Calcium alginate beads generated from alginic acid sodium salt from brown algae were used to explore the
adsorption processes of lead and copper ions in water. The main parameters in the experiment were initial pH,
equilibrium time, and concentration of metal ions. The adsorption processes of lead and copper were carried
out under specific pH values. Moreover, the multiple adsorption of lead and copper was carried out to study
the competition of two metal ions. It was found that the highest adsorption percentage of lead and copper was
achieved under the optimum pH respectively. Meanwhile, the highest adsorption percentage of multiple
adsorptions was lower than that of single metal adsorption under pH of 4. The optimum pH was utilized in the
kinetic experiment and equilibrium experiment. The pseudo-second-order kinetic equations would fit the
experimental data well. The maximum amounts of adsorption for lead and copper based on Langmuir models
were 250 mg/g and 62.5 mg/g respectively.