Removal of Cadmium(II) and Lead(II) from water by chemically treated citrullus lanatus peels as biosorbent in cost effective way

Abstract

This study presents the use of Citrullus lanatus peels for the removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) using batch mode. Their chemically modified acid and base treated forms were utilized for biosorption studies by optimizing all parameters. Results indicated that base modified Citrullus lanatus peels were more effective for removal of these metal ions. Removal efficiency for cadmium and lead was found to be 92.32-94.1 % and 91.94-92.58 %, respectively. Isothermal and thermodynamic investigations were carried out to find sorption mechanism and their suitability to use on bulk scale. Promising sorption capacity values for Cd(II) 19.310 mg/g and Pb(II) 25.775 mg/g, along with pseudo-second order mode and exothermic thermodynamic nature; all these favour their use for industrial scale water treatment.