Abstract

Purpose: This research aimed to develop activated carbons from tobacco by double (thermal-physical) and triple activations (thermal-chemical-physical) for high-efficiency removal of Cd2+. Methods: The adsorbents were characterized by their chemical composition, point of zero charge (pHPZC), SEM, FT-IR, BET, and BJH. The subsequent adsorption studies were conducted: optimal conditions (CCD on adsorbent dose versus pH of Cd2+ solution), kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics, and desorption studies. Results: The activated carbons have irregular and heterogeneous morphology, surface functional groups COO–, C–O, C–O–C, C=O and O–H, pHPZC of 11.11 and 10.86, and enhanced SSA (especially for CT NaOH + CO2 = 103.40 g m−2). The optimal conditions for Cd2+ adsorption occur using 4.0 g L−1, pH from 3.0 to 7.0, with most of the Cd2+ adsorbed in the first 10–20 min. The goodness of the fit found for pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, intraparticle diffusion, Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, Sips, and Temkin suggest the occurrence of Cd2+ chemisorption and physisorption in mono and multilayers. The values of ∆G° < 0 kJ mol−1 indicate that the observed phenomena are energetically favorable and spontaneous; the values of ∆H° < 0 and the effective desorption rates (58.52% and 44.64%) suggest that the adsorption of Cd2+ is ruled mainly (but not only) by physical interactions. Conclusion: Our excellent results on Cd2+ removal allow us to state that tobacco use as a raw material for adsorbent development is a renewable and eco-friendly technique, allowing the production of highly effective activated carbons and providing an adequate destination for this waste.