Abatement of Cr (VI) from wastewater using a new adsorbent, cantaloupe peel: Taguchi L16 orthogonal array optimization

Taguchi orthogonal design was applied for multivariate optimization of Cr (VI) abatement by cantaloupe peel powder (CPP), as a novel adsorbent, from industrial wastewater in a batch mode. Effective factors in the adsorption process, such as temperature, CPP dose, Cr (VI) concentration, wastewater pH, and contact time, were considered using an L-16 orthogonal array design. The best conditions for adsorbing of Cr (VI) were determined by the Taguchi method and desirability approach as pH of 2, chromium concentration of 100mg/L, contact time of 5min, CPP dosage of 0.5 g/L, and wastewater temperature of 25 A degrees C. Analysis of variance results indicated that the pH was the most important variable influencing the chromium removal percentage, and its contribution value was obtained 45.01%. The Langmuir model proved best fit for the experimental data and maximum adsorption capacity of Cr (VI) onto CPP was obtained 166.25mg/g. The final part of the study includes an examination of the CPP through an analysis of the removal of chromium from real industrial wastewater. It can be concluded that the CPP presents a promising and efficient alternative for eliminating of Cr (VI) from industrial wastewaters.