Air, Soil and Water Research

This paper describes the adsorption of Cd(II) ions from aqueous solutions by modified Cucumis sativus peel (CSP) by HCl treatment. The optimum pH, adsorbent mass, contact time, and initial ion concentration were determined. The maximum removal efficiency was 84.85% for 20 mg/L Cd(II) ion at pH 5. The adsorption isotherms were obtained using concentrations of the metal ions ranging from 5 to 150 mg/L. The adsorption process follows Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics. CSPs exhibit monolayer adsorption capacity of 58.14 mg/g at 298 K. The paper also discusses the thermodynamic parameters of the adsorption (the Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy). Our results establish that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic under normal conditions.