A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER USING CHICKEN FEATHERS

Abstract

Since the last few decades, environmental remediation through a sustainable approach is gaining importance. One such attempt has been made in the present work to remove heavy metals from industrial effluents using one of the most prominent animal wastes, the chicken feathers. Biosorption has been a promising technique to remove heavy metals from industrial effluents. In the present work, cleaned but untreated chicken feathers were used to remove Cu(II) ions from electroplating industry wastewater. The physicochemical characteristics like colour, pH, ash content, iodine number and bulk density of chicken feathers were also determined. The FT-IR spectrum of chicken feathers did not show a recognizable difference after biosorption which indicated physical adsorption. The adsorption isotherm study showed that the Freundich isotherm model was the best fit as compared to Langmuir isotherm model. The results obtained were supported statistically by using Chi-square test. In the desorption study, EDTA was found to be a most effective desorbing agent in comparison with acid, alkali and deionized water. Thus, the present work explores the efficiency of chicken feathers to act as biosrbent as remove heavy metals from industrial effluents in a simple, economic and sustainable manner