Removal process of cadmium from unsafe water by slow sand filtration: study of water feed flow rate effect

In regions facing water scarcity, the reuse of wastewater in agriculture introduces unique challenges, particularly the need to mitigate metallic pollutant presence cost-effectively, such as through slow sand filtration. This study aims to assess the efficiency of metallic pollutant removal using sand as an adsorbent, focusing on the adsorption process, to establish a cost-effective technique for treating cadmium-contaminated water from the Tensift River, directly receiving wastewater from the Zn and Pb extraction industrial unit of the DraaLasfar mine located at 13 km northwest of Marrakech, Morocco. Results indicate that slow sand filtration effectively decontaminates water, with efficiency strongly influenced by the water feed flow rate. Decreasing the water feed flow rate extends solute residence time in the filter bed, increasing contact time and facilitating chemical bond formation between cadmium and binding sites on the sand. Logistic component analysis, examining coherence between models, experimental results, and interpretation, aids in predicting the dynamic behavior of the adsorption mechanism used in the slow sand filtration process, represented by a single logistic model,dC(t)dt\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\frac{\text{dC}(\text{t})}{dt}$$\end{document}= Q *k * (1- C(t)mu\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\frac{\text{C}(\text{t})}{\mu }$$\end{document}) * C(t).