Exertion of Modified Mineral and Plant – based Powders in the Sorption of Pb(II) Ions

Abstract

Heavy metal rich industrial discharges solemnly threaten the condition of ecosystem and human haleness. Lead pollution as a result of various anthropogenic activities is a major concern due to its high toxic nature. Chelating capacities of treated Magnolia champaca Barks (TMCB) and treated Attapulgite Clay Powder (TACP) are investigated in the process of sequestration under lab scale conditions. The sorbent matrices are subjected to microscopic, SEM / EDAX and FTIR analyses to study the variations in the adsorbents surfaces, alterations in the surface morphological characteristics, specific involvement of metal ions and functional group peaks, with respect to the sorption process. Dimensions and masses of sorbents, metal ion concentration, agitating periods, pH and temperature of the analyzed systems are optimized under Batch Equilibration studies. The experimentally verified samples are analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer to determine the Pb(II) ions concentrations. The derived Freundlich and Langmuir isothermal plots based on the experimental results obtained for TMCB – Pb(II) / TACP – Pb(II) exhibited a better linearity for Freundlich model, thereby, supporting multilayer sorption. A judicious comparison made between TACP and TMCB reveals a marginal sorption performance by the former.