Adsorption of 10-100 ppb lead and thallium by borosilicate glass and polypropylene surfaces was studied. No thallium was adsorbed by either substrate at pH 7.0. About 50-60% of the lead was adsorbed by borosilicate glass at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0, with statistically indistinguishable conditional equilibrium constants (KD* values) of 1.47±0.40 mL cm-2 and 1.80±0.11 mL cm-2, respectively. Polypropylene adsorbed significantly more lead than borosilicate glass at pH 7.0 (80.9%, KD* =5.33±0.45 mL cm-2), and substantially less at pH 5.5 (16.7%, KD* = 0.27±0.03 mL cm-2), indicating a fundamental change in the nature of the polypropylene surface. All adsorption data fitted Freundlich plots. Preliminary experiments indicate that at pH 5.5, a fraction of the lead sequestered by the borosilicate glass may be bound irreversibly by migrating into the glass matrix. The results suggest that tectosilicates and silicate glasses may represent important adsorbents of some heavy metals in soils, despite showing very low intrinsic cation exchange capacities.
Keywords: Lead; adsorption; borosilicate glass; polypropylene; thallium.