Application of Carbon Nanotubes for the Adsorption of Mercury from Aqueous Solutions: A Comparative Study with Activated Carbon

Mercury is considered to be extremely toxic to human life. This element and its toxic species still cause many ecological problems due to wrong waste management by mining, chloro - alkali, etc. industries [1]. Among the many methods available for the removal of trace metals from water, namely chemical precipitation, ion exchange, solvent extraction and membrane processes, adsorption has been shown to be an economically feasible alternative [2]. Multi wall Carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are relatively new adsorbents for trace pollutants from water, because they have a large specific surface area and small, hollow, and layered structures. This study elucidates the equilibrium and kinetics of the adsorption of Hg2+ onto MWCNTs and activated carbon (AC) where adsorption data on AC was taken from other works and experiments are focused on MWCNTs adsorption