Adsorption of Au(III), Pt(IV), Pd(II), and Rh(III) ions on activated carbon in a batch reactor supported by microwave radiation
Tomasz Michałek, Konrad Wojtaszek, Mahmoud M. Youssif, Piotr Żabiński, Karolina Kołczyk-Siedlecka, Remigiusz Kowalik, Robert P. Socha, Volker Hessel, Marek Wojnicki
Abstract
This study investigates the simultaneous recovery of noble metal ions using commercially available activated carbon (AC). Adsorption was carried out in a closed batch reactor enhanced by microwave radiation, creating high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The effects of AC mass, process time, temperature, pH, and ionic strength of the solution were examined. High-temperature, high-pressure, and microwave radiation proved to be effective means of chemical activation, resulting in nearly 100% adsorption efficiency. It is proposed that microwave radiation significantly increases the local temperature at the surface of activated carbon, altering the adsorption mechanism. This enhancement led to higher recovery yields compared to traditional batch reactors without microwave support. The results demonstrate the significant potential of this method for efficient metal recovery.