metal removal from environmental aqueous solution [5]. Heavy metal adsorption on soils and soil minerals has been the subject of many studies during the last decade [6,7].
American Institute of Chemical Engineers EnvironClays readily adsorb heavy metal ions...