Removal of lead(II) from water by di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate containing ion exchange resin

In the present study, commercially available chelating resin with the di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate functional group (Lewatit VP OC 1026) has been evaluated for its suitability for the removal of Pb2+ from water. Studies for the removal of Pb2+ in different resin doses, pH of the solution, adsorption mechanism, and kinetic performance of resin were carried out. The obtained results showed that the removal performance of resin strongly depends on solution pH. More than 99% removal of Pb2+ was achieved at pH ⩾ 3. The experimental equilibrium data were tested for the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Correlation coefficients indicate that the Langmuir isotherm fits better than the Freundlich isotherm. Pseudo-first- and -second-order kinetic models were used to describe kinetic data. It was determined that the removal of Pb2+ well-fitted by second-order reaction kinetics.