Bottlenecks inherent in batch and column adsorption configurations have impeded the implementation of the adsorption technique in large-scale wastewater treatment systems. This study mainly aimed to develop an innovative wastewater treatment prototype that integrates inclined plate settlers (IPS) and composite adsorbent coating (CAC). The objective is to enable the removal of Cd²⁺ from aqueous solutions in a continuous setup, thereby enhancing its practicality for large-scale applications. The combined IPS-CAC system was optimized at various angle of inclination (θ), influent flow rate (Q) and adsorbate initial concentration (C_o) using the Box–Behnken Design (BBD) of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). At optimized operating parameters (θ = 45°, Q = 5 ml/min and C_i = 1.87 mg/L) the IPS-CAC Cd²⁺ predicted (R² = 0.9926) and experimental removal efficiencies were 75.8% and 69.7 ± 4.67%, respectively. The IPS-CAC breakthrough adsorption capacity was 9.6 mg/g. Comparing IPS-CAC performance with a tank without plates and IPS with plain plates, the Cd²⁺ removal efficiencies were 2.4 ± 0.1% and 4.6 ± 1.1%, respectively, confirming the synergistic effect of IPS and CAC. Additionally, breakthrough curves were acquired for various flow rates, cadmium influent concentrations, and plate inclination angles. Only a 10% decline in the removal effectiveness (from 69.7 to 59.7%) of the CAC after three adsorption–regeneration cycles was observed, indicating its stability for heavy metal removal. The results underpin the potential of using IPS-CAC for industrial wastewater treatment and enhancing the use of adsorption on a larger scale.

间歇式和柱式吸附配置固有的瓶颈阻碍了吸附技术在大规模废水处理系统中的实施。本研究主要旨在开发一种集成斜板沉降器（IPS）和复合吸附剂涂层（CAC）的创新废水处理原型。目标是能够在连续装置中从水溶液中去除 Cd ²⁺ ，从而增强其大规模应用的实用性。使用响应面方法 (RSM) 的 Box-Behnken 设计 (BBD)，在不同的倾角 ( θ )、进水流量 ( Q ) 和吸附质初始浓度 ( Co ₎下对组合 IPS-CAC 系统进行了优化。在优化操作参数（ θ = 45°、 Q = 5 ml/min 和C = 1.87 mg/L）下，IPS-CAC Cd ²⁺预测（ R ² = 0.9926）和实验去除效率分别为 75.8% 和 69.7 ± 4.67% ， 分别。 IPS-CAC 突破吸附容量为 9.6 mg/g。比较无板槽的 IPS-CAC 性能和有平板槽的 IPS，Cd ²⁺去除效率分别为 2.4 ± 0.1% 和 4.6 ± 1.1%，证实了 IPS 和 CAC 的协同效应。此外，还获得了不同流速、镉流入浓度和板倾斜角度的突破曲线。经过三个吸附-再生循环后，CAC 的去除效率仅下降 10%（从 69.7% 降至 59.7%），表明其对重金属去除的稳定性。 这些结果证实了使用 IPS-CAC 进行工业废水处理和更大规模地增强吸附使用的潜力。