Removal of Copper (II) from Aqueous Solutions Using Cuttlebone as Bio-adsorbent

Abstract

Biosorption is an effective process for removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. In the present study, batch adsorption experiments were carried out for the removal of copper (Cu II) from aqueous solutions using cuttlebone powder (<100 µm) as a bio-adsorbent. The effects of initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, and contact time on adsorption efficiency and capacity were studied to evaluate the optimum conditions for copper removal. The results found optimal conditions at initial pH of 5.0, 10 g L-1 cuttlebone, 500 mg L-1 initial concentration of Cu II in solution, and 150 min of equilibrium time. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model were fitted to the experimental adsorption data. The maximum adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir isotherm was 54.05 mg g-1. This result shows that cuttlebone is an effective bio-adsorbent, constituting a promising, efficient, low-cost, and eco-friendly technology bio-sorbent for reducing copper pollution during wastewater treatment.

Keywords

• Copper removal
• Cuttlebone adsorbent
• Adsorption kinetic
• Adsorption isotherm