Pd(II) recovery by commercial activated carbons is studied in leaching solutions.
Palladium uptake is higher in HCl than in HNO3 solutions.
The uptake of Pd(II) is insensitive to pH (1–3) and salinity (0.1–0.6) levels.
Pd(II) uptake occurred through a series of adsorption and reduction reactions.
The adsorption step involves the carbon surface rather than oxygenated groups.