Use of biosorbents in the treatment of wastewater rich in copper (II) and their reuse on lettuce production

Abstract

The present work aimed at studying the treatment of wastewater rich in copper by biosorption, and the subsequent reuse of this biosorbent in the production of lettuce. For this, the capacity of copper (II) removal by the egg shell ground by means of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm was evaluated. Subsequently, the effects of reuse of this adsorbent was studied, and different concentrations were added to pots grown with lettuce, evaluating the effects on soil and plant. The results showed that the egg shell ground presented high copper removal capacity (25.4291 mg g-1), with no contamination of the soil and the lettuce plants were suitable for consumption. Thus, biosorption and subsequent reuse of the adsorbent in the production of lettuce proved to be an environmentally adequate and low-cost technique.