Comparison of the Adsorption Capabilities of Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum for Zinc, Copper and Lead

Industrial wastewaters contain various heavy metal components and therefore threaten aquatic bodies. Heavy metals can be adsorbed by living or non‐living biomass. Submerged aquatic plants can be used for the removal of heavy metals. This paper exhibits the comparison of the adsorption properties of two aquatic plants Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum for lead, zinc, and copper. The data obtained from batch studies conformed well to the Langmuir Model. Maximum adsorption capacities (qmax) were obtained for both plant species and each metal. The maximum adsorption capacities (qmax) achieved with M. spicatum were 10.37 mg/g for Cu2+, and 15.59 mg/g for Zn2+ as well as 46.49 mg/g for Pb2+ and with C. demersum they were 6.17 mg/g for Cu2+, 13.98 mg/g for Zn2+ and 44.8 mg/g for Pb2+. It was found that M. spicatum has a better adsorption capacity than C. demersum for each metal tested. Gibbs free energy and the specific surface area based on the qmax values were also determined for each metal. Heavy metal adsorption properties of Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum have received surprisingly little attention in the past decade. This study presents the comparison of the basic adsorption properties of both species based on the qmax values obtained from batch adsorption experiments.