Adsorption on goethite of individual component from a solution containing phosphate, sulfate, or copper ion was investigated. Competitive adsorption in the binary and ternary solution systems composed of phosphate, sulfate, and copper ions was also investigated. In competitive adsorption systems with phosphate and sulfate ions, the presence of phosphate ion reduced the adsorption of sulfate ion largely. On the other hand, the presence of sulfate ion caused only a small decrease in phosphate adsorption. This result suggests that phosphate ion is a stronger competitor for adsorption on goethite than sulfate ion, which is consistent with the higher affinity of phosphate for the surface compared to sulfate ion. Compared to the results from single-sorbate systems, adsorption of copper ion in the binary system of sulfate ion and copper ion was found to be enhanced in the presence of sulfate ion. Addition of sulfate ion to the binary system of copper ion and phosphate ion resulted in a small enhancement in copper sorption. This result implies that the presence of sulfate ion promotes adsorption of the ternary complex FeOHCuSO4. The adsorption isotherms could be well described by the Langmuir adsorption equation.

• 감상규(제주대학교 환경공학과) | Sang-Kyu Kam
• 이동환(동의대학교 물질과학부) | Dong-Whan Lee
• 이민규(부경대학교 화학공학부) | Min-Gyu Lee Corresponding Author