Tartaric Acid Grafted Sugarcane Bagasse for Removal of Chromium (VI) from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

Hexavalent chromium is a priority toxic and carcinogenic chemical when present in excess. It is very much required to remove it from effluents before allowing it to enter any water system or on to land. In the present study, the removal of Cr(VI) by adsorptionfrom wastewater using low cost adsorbent modified sugarcane bagasse by tartaric acid (SCB) was studied. The effect of the initial concentration of Cr(VI), bio sorbent dosage, temperature, contact time, and pH were studied. It was noted that the removal decreased with the increase in the initial concentration of Cr(VI) ions and also pH. The adsorption of Cr(VI) from water was favorable at low pH values. The kinetic of the Cr(VI) adsorption on SCB was found to follow pseudo second order mechanism. The adsorption data can be satisfactorily explained by Freundlich isotherm. This work proved that treated bagasse can be used as an efficient adsorbent material for removal of Cr(VI) from wastewater.