Eco-friendly banana peel biochar for adsorption of toxic metals from landfill treatment pond leachate

Abstract

Adsorption is one of the most efficient ways to eliminate hazardous metals. The study evaluated the effectiveness of banana peel biochar as a cheap adsorbent to remove hazardous metals from landfill leachate. The landfill leachate of 100 mg/L was mixed with banana peel biochar (0.50, 1.50, and 3.00 g each) and placed in a water bath for 15, 30, and 45 min at a constant temperature of 30 °C and 35 °C. The adsorption efficiency of banana peel biochar for nickel in the leachate ranged from 98.76% to 98.96% and chromium ranged from 99.71% to 99.77% at a temperature of 30 °C for 15 mins and 99.07% to 99.27% for Ni and 99.71% to 99.73% for Cr at a temperature of 35 °C for 45 min. Banana peel biochar maximum adsorption capacity of nickel ranged from 1.15 × 10−5 mg/g to 5.27 × 10−6 mg/g, and 1.05 × 10−5 mg/g to 6.76 × 10−6 mg/g for chromium. Adsorbent made from less expensive banana peel can affordably remove nickel and chromium from landfill leachate. To acquire a broad understanding of the adsorbent’s application, more adsorptive research utilizing banana peels as an adsorbent to treat various wastes ought to be conducted.