Removal of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution by adsorption on sugarcane pulp residue

Abstract

Sugarcane pulp residue (SPR), a waste from sugar-refinery, which possesses a large surface area, can be used for removing chromium (Cr(III) and Cr(VI)) from wastewater. In this work, the kinetics, isotherms of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) adsorption and their removal by SPR were investigated. The results show that the removal percentages of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) increase with increasing SPR dosage and temperature and decrease with increasing SPR particle size and the initial concentration of chromium ions. However, the influence of pH value on the Cr(VI) removal differs from that of the Cr(III) removal. The Cr(VI) removal percentage decreases with increasing pH values, while the Cr(III) removal percentage increases with increasing pH value. The adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) well fits with pseudo-second-order model. Langmuir adsorption isotherm can well describe the adsorption phenomena of chromium ions with the maximum adsorption capacity of 0.567 mg/g for Cr(VI) and 3.446 mg/g for Cr(III). Moreover, SPR reveals higher adsorption capacity for Cr(III) than that for Cr(VI), which implies that SPR has more potential application for Cr(III)-containing wastewater treatment than that for Cr(VI)-containing wastewater treatment.