Nickel, Lead, and Cadmium Removal Using a Low-Cost Adsorbent - Banana Peel

Water pollution because of inorganic contaminants is a serious problem due to the acute toxicities and carcinogenic nature of pollutants. Recently, much attention has been focused on using natural and low-cost adsorbents, especially food residues, for removing toxic metal ions. Batch removal of nickel (Ni(II)), lead (Pb(II)), and cadmium (Cd(II)) from aqueous solution using a natural adsorbent is described in this study. Effects of various parameters on adsorption capacities such as pH, adsorbent dose, and stirring time were investigated by batch experiments. The maximum adsorption capacities for Ni(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions were 1.6 mg g(-1), 125 mg g(-1), and 84 mg g(-1), respectively. Characterization of the surface modification was performed with FTIR measurements. FTIR spectra showed that chemisorption takes place at the surface of the adsorbent. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were used to evaluate the equilibrium data. The characteristic parameters for each isotherm were determined. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm provided the best correlation for Ni(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) using banana peel.