Abstract:
Intensive industrialization generates hazardous wastes prominently comprising of toxic metals that needs to be tackled in a safe manner. Human population needs method and technologies to clean water and diminish the environmental dangers related to technological progress. Abatement of heavy metals from aqueous system is now shifting from the use of conventional adsorbents to the use of biosorbents. Biosorption can be one such solution to clean up heavy metal contamination. The present piece of work reports the competitive biosorption of Cd (II), Cr (III) and Ni (II) on unmodified Shelled Moringa Oleifera Seeds (SMOS) present in ternary mixture and was compared with the single metal solution. The extent of adsorption capacity of the ternary metal ions was low (10-20%) as compared to single metal ions. SMOS removed the target metal ions in the selectivity order of Cd (II) > Cr (Ill) > Ni (II). Biosorption capacity of ternary metal ions was found to be pH dependent and the maximum. sorption occurred at pH 6.5. Kinetic studies revealed that the present adsorption system follows Lagergren first order rate equation. Regeneration of exhausted biomass was also attempted for several cycles with a view to restore the biosorbent to its original state. The findings open up new avenues in the decontamination of multimetal ions from aqueous system using SMOS as domestic and ecofriendly safe technology under the domain of green chemistry.
