ABSTRACT
This chapter includes a discussion on factors affecting the adsorption of major toxic elements. The majority of these elements find their application in industrial uses. However, these elements are nonessential for human body and do not find any metabolic role in the body. Hexavalent chromium, vanadium pentoxide, radioactive strontium, cadmium, inorganic lead, mercury chloride and methyl mercury, and radioactive strontium are known to be carcinogens. The adsorption of vanadium with zinc chloride activated carbon was governed by the ion exchange mechanism in addition to the electrostatic nature of adsorption. The protonation of the adsorbent surface played a role in the alteration of behavior of adsorption. The adsorption capacity for vanadium declined in the presence of ions. The declination in the adsorption capacity was attributed to the competitive adsorption. The competitive effect of ions is also the reason for the declined adsorption capacity in groundwater as compared to synthetic aqueous solution.
