Abstract:The present study dealt with the mechanism of competitive adsorption of Sb(III) and Fe(II) ions from a copper-containing aqueous solution on Purolite S957, a commercially available cationic ion-exchange adsorbent. Experiments were conducted using aqueous copper sulfate solutions containing either single or conjoint ions, using both sedentary and batch adsorption techniques to ascertain the sensitivity of the adsorption process to variation in pH, mass of resin, contact time, and temperature as well as establishing the optimal range of variables for maximum ion removal. The data from single ion adsorption tests were fitted by non-linear regression techniques to Henry, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models. Freundlich isotherm for Sb(III) and Freundlich and Henry models for Fe(II) solutions best express the adsorption equilibrium data; while for binary ion electrolytes, the extended Freundlich model fitted the data satisfactorily. The kinetic model adequately describing adsorption was shown to be the pseudo-first-order, underscoring the dominant role of physical adsorption playing in the process. Thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption process reveal differences in the Sb(III) adsorption mechanism from single ion and Sb(III)-Fe(II) containing electrolytes. The adsorption of Sb(III) alone is endothermic, whereas the process becomes exothermic in the Sb(III)-Fe(II) system.

Key words: Sb(III); ion exchange; copper refining; thermodynamics; kinetics; Purolite adsorbent