Date of Graduation
5-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Tian, Ryan
Abstract
When levels of heavy metal ions such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), and Cobalt (Co) exceed the tolerance values for industrial wastewater, it can devastate the environment as well as the health of the individuals consuming the water. Heavy metal ions are not biodegradable and will accumulate in organic matter.(1) This accumulation leads to toxic levels in the blood and hence damage to nerve tissue, kidneys, the liver, and other vital organs. (2) Effective removal processes of these heavy metals from water must be developed. This study explores a method to adsorb nickel from water with graphene-based materials. Adsorption is used because it is cost effective and relatively simple. Concentration and pH dependent batch tests were performed to measure the nickel adsorption onto graphene oxide that had been prepared via the Hummer’s method. Our results show graphene oxide uptake values reached up to 365.9 mg of Ni(II) per gram of GO. The results also demonstrate that there was a strong impact from pH on graphene oxide uptake of Ni(II).
Citation
White, C. M. (2015). Evaluating the Viability of Graphene Oxide for the Removal of Ni(II) Ions From Waste Water. Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/bmeguht/20