Abstract
Adsorption of Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions from aqueous solutions was studied in a batch system using modified human hair. The optimum conditions for the adsorption of Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions from aqueous solution by human hair were investigated by considering the extent of adsorption with respect to contact time, initial metal ion concentration and temperature. The results obtained indicates that the extent of metal ions removed decreases with increasing contact time but increased with increase in the initial metal ion concentration. The adsorption equilibrium data best fitted Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The adsorption of Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions onto human hair is endothermic, spontaneous and is characterised by increasing degree of orderliness.
Highlights
Lead and zinc are among the toxic heavy metals that have been deeply studied[1,2,3,4,5]
Human hair are normally disposed as waste after hair cutting implying that their utilization for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution will reduced the environmental problems associated with their disposal
The results reveal that the calculated thermodynamic parameters tend to increase as the inlet concentration of the metal ion increases which suggest that there is appreciable increase in the heat of adsorption and the degree of orderliness of the adsorbed layer as the inlet concentration of the metal ion increases
Summary
Lead and zinc are among the toxic heavy metals that have been deeply studied[1,2,3,4,5]. In spite of the large volume of works published on the adsorption of heavy metal, literature on the use of human hair as an adsorbent for lead and zinc ions is scanty. ∆Gads values are negative indicating that the adsorption of Zn2+ and Pb2+ onto human hair is spontaneous.
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