Characterization of Residual Biomasses and Its Application for the Removal of Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution

The removal of water pollutants has been widely addressed for the conservation of the environment, and novel materials are being developed as adsorbent to address this issue. In this work, different residual biomasses were employed to prepare biosorbents applied to lead (Pb(II)) ion uptake. The choice of cassava peels (CP), banana peels (BP), yam peels (YP), and oil palm bagasse (OPB) was made due to the availability of such biomasses in the Department of Bolivar (Colombia), derived from agro-industrial activities. The materials were characterized by ultimate and proximate analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) in order to determine the physicochemical properties of bioadsorbents. The adsorption tests were carried out in batch mode, keeping the initial metal concentration at 100 ppm, temperature at 30 °C, particle size at 1 mm, and solution pH at 6. The experimental results were adjusted to kinetic and isotherm models to determine the adsorption mechanism. The remaining concentration of Pb(II) in solution was measured by atomic absorption at 217 nm. The functional groups identified in FTIR spectra are characteristic of lignocellulosic materials. A high surface area was found for all biomaterials with the exception of yam peels. A low pore volume and size, related to the mesoporous structure of these materials, make these bioadsorbents a suitable alternative for liquid phase adsorption, since they facilitate the diffusion of Pb(II) ions onto the adsorbent structure. Both FTIR and EDS techniques confirmed ion precipitation onto adsorbent materials after the adsorption process. The adsorption tests reported efficiency values above 80% for YP, BP, and CP, indicating a good uptake of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. The results reported that Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order best fit experimental data, suggesting that the adsorption process is governed by chemical reactions and multilayer uptake. The future prospective of this work lies in the identification of alternatives to reuse Pb(II)-contaminated biomasses after heavy metal adsorption, such as material immobilization.