Removal of copper from aqueous samples using modified sawdust

The adsorption capacity regarding copper is low on sawdust which is a low cost adsorbent so in this research, modified sawdust with diethylentriamine was used as efficient adsorbent for removal of copper from water samples. The effects of several parameters such as pH value of the copper solution, adsorbent dose, adsorption time and the initial copper concentration on the adsorption were investigated. DETA-sawdust had a high uptake capacity in room temperature and could remove Cu (II) of about 90 % with 3 g/L of adsorbent in 60 min for 50 mg /L of copper solution. The method was applied to the removal of copper in tap water and river water samples from different parts of Khouzestan, Iran