The Effects of Foaming Agent and Surfactant on Alkali Activated Materials as an Adsorbent for Lead Ions Adsorption

Lead, a hazardous environmental metal, has been widely used in various applications, either pure or alloyed with other metals. This study investigates the impact of foaming agents and surfactants content on the physical properties of metakaolin-based alkali activated materials. Additionally, it seeks to assess the effectiveness of metakaolin-based AAM adsorbent in removing lead ions. The research uses varying percentages of foaming agents (1 wt.%, 1.25 wt.%, and 1.5 wt.%) and surfactants (1 wt.%, 3 wt.%, and 5 wt.%). Water absorption, density and porosity tests were used to evaluate the metakaolin-based alkali activated adsorbent’s physical properties. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to study the morphology of the adsorbent. In addition, the adsorption test was investigated to determine the lead ion removal in the AAM adsorbent. The ion removal performance of metakaolin based alkali activated materials was evaluated based on different amounts of foaming agent and surfactant. A lead (II) solution was prepared in distilled water and used in the adsorption test. An adsorption test was carried out to determine the effectiveness of AAM with a foaming agent and surfactant, which showed that it could be suited to many harsh conditions. This study successfully identified the optimal parameters for achieving maximum efficiency in lead ion removal, featuring a concentration of 1.25 wt.% of foaming agent and 3 wt.% of surfactants. These findings hold significant promise for the advancement of effective adsorbents, particularly in the realm of wastewater treatment processes.