Evaluation of adsorptive performance of Adhatoda vasica on lead by batch process

Abstract

AbstractPowdered leaves of Adhatoda vasica are used to investigate the adsorptive capacity of lead in a batch system. The conventional heavy metal removal approaches like ion exchange, membranes, precipitation, adsorption, etc. are proven, but are costly and harmful to the environment. The proposed approach explores the possibility of a biosorption technique for removing lead from aqueous solutions using A. vasica leaf powder. It is a low‐cost, non‐conventional, readily, and abundantly available plant‐based material. The equilibrium biosorption data was analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models, with the Freundlich model providing the best description of the equilibrium dynamics. The kinetic analysis shows pseudo‐second order to be the best fit, revealing the spontaneous and endothermic nature of adsorption. The maximum biosorption capacity for lead is 5.903 mg g−1 indicating the adsorptive capacity of A. vasica under favorable process conditions.