Chemical characterization of agroforestry solid residues aiming its utilization as adsorbents for metals in water

Abstract

In this work, a study of the correlation between the functional groups present in the chemical structure of the fibers of coconut shells, cocoa and eucalyptus, and their adsorption capacity of Cd+2 and Cu+2 ions from water was performed. The content of soluble solids and reactive phenols in aqueous extracts were determined. The chemical functional groups present in the fibers were examined using the IR spectra. The adsorption capacity of the peels was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. For Cd+2, a significant correlation between the adsorption capacity and some specific chemical functional groups present in the fiber was verified. The potential use of these peels, as adsorbent of Cd+2 ions, is based on the presence of OH functional groups such as aryl-OH, aryl-O-CH2 of phenol carboxylic acids, as well as carbonyl groups derived from carboxylic acid salts, in these fibers.