Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Civil Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

Tire particles (TP) are the largest source of microplastics in nature. However, the adsorption behavior of TP needs to be better understood. TP used in this study were generated from cryo-milling and aged with 30% nitric acid. Single and competitive adsorption isotherm experiments were conducted to investigate the potential of TP as carriers of heavy metals. Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to analyze adsorption data. Competitive adsorption demonstrated a reduction in the adsorption capacity of TP. The preference for lead to copper by TP was explained by the physical and chemical properties of the metals. The adsorption capacity was maximum at the pH range of 6-12 for lead, and for copper, it was pH 10. pH, zeta potential, FT-IR, and XPS results indicated that electrostatic attraction and surface complexation were involved in the heavy metal adsorption on TP.

Committee: Lei Wu Dr. (Advisor); Natalie Kruse-Daniels Dr. (Committee Member); Daniel Che Dr. (Committee Member); Guy Riefler Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering