Biosorption Studies For Removal of Cu (II) ions Onto Saccharum Bengalense an Efficient and Eco-Friendly Biosorbent

Objective: In this research work, a low-cost biosorbent derived from the pulp of Saccharum bengalense (SB) was used as an adsorbent material for the removal of Cu (II) ions from aqueous solution. Methods: A batch adsorption method was experimented for biosorptive removal of copper ions from the aqueous solution. Results: Nearly 90% removal of copper is possible at initial pH 6.0, under the batch test conditions. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich (D–R) adsorption isotherms have been applied to describe the biosorption of Cu (II) by SB. It was found that biosorption of Cu (II) by SB followed Langmuir and Freundlich model. The monolayer adsorption capacity of SB as obtained from Langmuir isotherm at 40 0C was found to be 10.42 mg/g at 323K. The Cu (II) adsorption data was analyzed by applying pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The intraparticle diffusion model was applied to investigate the rate-determining step. It was found that the biosorption of Cu (II) ions on SB followed pseudo second-order rate kinetics. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change (ΔG°), enthalpy change (ΔH°) and entropy change (ΔS°) have been calculated respectively revealed the spontaneous, feasible and endothermic nature of adsorption process. Conclusion: The results of the present investigation suggested that biosorbent SB can be used as an economically feasible and environmentally friendly biosorbent for the removal of Cu (II) from aqueous solutions.