Removal of Nickel and Iron from Metal Injection Moulding Industry Effluent by Adsorbent Method: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In the present investigation, the efficiency of rice husk in removal of nickel and iron from metal injection moulding industry effluent has been investigated. Adsorption was carried out in a batch experiment to investigate the parameters such as initial metal ion concentration, adsorbent dose, pH and contact time, under constant shaking of 100 mL sample in a heavy rotatory shaking apparatus for 2 hours. Analysis of physico-chemical characteristics of effluent was also carried out. The results revealed that maximum adsorption capacity of rice husk was about 92.84% for nickel using 8 g and about 90.12% for iron using 9 g at pH 9. Due to its good uptake capacity, rice husk has proved to be an excellent low-cost adsorbent for removing nickel and iron from effluent. The result showed that the percentage removal of nickel was high compared to iron.