Biosorption of copper(Ii) and iron(ii) using spent mushroom compost as biosorbent

Abstract

The application of the biosorption process and agricultural waste to treat heavy metals has drawn much attention. This method seems to be a more economical, environmentally friendly, and simple way for removing heavy metals from effluents. The study was conducted to explore the efficiency of the biosorption process utilizing spent mushroom compost to remove copper (II) and iron (II) from synthetic wastewater. Biosorption studies at different operating parameters, such as biosorbent dosage (1.0 – 5.0 g), pH (pH 4 – 8), contact time (1 - 30 minutes), and initial heavy metal concentration (10 - 100 mg/L), were conducted in batch experiments. The highest performance for copper (II) and iron (II) biosorption was found at 5.0 g biosorbent dosage of spent mushroom compost, unadjusted pH 6, 10 minutes of contact time, and 10 mg/L of initial concentration. The study was well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.95) for copper (II) and iron (II) biosorption, which are much greater compared to the Freundlich model. The study is also very well suited to the pseudo-second-order (R2 > 0.999) than the pseudo-first-order kinetic models. In conclusion, the spent mushroom compost has the potential to be an effective biosorbent for removing copper (II) and iron (II) from synthetic wastewater.