Adsorption of Rhodamine B from Wastewater on the Arsenic-Hyperaccumulator Pteris Vittata Waste Roots

Abstract

The Pteris vittata fern, which is a perennial plant known for hyper-accumulating Arsenic, can be grown in hydroponic cultures and is often used for phytoremediation of contaminated water. To reduce the cost of disposing As-contaminated biomass, this study examined the potential of using waste roots from Pteris vittata as a new and inexpensive bio-adsorbent for removing Rhodamine B (RB) dye, which is commonly used in industrial applications. Batch tests were performed at 25°C in order to observe both the rate and the equilibrium conditions of the system. The isotherm showed a typical Langmuir behavior exhibiting a maximum adsorption capacity of 42.7 mg/g. Kinetics tests were conducted at different solid-liquid ratios and fitted by a mathematical model. The maximum likelihood method was employed to estimate the effective diffusivity of RB in the solid which resulted 4.48·10-9 cm2/min. This study lays the groundwork for future investigations into the use of this material in continuous systems to determine its feasibility for application in industrial apparatus.