Cadmium Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Dried Banana Peels asAn Adsorbent: Kinetics and Equilibrium Modeling

The use of Dried banana peels as an adsorbent for removal of cadmium ions from aqueous solutions has been studied. Batch experiments have been conducted at different concentrations to evaluate the maximum adsorption capacity of Dried banana peels. The influence of pH, contact time, adsorbent dose was investigated at room temperature. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models used to test equilibrium of adsorption. The process of adsorption was found to be fast and equilibrium has been reached in within 2 hours. The maximum adsorption capacity of cadmium on Dried banana peels is 5.91 mg/g, evaluated by Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models applied to evaluate rate constants. FTIR spectra of adsorbent showed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxylic and amine groups in dried banana peels. This study shows that banana peels has great potential for removal of cadmium ions and can be used as a good adsorbent for removal of cadmium from water and wastewater at very low concentration.