Efficiency of Precipitation and Removal of Pb(II) and Zn(II) Ions from Their Monocomponent and Two-Component Aqueous Solutions Using Na2CO3

Chemical precipitation is the most widely used method for heavy metal removal from water, and its effectiveness depends on several factors such as the type and initial concentration of heavy metals present in water, the precipitating agent used and the pH of the solution. In this paper an experiment of chemical precipitation and removal of Pb(II) and Zn(II) from their monocomponent and two-component aqueous solutions was carried out in a laboratory by batch process, using sodium carbonate as precipitating agent. The influence of initial concentrations of Pb(II) and Zn(II) and pH values of their aqueous solutions on the efficiency of precipitation and removal of lead and zinc ions was examined. By increasing the pH of the aqueous solutions, a higher efficiencies of chemical precipitation and removal of Pb(II) and Zn(II) were obtained, with higher removal efficiencies being achieved for the lead. The efficiency of removal of heavy metals was higher in solutions that had higher initial concentrations of heavy metal ions.