Biosorption of chromium(VI) ion from aqueous solutions using walnut, hazelnut and almond shell

One-Pot synthesis, characterization and adsorption studies of amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution: kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic studies

Background

Discharge of heavy metals such as hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) and nickel (Ni (II)) into aquatic ecosystems is a matter of concern in wastewater treatment due to their harmful effects on humans. In this paper, removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution was investigated using an amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe₃O₄-NH₂).

Methods

An amino-functionalized magnetic Nano-adsorbent (Fe₃O₄-NH₂) was synthesized by compositing Fe₃O₄ with 1, 6-hexanediamine for removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). Also, the effects of various operational parameters were studied.

Results

According to our finding, Fe₃O₄-NH₂ could be simply separated from aqueous solution with an external magnetic field at 30 s. The experimental data for the adsorption of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions revealed that the process followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity was 232.51 mg g⁻¹ for Cr (VI) at pH = 3 and 222.12 mg g⁻¹ and for Ni(II) at pH = 6 at 298 °K. Besides, the kinetic data indicated that the results fitted with the pseudo-second-order model (R²: 0.9871 and 0.9947 % for Cr (VI) and Ni (II), respectively. The results of thermodynamic study indicated that: standard free energy changes (ΔG^ɵ), standard enthalpy change (ΔH^ɵ), and standard entropy change (ΔS^ɵ) were respectively −3.28, 137.1, and 26.91 kJ mol⁻¹ for Cr (VI) and −6.8433, 116.7, and 31.02 kJ mol⁻¹ for Ni (II). The adsorption/desorption cycles of Fe₃O₄-NH₂ indicated that it could be used for five times.

Conclusions

The selected metals’ sorption was achieved mainly via electrostatic attraction and coordination interactions. In fact, Fe₃O₄-NH₂ could be removed more than 96 % for both Cr (VI) and Ni (II) ions from aqueous solution and actual wastewater.

Metal adsorption by agricultural biosorbents: Adsorption isotherm, kinetic and biosorbents chemical structures

Biosorption of Cu(II), Co(II) and Fe(III) ions from aqueous solutions by rice husk, palm leaf and water hyacinth was investigated as a function of initial pH, initial heavy metal ions concentration and treatment time. The adsorption process was examined by two adsorption isotherms: Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The experimental data of biosorption process were analyzed using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order kinetic models. The equilibrium biosorption isotherms showed that the three studied biosorbents possess high affinity and sorption capacity for Cu(II), Co(II) and Fe(III) ions. Rice husk showed more efficiency than palm leaf and water hyacinth. Adsorption of Cu(II) and Co(II) was more efficient in alkaline medium (pH 9) than neutral medium due to the high solubility of metal ion complexes. The metal removal efficiency of each biosorbent was correlated to its chemical structure. DTA studies showed formation of metal complex between the biosorbents and the metal ions. The obtained results showed that the tested biosorbents are efficient and alternate low-cost biosorbent for removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous media.

A new absorbent by modifying walnut shell for the removal of anionic dye: kinetic and thermodynamic studies

A novel, low cost and easy regeneration biosorbent, chem-modified walnut shell (MWNS), was studied to investigate its potential for removal of an anionic dye, reactive brilliant red K-2BP. The MWNS was synthesized with epichlorohydrin and diethylenetriamine as etherifying agent and crosslinking agent, respectively, and its characteristics were performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, electron dispersive spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The influences of pH (0.5-11) and adsorbent dosage (0.1-6g/L) on adsorption capacity of MWNS were evaluated. The maximum K-2BP adsorption capacities (Qm) calculated by best fitting model (Langmuir) were 568.18 mg/g at 313 K, which was almost 10 times than that of raw material. The adsorption kinetic was well confirmed with pseudo-second-order equation. Thermodynamic studies demonstrated adsorption process by MWNS was spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the regeneration capability of MWNS implied MWNS was a cheap, excellent and promising biosorbent for K-2BP removal in azo dye wastewater treatment.

Biosorption of hexavalent chromium from aqueous medium with Opuntia biomass

The biosorption of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions by Opuntia cladodes and ectodermis from cactus fruits was investigated. Both types of biomass are considered low-cost, natural, and ecofriendly biosorbents. Batch experiments were carried out to determine Cr(VI) biosorption capacity and the efficiency of the biosorption process under different pH, initial Cr(VI) concentration, and sorbent dosage. The biosorption of Cr(VI) by Opuntia biomass was highly pH dependent, favoring higher metal uptake at low pH. The higher biosorption capacity was exhibited at pH 2. The optimal conditions were obtained at a sorbent dosage of 1 g L(-1) and initial metal concentration of 10 mg L(-1). Biosorption kinetic data were properly fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The rate constant, the initial biosorption rate, and the equilibrium biosorption capacity were determined. The experimental equilibrium data obtained were analyzed using two-parameter isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin). The Langmuir maximum monolayer biosorption capacity (q max) was 18.5 mg g(-1) for cladodes and 16.4 mg g(-1) for ectodermis. The results suggest that Opuntia biomass could be considered a promising low-cost biosorbent for the ecofriendly removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous systems.

Potential of biological materials for removing heavy metals from wastewater

Agricultural products/by-products are natural sorbent materials that possess capacity for removing contaminants including heavy metals from wastewaters and hence can be exploited as replacement of costly methods for wastewater treatment. The sorption of heavy metals onto these biomaterials is attributed to constituent's proteins, carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds that contain functional groups such as carboxylate, hydroxyl, and amine. Natural efficiency of these materials for removing heavy metals can be enhanced by treating them with chemicals. The present review emphasizes their use in developing eco-friendly technology for a large-scale treatment of wastewater.

Enhanced adsorption of chromium onto activated carbon by microwave-assisted H(3)PO(4) mixed with Fe/Al/Mn activation

FeCl3, AlCl3 and MnCl2 were used as the assisted activation agent in activated carbon preparation by H3PO4 activation using microwave heating method. The physico-chemical properties of activated carbons were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), N2 adsorption/desorption, Boehm's titration, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). To investigate the adsorption performances of chromium onto these newly developed activated carbons, a batch of experiments were performed under different adsorption conditions: solution pH, initial Cr(VI) ion concentration, contact time and co-existing ions. The results suggested that carbon with MnCl2 as assisted activation agent displayed the highest BET surface area (1332m(2)/g) and the highest pore volume (1.060cm(3)/g). FeCl3, AlCl3 and MnCl2 had successfully improved Cr(VI) adsorption and activated carbon with FeCl3 as assisted activation agent exhibited the best uptake capacity. To study the transformation of Cr(VI) in adsorption process, total chromium in the aqueous solution was also recorded. The ratio of the amount of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) on each adsorbent was explained by XPS analysis results. Both the co-existing salts (Na2SO4 and NaNO3) demonstrated promoted effects on Cr(VI) removal by four carbons. The pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich equation displayed a good correlation with adsorption data.

Carica Papaya Seed as a Biosorbent for Removal of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) Ions from Aqueous Solution: Thermodynamics and Kinetic Analysis of Experimental Data

The use of Carica papaya seeds as an adsorbent for decontamination of toxic metal ions like Ni (II) and Cr (VI) in solution was investigated. The maximum biosorption capacities of Cr (VI) and Ni (II) were observed at pH 2 and pH 6 respectively. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich and Temkin equations. In order to determine the best fit isotherm, five error analysis methods were used, namely the sum-of-squared errors (SSE), the composite functional error (HYBRID), the Marquardt’s percent standard deviation (MPSD), the average relative error (ARE) and the sum of absolute error (EABS). The error values demonstrated that the Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit to the experimental data for Cr (VI) and the Freundlich model for Ni (II). Adsorption kinetics data were tested using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. Kinetic studies showed that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic parameters such as changes of standard free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) were determined. The maximum metal uptake of 5.85 mgg–1 for Cr (VI) and 5.58 mgg–1 for Ni (II) from Langmuir model demonstrates the ability of Carica papaya seed to absorb heavy metals. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis was used to evaluate the binding characteristics of Carica papaya seed with metals.

Removal of Cr(VI) onto Ficus carica biosorbent from water

The utilization of sustainable and biodegradable lignocellulosic fiber to detoxify the noxious Cr(VI) from wastewater is considered a versatile approach to clean up a contaminated aquatic environment. The aim of the present research is to assess the proficiency and mechanism of biosorption on Ficus carica bast fiber via isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Harkin's-Jura, and Dubinin-Radushkevich), kinetic models, and thermodynamic parameters. The biomass extracted from fig plant was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. To optimize the maximum removal efficiency, different parameters like effect of initial concentration, effect of temperature, pH, and contact time were studied by batch method. The equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) onto biosorbent was found to be 19.68 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model adequately described the kinetic data. The calculated values of thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy change (∆H(0)), entropy change (∆S(0)), and free energy change (∆G(0)) were 21.55 kJ/mol, 76.24 J/mol K, and -1.55 kJ/mol, respectively, at 30 °C which accounted for spontaneous and endothermic processes. The study of adsorbent capacity for Cr(VI) removal in the presence of Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), SO 4 (2-) , HCO 3 (-) and Cl(-) illustrated that the removal of Cr(VI) increased in the presence of HCO(3-) ions; the presence of Na(+), SO 4 (2-) or Cl(-) showed no significant influence on Cr(VI) adsorption, while Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions led to an insignificant decrease in Cr(VI) adsorption. Further, the desorption studies illustrated that 31.10% of metal ions can be removed from an aqueous system, out of which 26.63% of metal ions can be recovered by desorption in first cycle and the adsorbent can be reused. The results of the scale-up study show that the ecofriendly detoxification of Cr(VI) from aqueous systems was technologically feasible.

Response surface modelling of Cr6+ adsorption from aqueous solution by neem bark powder: Box-Behnken experimental approach

The main aim of this study is to investigate the combined effect of different operating parameters like adsorbent dose, initial Cr(6+) concentration and pH on the removal of Cr(6+) from aqueous solution using neem bark powder (NBP). A series of batch experiments were performed to find out the adsorption isotherms and kinetic behaviour of Cr(6+) in the aqueous solution. The adsorption process was examined with three independent variables viz. NBP dosage, initial Cr(6+) concentrations and pH. Seventeen batch experiments designed by Box-Behnken using response surface methodology were carried out, and the adsorption efficiency was modelled using polynomial equation as the function of the independent variables. Based on the uptake capacity and economic use of adsorbent, the independent variables were optimized by two procedures. The desirability of first and second optimization procedures were found to be 1.00 and 0.84, respectively, which shows that the estimated function may well represent the experimental model. The kinetic study indicated that the rate of adsorption confirms to the pseudo-second-order rate equation. Thermodynamics study indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The surface texture changes in NBP were obtained from FT-IR analysis. The optimized result obtained from RAMP plots revealed that the NBP was supposed to be an effective and economically feasible adsorbent for the removal of Cr(6+) from an aqueous system.

Biosorption of cadmium(II) and copper(II) ions from aqueous solution by core of Artocarpus odoratissimus

PURPOSE

This research is on the evaluation of biosorption capability of the core of Artocarpus odoratissimus (Tarap), grown in Brunei Darussalam, towards Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions present in synthetic solutions, and to characterize the surface of Tarap particles.

METHODS

Thermogravimetric analysis and surface titrations were conducted to characterize the surface of dried Tarap core particles. Atomic absorption spectroscopic measurements were conducted to determine the extent of removal of Cd(II) and Cu(II) under different experimental conditions.

RESULTS

Mass reductions associated with many exothermic reaction peaks were observed beyond 200°C up to 650°C indicating the combustion of organic matter in Tarap. Dried particles of core of Tarap bear a negative surface charge promoting strong interaction towards positively charged ions, such as Cu(II) and Cd(II). Biosorption of the two metal ions on Tarap, which is relatively high beyond pH = 4, occurs within a short period of exposure time. The extent of biosorption is enhanced by acid treatment of the biosorbent, and further it does not significantly depend on the presence of nonreacting ions up to an ionic strength of 2.0 M.

CONCLUSION

Strong attraction between each metal ion and the biosorbent is attributed to the negative surface charge on the biosorbent within a broad pH range. Acid treatment of the biosorbent improves sorption characteristics, suggesting that ion exchange plays an important role in the metal ion-biosorbent interaction process.

Reduction and Biosorption of Cr from Aqueous Solution Using Banana Skin

The possible use of biowaste-banana skin as an alternative, low-cost biosorbent and reductant for removal of Cr from aqueous solutions was investigated. Effects of pH, contact time, Cr(VI) initial concentration and temperature on the reduction and biosorption of Cr by banana skin were studied. Experimental results showed that 1 g of dried banana skin could reduce about 230 mg of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), at the condition of 30°C, pH 2 and 300 rpm. The maximum Qeq of Cr(III) by banana skin was 6.3mg g-1 at the Cr(VI) initial concentration of 200mg L-1, 30°C , pH 2 and 300 rpm.

Trace rare earth element detection in food and agricultural products based on flow injection walnut shell packed microcolumn preconcentration coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

With the extensive use of rare earth elements (REEs) in agriculture as fertilizer and feed additives, the concentration of REEs has increased in environmental and biological samples and finally impaired human health by food chain accumulation. The determination of trace REEs has gained considerable importance because of their toxicity and increasing occurrence. In this work, walnut shell has been used as the green adsorbent in online preconcentration and detection of REEs in food and agricultural products coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Because of the porous surface and abundant -COO(-) groups on the walnut shell surface, the walnut shell-packed microcolumn provides high adsorption efficiency and high tolerable capacity for coexisting ions. Under the optimized conditions, the adsorption efficiency of the walnut shell packed microcolumn was as high as 98.9% for 15 REEs, and the tolerable concentration ratios were between 2000 and 80,000,000 for 37 kinds of coexisting interfering ions. The enhancement factors achieved were 79-102 for 15 REEs with a sample loading volume of 4.7 mL. The detection limits were in the range of 2-34 pg g(-1). The relative standard deviation for 11 replicate preconcentrations of 2.5 ng L(-1) REEs solution ranged from 0.5 to 2.0%. The present method was successfully applied to selective determination of REEs in 4 environmental and biological certified reference materials and 18 locally collected food and agricultural products.

Isotherm kinetics of Cr(III) removal by non-viable cells of Acinetobacter haemolyticus

The potential use of non-viable biomass of a Gram negative bacterium i.e. Acinetobacter haemolyticus to remove Cr(III) species from aqueous environment was investigated. Highest Cr(III) removal of 198.80 mg g(-1) was obtained at pH 5, biomass dosage of 15 mg cell dry weight, initial Cr(III) of 100 mg L(-1) and 30 min of contact time. The Langmuir and Freundlich models fit the experimental data (R(2)>0.95) while the kinetic data was best described using the pseudo second-order kinetic model (R(2)>0.99). Cr(III) was successfully recovered from the bacterial biomass using either 1M of CH(3)COOH, HNO(3) or H(2)SO(4) with 90% recovery. TEM and FTIR suggested the involvement of amine, carboxyl, hydroxyl and phosphate groups during the biosorption of Cr(III) onto the cell surface of A. haemolyticus. A. haemolyticus was also capable to remove 79.87 mg g(-1) Cr(III) (around 22.75%) from raw leather tanning wastewater. This study demonstrates the potential of using A. haemolyticus as biosorbent to remove Cr(III) from both synthetic and industrial wastewater.

Degradation and removal methods of antibiotics from aqueous matrices--a review

Over the past few years, antibiotics have been considered emerging pollutants due to their continuous input and persistence in the aquatic ecosystem even at low concentrations. They have been detected worldwide in environmental matrices, indicating their ineffective removal from water and wastewater using conventional treatment methods. To prevent this contamination, several processes to degrade/remove antibiotics have been studied. This review addresses the current state of knowledge concerning the input sources, occurrence and mainly the degradation and removal processes applied to a specific class of micropollutants, the antibiotics. In this paper, different remediation techniques were evaluated and compared, such as conventional techniques (biological processes, filtration, coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation), advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), adsorption, membrane processes and combined methods. In this study, it was found that ozonation, Fenton/photo-Fenton and semiconductor photocatalysis were the most tested methodologies. Combined processes seem to be the best solution for the treatment of effluents containing antibiotics, especially those using renewable energy and by-products materials.

Investigation of kinetics of Cr(VI)-fired brick clay interaction

Fired brick clay is an excellent sorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from waste water, owing to the availability of pores and interlayer spacing. Consequently, heat treatment of brick clay significantly affects the extent of interaction between the brick clay sorbent and adsorbates. The interaction between Cr(VI), available as Cr(2)O(7)(2-), and brick clay particles fired at temperatures between 200 °C and 600 °C follows pseudo second order kinetics, and the method of initial rates leads to the estimation of the average rate of the interaction process. Kinetics modeling suggests that the mass transfer of the interaction be mainly controlled by time-dependent intraparticle diffusion, as well as immobilization of Cr(VI) species within interlayer structure of the brick clay matrix and interparticle diffusion, both of which are time-independent.

Biosorption of Cr(VI) by coconut coir: spectroscopic investigation on the reaction mechanism of Cr(VI) with lignocellulosic material

In this study, the removal mechanism of Cr(VI) from water by coconut coir (CC) was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Cr K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed that, upon reaction with CC at pH 3, Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III), which was either bound to CC or released back into solution. As revealed by the FTIR spectra of CC before and after reacting with Cr(VI), the phenolic methoxyl and hydroxyl groups of lignin in CC are the dominant drivers of Cr(VI) reduction, giving rise to carbonyl and carboxyl groups on CC. These functional groups can subsequently provide binding sites for Cr(III) resulting from Cr(VI) reduction. In conjunction with forming complexes with carbonyl and carboxyl groups, the formation of Cr(III) hydroxide precipitate could also readily occur as revealed by the linear combination fitting of the Cr K-edge XANES spectrum using a set of reference compounds. The phenolic groups in lignin are responsible for initiating Cr(VI) reduction, so lignocellulosic materials containing a higher amount of phenolic groups are expected to be more effective scavengers for removal of Cr(VI) from the environment.

Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies on the biosorption of Cu(II) onto chestnut shell

The biosorption of Cu(II) onto chestnut shell, a residue of the food processing industry, in a batch adsorber has been studied. Equilibrium isotherms, kinetic data, and thermodynamic parameters have been evaluated. Equilibrium data agreed well with Langmuir isotherm and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models. The adsorption capacity of chestnut shell for Cu(II) was determined with the Langmuir model and was found to be 12.56 mg g(-1) at 293K. The kinetic data were found to follow the pseudo-second-order model. Intra-particle diffusion is not the sole rate-controlling factor. Gibbs free energy was spontaneous for all interactions, and the adsorption process exhibited exothermic enthalpy values. Chestnut shell was shown to be a promising biosorbent for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solutions.

Equilibrium and kinetic studies for sequestration of Cr(VI) from simulated wastewater using sunflower waste biomass

In the present work, potential of sunflower head (BSH) [an agricultural waste biomass] to remove Cr(VI) from simulated wastewater has been evaluated under different process conditions such as pH, metal concentration, adsorbent dose and contact time. A contact time of 120 min and pH 2.0 were found to be optimum. Chromium removal decreased from 90.0 to 45.2% as its concentration increased from 10 to 70 mg/L. The Cr(VI) removal increased from 31.4 to 52.4% as adsorbent dose increased from 4.0 to 20.0 g/L using a test solution having 100mg/L Cr(VI) concentration. Adsorption isotherms were employed to evaluate the maximum adsorption capacity. Adsorption data fitted well to Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order model as indicated by high values of correlation coefficient (0.9882 and 0.999) respectively. The adsorption capacity calculated from Langmuir isotherm was 8.177 mg/g.

Biosorption properties of hexavalent chromium on to biomass of tobacco-leaf residues

Equilibrium isotherms of Cr(VI) uptake by tobacco-leaf residues, under controlled solution pH and temperature, were obtained with batch uptake experiments. Batch uptake kinetics under different initial Cr(VI) concentrations was also obtained. The results showed that Cr(VI) uptake capacities of the tobacco-leaf residues were up to 113.2 mg g(-1) (dry wt). The uptake capacity was found to be dependent on solution pH and the maximum values were obtained at a pH of around 1.0. On the other hand, the effect of temperature the uptake capacity was found to be small. All equilibrium isotherms were well correlated with the standard Langmuir equation. Kinetics profiles showed that the uptake process was fast, and equilibrium was reached within 30 minutes of mixing contact. The role of polyphenols in Cr(VI) biosorption was studied and the results indicated that complex formation with Cr(VI) may be an important mechanism for Cr(VI) removal. The study indicated that abundantly available tobacco-leaf residues can be used as efficient biosorbent materials for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater.

Development of a new Cr(VI)-biosorbent from agricultural biowaste

Among useless but abundant agricultural biowastes such as banana skin, green tea waste, oak leaf, walnut shell, peanut shell and rice husk, in this study, banana skin was screened as the most efficient biomaterial to remove toxic Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study revealed that the mechanism of Cr(VI) biosorption by banana skin was its complete reduction into Cr(III) in both aqueous and solid phases and partial binding of the reduced-Cr(III), in the range of pH 1.5-4 tested. One gram of banana skin could reduce 249.6 (+/-4.2)mg of Cr(VI) at initial pH 1.5. Namely, Cr(VI)-reducing capacity of banana skin was four times higher than that of a common chemical Cr(VI)-reductant, FeSO(4).7H(2)O. To diminish undesirable/serious organic leaching from the biomaterial and to enhance removal efficiency of total Cr, its powder was immobilized within Ca-alginate bead. The developed Cr(VI)-biosorbent could completely reduce toxic Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) and could remove almost of the reduced-Cr(III) from aqueous phase. On the basis of removal mechanisms of Cr(VI) and total Cr by the Cr(VI)-biosorbent, a kinetic model was derived and could be successfully used to predict their removal behaviors in aqueous phase. In conclusion, our Cr(VI)-biosorbent must be a potent candidate to substitute for chemical reductants as well as adsorbents for treating Cr(VI)-bearing wastewaters.