Heavy metal determination was carried out by applying the solid phase extraction (SPE) method in batchmode followed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) fromaqueous solutions using Ghezeljehmontmorillonite nanoclay as a newnatural adsorbent. The Ghezeljeh clay is characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy

Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and X-ray Diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). The results of XRD and FT-IR of nanoclay confirm that montmorillonite is the dominant mineral phase. Based on SEM images of Ghezeljeh clay

it can be seen that the distance between the plates is Nano. The effects of varying parameters such as initial concentration of metal ions

pH and type of buffer solutions

amount of adsorbent

contact time

and temperature on the adsorption process were examined. The effect of various interfering ions was studied. The adsorption data correlated with Freundlich

Langmuir

Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R)

and Temkin isotherms. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms showed the best fit to the equilibrium data for Hg(II)

but the equilibrium nature of

Cu(II) adsorption has been described by the Langmuir isotherm. The kinetic data were describedwith pseudo-first-order

pseudo-second-order and double-exponential models. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order reaction scheme. Calculation of ΔG

0

ΔH

0

and ΔS

0

showed that the nature of Hg(II) ion sorption onto the Ghezeljeh nanoclay was endothermic and was favored at higher temperature

and the nature of Cu(II) ion sorption was exothermic and was favored at lower temperature.