Effects of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+ on the Aqueous Zn2+ Sorption by Hydroxyapatite

In this paper, the behaviors of aqueous zinc sorption by hydroxyapatite in the co-existence of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+ are investigated, the effects of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+ on the sorption of Zn2+ are discussed, and the hydroxyapatite sorption capabilities for Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ are compared. The experimental results show that the Zn2+ removal efficiency decreases gradually with the increase of the Cd2+ concentration of the solution, and there is no sorption preference between Cd2+ and Zn2+. On the other hand, the Zn2+ removal efficiency rapidly decreases rapidly with the increase of the Cu2+ concentration of the solution, and there is a clear sorption preference between Cu2+ and Zn2+. It is noticed that the Zn2+ removal efficiency is hardly changed with the variance of Pb2+ concentration because the removal mechanisms for these two ions are totally different. It is concluded that the adsorption affinities of the heavy metals for the hydroxyapatite follows this sequence: Pb2+> Cu2+> Cd2+> Zn2+.