Sharifi - Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. (Center of Excellency for Petrochemical Engineering)
Nikazar - Department of Chemical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran. (Center of Excellency for Petrochemical Engineering)

Sawdust was used to adsorb cadmium from aqueous solution. The effects of solution pH, initial cadmium concentration, temperature, particle size and sawdust concentration were studied in batch experiments. The breakthrough curve was plotted for cadmium adsorption on sawdust and the breakthrough point was 80min. The results show that in the range studied decrease in temperature, initial concentration and particle size cause an increase in adsorption quantity whereas increase in the pH value and sawdust quantity cause increasing in adsorption quantity. The Freundlich model was found to be the best model to represent the equilibrium isotherm data.

sawdust; adsorption; cadmium; adsorption isotherm; agricultural waste