Effect of tartaric acid on the adsorption of Pb (Ⅱ) via humin: Kinetics and mechanism

Tartaric acid (TA) is an important component of plant rhizosphere secretion, having a certain influence on the adsorption and desorption behavior of heavy metals in soil. Humin could serve as an environmentally compatible passivator of heavy metal in soil. The aims of this study were to simulate the adsorption of Pb (II) via humin in a soil solution, explore the effects of TA on the adsorption of Pb (II) by humin and elucidate the mechanism of its influence. The results indicated that the adsorption of Pb (II) on the surface of humin within and without TA was consistent with the Langmuir isotherm equation and the pseudo-secondary kinetic model (R 2  > 0.99). The effect of TA on adsorption was related to the concentration of TA. With the increasing of TA concentration, the adsorption of Pb (II) by humin showed a peak change and the adsorption amount reached the maximum with 0.5 mmol L −1 humin, is 192.31 mg L −1 with 0.1 mmol TA. Basing on adsorption experiments and characterization of FTIR, SEM, EDX and XPS. It revealed that the oxygenated groups of TA can be combined with humin by hydrogen bonding, in the low concentration TA (less than 0.5 mmol L −1 ), which is equivalent to an increment of the carboxyl group on the surface of humin, thus adsorption amount was increased. The increasing of the concentration of TA led to an increment of free TA in the solution, which would complex with the lead ions in the solution, and indirectly reduce the amount of Pb(II) adsorption on the humin.