Removal of Lead(II) Ions from Aqueous Solution Using Jatropha curcas L. Seed Husk Ash as a Biosorbent

The removal of heavy metals, especially from wastewater, has attracted significant interest because of their toxicity, tendency to bioaccumulate, and the threat they pose to human life and the environment. Many low-cost sorbents have been investigated for their biosorption capacity toward heavy metals. However, there are no reports available on the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution by of Jatropha curcas L. seed husk ash. In this work, use of J. curcas seed husk ash for the removal of Pb(II) from wastewater was investigated as a function of contact time and the initial pH of the solution. Kinetics and equilibrium constants were obtained from batch experiments. Our study shows that the adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. Moreover, the Langmuir absorption model gave a better fit to the experimental data than the Freundlich equation. The maximum adsorption capacity of the husk ash was 263.10 mg g(-1) at 298 K and pH 5.0, and this is higher than the previously reported data obtained using other sorbents. The results obtained confirm that J. curcas seed husk ash is an effective sorbent for the removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution. Analysis of infrared spectra of the husk ash after absorption of Pb(II) suggested that OH, C=O, C-O, Si-O-Si, and O-Si-O groups were important for the Pb(II) ion removal. Moreover, practical tests on this biosorbent for Pb(II) removal in real wastewater samples successfully demonstrated that J. curcas seed husk ash constitutes an efficient and cost-effective technology for the elimination of heavy metals from industrial effluent.