Abstract
The use of activated carbon derived from Tridax procumbens for the treatment of waste water containing heavy metals is an innovative method. It constitutes a simple, effective and economical means for waste water treatment. Adsorption of toxic heavy metals viz. Zn(II) and Cd(II) were studied from synthetic waste water on activated biocarbon derived from Tridax procumbens. Batch adsorption experiments were performed with activated biocarbon as a function of pH, contact time and amount of activated biocarbon. The most favourable pH required for maximum adsorption was found to be 3.6 and 3.8 for Zn(II) and Cd(II) respectively. The maximum contact time for the equilibrium condition was found to be 180 min. The maximum efficiencies of Zn(II) and Cd(II) removal by biocarbon were 97.74 % and 90.62 % respectively. When the amount of activated biocarbon was increased, percentage removal of metal ions also increased for the system containing upto 3.0 g of biocarbon. Beyond this no appreciable change was observed. The linear Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe equilibrium isotherms and both models fitted well.
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