Sustainable approaches for nickel removal from wastewater using bacterial biomass and nanocomposite adsorbents: A review

In this article, the nickel (Ni2+) ions removal from the wastewater is reviewed. Adsorption is widely used to remove Ni2+ ions from waters and wastewaters. The usage of biomass is becoming more common for Ni2+ ions removal, while the commercial activated carbon from different agriculture wastes is preferred as an adsorbent for Ni2+ ion removal. The present review aimed to organise the available information regarding sustainable approaches for Ni2+ ions removal from water and wastewaters. These include adsorption by nanoparticles, bacterial biomass, and activated carbon from agriculture wastes, since they are the most common used for the Ni2+ ions removal. The bacterial and agricultural waste adsorbents exhibited high efficiency with a renewable source of biomass for Ni2+ ion removal. The biosorption capacity of the Ni2+ ions by the bacterial biomass range from 5.7 to 556 mg/g, while ranging from 5.8 to 150 mg/g by the activated carbon from different organic materials. The biosorption capacity of the nanocomposite adsorbents might reach to 400 mg/g. It appeared that the elimination of nickel ions need a selective biomass adsorbent such as the tolerant bacterial cells biomass which acts as a store for Ni2+ ion accumulations as a results for the active and passive transportation of the Ni2+ ions through the bacterial cell membrane.

Automated summary

This article reviews the removal of nickel (Ni2+) ions from wastewater. Adsorption is the most commonly used method, with nanoparticles, bacterial biomass, and activated carbon from agricultural waste being the preferred adsorbents. Bacterial biomass and activated carbon exhibited high efficiency and renewable biomass sources for Ni2+ ion removal. The biosorption capacity of Ni2+ ions by bacterial biomass ranged from 5.7 to 556 mg/g, while activated carbon ranged from 5.8 to 150 mg/g. Nanocomposite adsorbents may have a biosorption capacity of up to 400 mg/g. Selective biomass adsorbents, such as tolerant bacterial cells biomass, are needed for the elimination of nickel ions.