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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Comparison of Cu (II) Adsorption Using Fly Ash and Natural Sorbents During Temperature Change and Thermal–Alkaline Treatment

by
Anna Ďuricová
1,
Veronika Štefanka Prepilková
2,
Michal Sečkár
1,
Marián Schwarz
1,
Dagmar Samešová
1,
Tomáš Murajda
1,
Peter Andráš
3,
Adriana Eštoková
4,
Miriama Čambál Hološová
4,
Juraj Poništ
1,*,
Andrea Zacharová
1,
Jarmila Schmidtová
5,
Darina Veverková
6 and
Adrián Biroň
7
1
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 96001 Zvolen, Slovakia
2
Fortischem a.s., M. R. Štefánika 1, 97271 Nováky, Slovakia
3
Department of Geography and Geology, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Tajovského 40, 97401 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
4
Department of Material Engineering, Institute for Sustainable and Circular Construction, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Košice, Vysokoškolská 4, 04200 Košice, Slovakia
5
Department of Mathematics and Descriptive Geometry, Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 96001 Zvolen, Slovakia
6
Institute of Foreign Languages, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 96001 Zvolen, Slovakia
7
Earth Science Institute v.v.i., Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ďumbierska 1, 97411 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2025, 18(19), 4552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194552
Submission received: 11 August 2025 / Revised: 16 September 2025 / Accepted: 17 September 2025 / Published: 30 September 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Heavy Metals Removal from Waters (2nd Edition))
Versions Notes

Abstract

Mine effluents represent a serious environmental problem on a global scale. Therefore, the effective treatment of this water is a serious issue in the scientific field. The adsorption process seems to be one of the attractive methods, especially due to the simplicity of design, affordability or high efficiency. The latest scientific knowledge has shown that the use of waste and natural adsorbents is economical and effective. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of the adsorption process of natural and waste materials—zeolite, bentonite and fly ash—under the influence of temperature and modification of these adsorbents. The novelty of this study resides in an adjustment of the modification method of adsorbents compared to previous research: thermal–alkaline treatment versus hydrothermal one. Another novelty is the use of modified fly ash from biomass combustion as an adsorbent in comparison with the previously used fly ash from coal combustion. The modification of the adsorbents made the adsorption process more effective at all experimental concentrations. The characterisation of adsorbent samples was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The parameters of the adsorption isotherms, Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin, were estimated by nonlinear regression analysis. The adsorption capacity of Cu (II) of fly ash was comparable to natural adsorbents. Adsorption processes were better described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. At the end of this study, the suitability of using the adsorbents to reduce the concentration of Cu (II) in neutral mine effluents was observed in the following order at 30 °C: unmodified fly ash > modified bentonite > unmodified zeolite. At the temperatures of 20 °C and 10 °C, the same trend of the suitability of adsorbents use was confirmed: modified bentonite > modified zeolite > modified fly ash. The practical applicability of this study lies in the expansion of knowledge in the field of adsorption processes and in the improvement of waste management efficiency of heating plants not only in Slovakia, but also globally.
Keywords: heavy metals; neutral mine drainages; metal adsorption; alkaline treatment; fly ash heavy metals; neutral mine drainages; metal adsorption; alkaline treatment; fly ash

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ďuricová, A.; Prepilková, V.Š.; Sečkár, M.; Schwarz, M.; Samešová, D.; Murajda, T.; Andráš, P.; Eštoková, A.; Hološová, M.Č.; Poništ, J.; et al. Comparison of Cu (II) Adsorption Using Fly Ash and Natural Sorbents During Temperature Change and Thermal–Alkaline Treatment. Materials 2025, 18, 4552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194552

AMA Style

Ďuricová A, Prepilková VŠ, Sečkár M, Schwarz M, Samešová D, Murajda T, Andráš P, Eštoková A, Hološová MČ, Poništ J, et al. Comparison of Cu (II) Adsorption Using Fly Ash and Natural Sorbents During Temperature Change and Thermal–Alkaline Treatment. Materials. 2025; 18(19):4552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194552

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ďuricová, Anna, Veronika Štefanka Prepilková, Michal Sečkár, Marián Schwarz, Dagmar Samešová, Tomáš Murajda, Peter Andráš, Adriana Eštoková, Miriama Čambál Hološová, Juraj Poništ, and et al. 2025. "Comparison of Cu (II) Adsorption Using Fly Ash and Natural Sorbents During Temperature Change and Thermal–Alkaline Treatment" Materials 18, no. 19: 4552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194552

APA Style

Ďuricová, A., Prepilková, V. Š., Sečkár, M., Schwarz, M., Samešová, D., Murajda, T., Andráš, P., Eštoková, A., Hološová, M. Č., Poništ, J., Zacharová, A., Schmidtová, J., Veverková, D., & Biroň, A. (2025). Comparison of Cu (II) Adsorption Using Fly Ash and Natural Sorbents During Temperature Change and Thermal–Alkaline Treatment. Materials, 18(19), 4552. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18194552

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