Removal of Lead and Cadmium Ions from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption on a Low-Cost Phragmites Biomass

Abstract

In recent years, the interest in waste water treatment increased to preserve the environment. The objective of this study is the removal of lead and cadmium ions from aqueous solution by treated Phragmites biomass (TPB). TPB was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) which indicates the presence of functional groups that may be responsible of metal adsorption such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, sulfonate and carboxylate. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface area analysis using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET) illustrated that TPB is nonporous with a small surface area. The influences of various experimental factors were investigated; the proposed method recommended the extraction of Pb+2 and Cd+2 metal ions by TPB at pH 5.0. A contact time of 60 and 45 min was required for the adsorption 50 mL (50 ppm) Pb+2 and Cd+2 respectively to reach equilibrium when 0.10 g TPB was used. The optimum TPB dosage was 0.20 g for adsorption both metal ions when adsorbate solution was 50 mL (50 ppm). Particle sizes of 0.125–0.212 mm showed the best metal ion removal of both metal ions. Thermodynamic study illustrated that both metal ions correlate more with Langmuir isotherm. Furthermore, chemisorption of Pb+2 and Cd+2 on TPB was more likely according to kinetic study data.