© 2015 IJSRSET | Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Print ISSN : 2395-1990 | Online ISSN : 2394-4099

Themed Section: Engineering and Technology

Wastewater Treatment for Lead Removal: A Review

Sunil Jayant Kulkarni*1
1
* Chemical Engineering Department, Datta Meghe College of Engineering, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

ABSTRACT
Lead is a major cause of environmental concern for the industries like paint, pesticides, battery, mine, smelting etc.
Lead can cause diseases related to kidney, liver, brain and nervous system. Various methods used for lead removal
include electro-coagulation, ion exchange, membrane separation and suspended and attached growth biological
techniques. In case of electro-coagulation, factors like current density, pH, initial concentration affect the lead
removal. Adsorption is one of the important methods for lead removal. Parameters like pH, initial concentration,
adsorbent dose and particle size affect the adsorption process. Various low cost and waste materials can be used to
prepare adsorbents. The research on adsorption includes the studies on removal efficiencies, isotherms, kinetics and
modelling for the batch and packed bed data. The studies and research carried out for lead removal has been
summarized in the current review paper with respect to effect of various parameters, removal efficiencies, kinetics
of the solute uptake, modelling approach and isotherm studies.

Keywords: Effluent, concentration, removal efficiency, cost.

I. INTRODUCTION separation, electrochemical treatment and adsorption.

Wastewater treatment is conventionally carried out in The current review summarizes the research on various
three stages, namely primary secondary and tertiary. treatment methods for lead removal from wastewater.
Primary treatment includes physical separation by
screens, secondary treatments are biological treatments. II. RESEARCH ON LEAD REMOVAL FROM
The tertiary treatments mainly include chemical and EFFLUENT
advanced treatment techniques. Heavy metal pollution is
major concern in the industries like fertilizer, pesticides, Rice husk was used for lead removal by Kumar and
paint, pigment, catalyst, mining, electroplating and many Acharya[12]. They performed batch experiments to
other industries. Heavy metals can cause both long term study the effects of pH, initial concentration and
and short term diseases [1,2,3]. The removal of heavy contact time on the adsorption of lead. They carried out
metals from the effluent is widely studied treatment experiments with synthetic effluent. Thermal and
problem in environmental engineering. Many biological chemical activation methods were used for activation.
and non biological methods have been studies by various Analysis was carried out by using atomic absorption
investigators for heavy metal removal [4,5,6,7,8]. spectrophotometer. They observed that the initial rapid
Adsorption is one of the important methods for removal solute uptake for 5 minutes was followed by slow
of heavy metals from the wastewater. Removal of uptake. According to them film diffusion was
various metal ions like copper, chromium, cadmium, predominant in the solute uptake phenomenon. Pseudo
zinc, mercury, arsenic can be carried out by using low first order model fitted the experimental data. Also the
cost adsorbents[9,10,11]. One such heavy metal is lead. adsorption followed both, Freundlich and Lagmuir
Lead is present in the effluent from the industries like isotherms. Nwabanne and Igbokwe used oil Palm Fiber
paint, pesticides, battery, mine, smelting etc. Lead can for removal of lead in packed column[13].They studied
cause many health problems related to kidney, liver, adsorption performance and effect of the parameters like
brain and nervous system. Various methods for lead inlet ion concentration, flow rate and bed height on the
removal include precipitation, ion exchange, membrane breakthrough curves. They observed that the removal

IJSRSET151158 | Received: 13 Feb 2015 | Accepted: 17 Feb 2015 | January-February 2015 [(1)1: 272-275] 272
efficiency increased with increase in the initial to be 0.6 grams for 100 ml of effluent. The percentage
concentration and bed height. It decreased with flow removal was 86 percent. The solute uptake followed the
rate. They used Thomas and Yoon and Nelson kinetic pseudo-second order model most closely. Oil refining-
models for analyzing kinetic data. Both the models were contaminated wastewater was treated for lead and
satisfactory for describing the data. They also observed hydrocarbon oil removal by Bestawy et.al.[20].For lead
that the time required for 50 percent saturation decreased removal they used three bacterial species namely
with flow rate, bed height and initial ion concentration. Pseudomonas florescence (PF), Pseudomonas
Arunlertaree et.al. used egg shells for removal of lead paucimobilis (PP) and Pseudomonas sp.(PQ).They
from battery industry wastewater[14]. They studied the obtained the removal efficiency of 90.97 percent. A
effect of parameters like initial pH, contact time, types novel biomaterial, Tridax procumbens (Asteraceae) a
of egg shell and egg shell dose. They observed that the medicinal plant, was used for the removal of lead ions
pH value of 6 was optimum for lead removal. 1.0 g/100 from synthetic wastewater by Singanan et.al.[21]. They
ml was optimum egg shell dose. Contact time required used the adsorbent prepared as homogeneous powder of
was 90 minutes. Freundlich isotherm was followed by the biomaterial for the biosorption of lead. They used
the process. Shakir and Husein used electro-coagulation 100 ml of effluent sample for batch experiments. 3.5
process for lead removal[15].They used Aluminum gram of adsorbent was required for 100 ml of effluent.
electrode as anode and stainless steel electrode as 98 percent removal was obtained at the optimum pH
cathode in a glass tank. They used synthetic lead effluent value of 4.5. The contact time required was 160 minutes.
for the experimentation. At constant current density, the The removal efficiency of raw biosorbent was 65
removal increased with pH. With time and current percent. Saponified Melon Peel Gel was used as an
density also, the removal increased. They obtained adsorbent for lead removal by Chaudhari and Ijaz
complete removal of lead in 120 minutes for initial [22].They carried out saponification of melon peel with
concentrations 30, 70 and 120 mg/l. Kinetics, calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 to obtain the biosorbent. In
Equilibrium and Thermodynamic studies were carried 10 minutes they were able to remove 80 percent lead
out by Surchi for lead removal using agricultural from the water at pH of 4. According to them pectic acid
waste[16]. He used five low cost adsorbents namely was main component in the process. They also observed
chalf, rice husk, sesame, sun flower and tea waste. It was that calcium hydroxide also played important role in the
observed that pseudo-first order model explained the process. It acted as phase out compound for removal of
experimental data. The efficiencies for these four chlorophyll pigment and other lower weight molecular
adsorbents were 85%, 90%, 100%, 86%, 98% components that are useless in the biosorbent
respectively. According to these studies, both preparation. Yavuz et.al. investigated the removal of
chemisorption and physisorption mechanisms were lead by using calcite[23].They carried out experiments
present in the solute uptake process. Danish et.al. carried with 10 ml of effluent and 0.1 gram of adsorbent for 10
out investigation on removal of lead by using low cost µg/l concentration. For these batch experiments 10
adsorbents by Chitosan obtained from India sea minutes of contact time was sufficient. They also varied
foods[17]. They carried out batch experiments by using initial concentration from 150 to 2500 µg/l. The
25 ml of effluent. For this batch size, the equilibrium adsorption of lead remains constant up to 500 μg/ml.
time was 140 minutes. The sorption process followed With further increase in initial concentration, the
first order kinetics. Adsorption increased by almost 20 adsorption decreased. Calotropis Procera roots were
percent by increasing the pH from 2 to 6.5. Natural used for lead removal by Ramalingam et.al.[24]. They
Clinoptilolite was used for lead removal by Buasri observed that the adsorption was drastically depended
et.al.[18]. They were able to remove 95 percent lead on the parameters like initial metal ion concentration,
from the water with initial concentration of 800 ppm. adsorption dosage, contact time and agitation speed. The
Optimum pH value obtained was 7. Also they observed solute intake followed both, Langmuir and Freundlich
that the adsorption followed Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm. Ruangsomboon et.al. investigated lead
isotherm. Sharain-Liew et.al carried out biosorption removal from wastewater by the Cyanobacterium
kinetic studies for lead removal[19]. They used dried Calothrix marchica[25]. About 42 percent lead removal
leaves of Typha angustifolia (TA), also known as the took place in only 10 minutes. Equilibrium time
common cattail. The optimum adsorbent dose was found obtained was 60 minutes and corresponding removal

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was 61 percent. The Cyanobacterium Calothrix
marchica showed no difference in removal efficiency for III. CONCLUSION
age change from 4 to 10 days. A 14 day age material
showed high removal efficiency. At lower biomass Various methods used for lead removal by researchers
concentration, higher removal efficiency was observed. includes biosorption, ion exchange, electro-coagulation,
A mixture of activated charcoal and peanut shell was adsorption by commercial and low cost adsorbents. The
used for lead removal by Tahiruddin and studies on adsorption by using low cost adsorbent is
Rahman[26].They observed better removal efficiency in most widely investigated research area. Various low cost
first 30 minutes. pH value of 4 was optimum and about adsorbents derived from agricultural waste have been
99 percent lead removal was obtained. A research was used successfully. The electro-coagulation was also an
carried out on removal of lead from wastewater by using effective treatment method with 100 percent removal of
green algae Cladophora fascicularis by Deng lead. The electricity cost is limiting factor for this
et.al.[27].They observed that the biosorption followed methods. The methods like membrane separation and
first order kinetics. Also it followed both Langmuir and ion exchange can be used for lead removal. Cost is
Freundlich isotherms and was endothermic. pH value of limiting factor for both these methods. Adsorption is
5 was optimum for lead removal. Ion exchange resin most efficient and cost effective method for lead
Amberlite and natural zeolites were used for lead removal. Effective regeneration of adsorbent and proper
removal by Tabatabaei et.al.[28].They carried out disposal of used adsorbent are two important aspects of
treatment with three sizes of zeolites with different adsorption techniques which needs to be studied to make
concentrations of lead. 59.97 mg of lead was removed this option more effective.
per gram of zeolite. In case of Amberlite, removal was
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