Abstract

This work aimed to develop new adsorbents from cigarettes for remediation of lead from water. The precursor material, tobacco in natura (T in natura), and chemical activated carbon (CT NaOH and CT ZnCl2) were characterized by chemical composition, plip, c , FTIR, SEM and porosimetry. The pH range of lead monoelement solutions and adsorbent doses were carried out using CCRD. Equilibrium studies were performed by Langmuir, Freundlich, D-R and SIPS models. The results showed changes in pH(p)(zc) (5.40 T in natura, 7.47 CT ZnCl2 and 12.84 CT NaOH). The adorbents presented functional groups which making it favorable to cationic exchange. By SEM it was possible to observe changes on the surface of the adsorbents, such as the formation of tubular structures (T in natura and CT ZnCl2) and spongy structures (CT NaOH). An increase in specific surface area about 283 and 1775 times was verified for CT NaOH and CT ZnCl2, respectivelly. The pH studied had not significant influence on the adsorption of lead, however, there was a significant difference in the adsorbent doses, indicanting the use of 4 g L-1 as the highest lead removal efficiency. The Langmuir model exhibited good correlation (R 2 :0.98) and the highest adsorption rate was found for CT ZnCl2 (Q(m) 84.74 mg g(-1)) with an increase of 1.5 times in adsorption capacity when compared to T in natura. The results evidence that CT ZnCl2 showed increased on adsorption capacity being an excellent alternative for the tobacco from smuggled cigarettes that do not have environmentally adequate disposal.