Hydroxyapatite-Based Adsorbent Materials from Aquaculture Waste for Remediation of Metal-Contaminated Waters: Investigation of Cadmium Removal

Mirco Cescon, Francesco Chiefa, Tatiana Chenet (), Maura Mancinelli, Claudia Stevanin, Annalisa Martucci and Luisa Pasti
Additional contact information
Mirco Cescon: Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Francesco Chiefa: Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Tatiana Chenet: Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Maura Mancinelli: Physics and Earth Sciences Department, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Claudia Stevanin: Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Annalisa Martucci: Physics and Earth Sciences Department, University of Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
Luisa Pasti: Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy

Clean Technol., 2025, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: Adsorption represents an effective strategy for water remediation applications, particularly when utilising eco-friendly materials in a circular economy framework. This approach offers significant advantages, including low cost, material availability, ease of operation, and high efficiency. Herein, the performance of cadmium ion adsorption onto hydroxyapatites, derived through a calcination-free process from shells of two mollusc species, Queen Scallop ( Aequipecten opercularis ) and Pacific Oyster ( Magallana gigas ), is examined. The phase and morphology of the synthesised adsorbents were investigated. The results showed that hydroxyapatites obtained from mollusc shells are characterised by high efficiency regarding cadmium removal from water, exhibiting rapid kinetics with equilibrium achieved within 5 min and high adsorption capacities up to 334.9 mg g −1 , much higher than many waste-based adsorbents reported in literature. Structural investigation revealed the presence of Cadmium Hydrogen Phosphate Hydrate in the hydroxyapatite derived from oyster shells loaded with Cd, indicating the formation of a solid solution. This finding suggests that the material not only has the capability to decontaminate but also to immobilise and store Cd. Overall, the results indicate that hydroxyapatites prepared via a synthetic route in mild conditions from waste shells are an economical and efficient sorbent for heavy metals encountered in wastewater.

Keywords: hydroxyapatites; heavy metals; cadmium; water remediation; adsorption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/7/2/34/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8797/7/2/34/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jcltec:v:7:y:2025:i:2:p:34-:d:1634060

Access Statistics for this article

Clean Technol. is currently edited by Ms. Shary Song

More articles in Clean Technol. from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().