Assessment of the Cu(II) and Pb(II) removal efficiency of aqueous solutions by the dry biomass Aguapé: kinetics of adsorption

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 191; no. 12; pp. 751 - 10
• Main Authors: de Freitas, Franciele, Battirola, Leandro Dênis, Arruda, Rafael, de Andrade, Ricardo Lopes Tortorela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-12-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aquatic plants; Aqueous solutions; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biodegradability; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biomass; Copper; Copper - analysis; Copper compounds; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Effluents; Eichhornia - metabolism; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; Equilibrium; Freshwater plants; Heavy metals; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics; Lead; Lead - analysis; Materials recovery; Metal concentrations; Metals; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Plants (botany); Removal; Water - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Treatment of solutions; Macrophytes; Models; Biosorption; Metals; Biomaterials
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-019-7933-y

Plant-based materials are promising adsorbents for treating liquid effluents. This study describes the kinetic and equilibrium parameters that best represent the copper(II) and lead(II) removal process by
Eichhornia crassipes
(Aguapé) dry biomass from aqueous solution, using a batch adsorption system. The plants were washed, dried, and reduced to small particles. The adsorption kinetics were assessed by varying the metal concentrations in 5, 10, and 20 mg L
–1
and a control treatment (without metals) with a mixture contact time of between 5 and 720 min. Equilibrium data were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Kinetic assay revealed fast adsorption: kinetic equilibrium was attained within 2 h with a removal efficiency of ~ 60%. The results demonstrated a fast recovery cycle of metals using the biosorbent. The biomass of
E. crassipes
is low cost with potential for use as a biosorbent to remove metals from solutions.