Reusable porous alumina-based adsorber for removal of copper ions from top sediments layers of water bodies and effluents discards

Copper is considered an essential element for humans, but an excess amount of copper creates liver toxicity, as the environment protection agency (EPA) reported. In this paper, an anodized porous alumina membrane has been used to remove excess copper ions from water samples between 10 nM to 1 mM concentration range by adsorption of the ions in the nanopores. The results have been verified by monitoring the change in current for different concentrations of copper ions in water samples using chronoamperometry at a very low potential value. This device can also remove excess copper ions at the surface levels of water bodies just by using a miniaturized device array and a potential source. Using a square wave voltammetry process, the device can be reused after stripping the pre-deposited ions.