Preparation and Characterization of Egg-shell and Coated Egg- shell and their Removal Efficiency of Cu Ions from Waste Water

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the efficiency of egg-shell and coated egg-shell in removing copper ions from its aqueous solutions. The samples were collected from local waste, washed and dried at 70°C for 12 hours, and ground to fine powder, however, ferric chloride was added to enhance the capability of egg-shell. The samples were characterized by a set of technique such as FTIR, XRD and SEM, In addition the effect of the concentrations, contact time and pH were studied. The results showed that the main component of the samples was calcium carbonate 99% and 76% respectively for egg- shell and egg-shell coated, where as the samples contain types of trigonal and hexagonal crystal . The result showed that the best conditions for Cu2+ removal is at concentration of 500ppm, time of removal 80minutes and pH 6, meanwhile, coated egg-shell have ability to remove Cu2+ better than egg-shell due to its big surface area, the result showed that the removal of Cu2+ reached 100% by coated egg- shell. This technique is suitable for removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions in drinking water or waste water, due to its low cost and availability.