Eco Friendly Sorbent for the Removal of Iron and Lead from Industrial Waste Water

Abstract

Industrial effluents loaded with heavy metals are a cause of hazards to human and other forms of life. Conventional methods such as chemical precipitation, evaporation, electroplating, ion exchange, reverse osmosis etc., used for removal of heavy metals from waste water however, are often cost prohibitive having inadequate efficiencies at low metal ion concentrations. Biosorption can be considered as an alternative technology which has been proved as more efficient and economical for removal of heavy metals from the industrial waste water. In the present study, the adsorption capacity of epicarp of Atrocarpus heterophyllus for the removal of heavy metals, lead and iron were determined by batch adsorption studies. Adsorption of heavy metals were studied till equilibrium was reached. Studies were carried by using different doses of adorbent, varying the conditions of adsorption and contact time. The results obtained shows that, the adsorption of the metal ions is contact time and adsorbent dosage dependent. Adsorption studies obeys both Langmuir isotherm model and Freundlich models. The goal for this work is to develop inexpensive, highly available, effective adsorbents from epicarp of jackfruit as alternative to existing commercial adsorbents.