The
application of static magnetic fields during adsorption as
an unconventional method for the removal of heavy metals such as Cd2+ and Zn2+ was studied in this work. Two different
materials were employed as adsorbents: activated carbon from bituminous
coal and bone char. The magnetic characterization of these materials
reveals that the activated carbon from bituminous coal is a ferromagnetic
material, while the bone char is a paramagnetic material. Both adsorbents
were used as received; i.e., no additional modification was employed
to alter or improve their magnetic properties. Adsorption studies
included adsorption isotherms at 30 °C, at pH 5, and equilibrium
times of 72 h. The adsorption results obtained depended on the magnetic
nature of both the adsorbent and the adsorbate. It was determined
that because of its ferromagnetism (hence, its chemical composition),
the activated carbon performed better when an external magnetic field
was present during the adsorption process. An increase of 63% and
15% in its adsorption capacity was measured for Cd2+ and
Zn2+, respectively.