Biosorption of chromium(VI), nickel(II) and copper(II) ions from aqueous solutions using Pithophora algae |
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| Authors: | J Ajitha Priya P Srinivasa Rao Y Vijaya A Subba Reddy |
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| Institution: | 1. Biopolymers and Thermophysical Laboratories , Department of Chemistry, Sri Venkateswara University , Tirupati, India;2. Environmental Restoration and Disaster Reduction Research Center , Department of Environmental Engineering, National Chung Hsing University , Taichung, 402, Taiwan |
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| Abstract: | The biosorption of heavy metals is considered to be one of the best alternatives for the treatment of wastewater. The metal binding capacity of algae and acid-treated algae is investigated to find out the removal characteristics of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions from single metal solutions. Batch experiments are conducted and the study is extended to investigate the effect of pH, amount of adsorbent and adsorbate concentration on the extent of biosorption. The results indicate that the adsorption capacity of algae depends strongly on pH. The maximum adsorption of Cr(VI), Ni(II) and Cu(II) occurs at pH values of 2, 7 and 4.3, respectively. The adsorption process follows first-order kinetic equation. The data obtained are correlated with Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. |
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| Keywords: | Biosorption Pithophora heavy metals isotherms batch studies |
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