Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Lignocellulosic Fibers

Abstract

Spruce, coconut coir, sugarcane bagasse, kenaf bast, kenaf core, and cotton were tested for their ability to remove copper, nickel and zinc ions from aqueous solutions as a function of their lignin content. The fibers were analyzed for sugar and lignin content and extracted with di-ethyl ether, ethyl alcohol, hot water, or 1% sodium hydroxide. The order of lignin content in un-extracted fibers is coconut coir > spruce > kenaf core > bagasse > kenaf bast > cotton. The fiber with the highest level of heavy metal removal was kenaf bast that had a very low level of lignin, showing that removal of heavy metals does not correlate with lignin content. Cotton, with about 1% lignin, was very low in metal ion sorption while all of the fibers containing lignin did remove heavy metal ions showing that lignin does play a role in metal ion sorption. Extraction with the various solvents removed different cell wall components and did change heavy metal sorption that indicates that cell wall chemistry and architecture may also be important factors in the sorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions using lignocellulosic fibers.