Lead removal from water by adsorption on spent coffee grounds

Industrial water and drinking water by lead is recognized as public health problems in several countries of the world, including Italy. Lead is on the second position on the Aency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) list for dangerous elements. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also recognized lead as a probable human cancinogen. In this study the potential of spent coffee grounds (SGG) for the removal of lead fron contaminated water was investigated. Batch experiments were performed at 25 °C on untreated SGC. The results obtained showed that the adsorption equilibrium of lead on SGC is well described by the Langmuir equation, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 2.46 mg g -1. Overall, this study strongly supports the use of SGC for the removal of lead, and probably of the other species, from industrial and drinking water,