Abstract
This study was aimed to investigate Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions removal ability from aqueous solution by cassava root husks (CRH) as a cheap, sustainable and eco-friendly bioadsorbent. The CRH was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy which indicated the availability of various functional groups for metal coordination and the result was supported by elemental analysis studies. UV-Visible spectral studies indicated the presence of oxalate () and it could possibly interact with metal ions to give rise to a stable chelated coordination complex which affects metal ions removal efficiency. Bioadsorption process was carried out as a function of metal concentration, contact time, pH of the solution, particle size, and dosage of the adsorbent. Experimental results indicated the optimal adsorption condition of pH 4 for both Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions, dosage of 0.1 g/0.1L and 1 g/0.1L for Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions respectively, adsorption equilibrium time of 2 and 25 minutes for Pb(II) and Cu(II) respectively, and concentration of 0.5 mg/L for both metal ions. Kinetic data best fitted pseudo-second-order model and not the pseudo-first-order model. Equilibrium data best fitted the Freundlich model than the Langmuir model. Specific surface area and pore volume studies indicated that CRH is non-porous and hence rapid adsorption kinetics is expected. Supporting the experimental results, molecular modeling studies performed using Schrödinger software predicted several sites in the structure capable of docking with metal ions.
Highlights
Among water pollutants, synthetic dyes and heavy metals pose severe health threats and the latter is currently a concern in many parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG) especially in urban and mining areas [1] [2]
The cassava root husks (CRH) was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy which indicated the availability of various functional groups for metal coordination and the result was supported by elemental analysis studies
UV-Visible spectrum (using Varian 50 Bio UV-Vis spectrophotometer, recorded as a clear solution (1 g of powder was mechanically shaken with 100 mL of distilled water for 1 h and filtered)) and pH were measured at Dept. of Applied Sciences, Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT), PNG
Summary
Synthetic dyes and heavy metals pose severe health threats and the latter is currently a concern in many parts of Papua New Guinea (PNG) especially in urban and mining areas [1] [2]. Adsorption using solid materials, such as modified silica, alumina, activated carbon, and resin, is considered as the superior methods for metal ion extraction process [5] [6] [7]. These materials are expensive to acquire in many developing countries [8] including PNG. Cassava is a common food crop in many countries around the world and managing and dumping of their root husks become a burden so they can be utilized effectively for purifying water as well as for trapping valuable metals
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