Agricultural solid waste for sorption of metal ions, part II: competitive assessment in multielemental solution and lake water

Sugarcane bagasse and hydroponic lettuce roots were used as biosorbents for the removal of Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) from multielemental solutions and lake water, in batch processes. These biomasses were studied in natura (lettuce roots, NLR, and sugarcane bagasse, NSB) and chemically modified with HNO3 (lettuce roots, MLR, and sugarcane bagasse, MSB). The results showed higher adsorption efficiency for MSB and either NLR or MLR. The maximum adsorption capacities (q(max)) in multielemental solution for Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) were 35.86, 31.42, 3.33, and 24.07mg/g for NLR; 25.36, 27.95, 14.06, and 6.43mg/g for MLR; 0.92, 3.94, 0.03, and 0.18mg/g for NSB; and 54.11, 6.52, 16.7, and 1.26mg/g for MSB, respectively. The kinetic studies with chemically modified biomasses indicated that sorption was achieved in the first 5min and reached equilibrium around 30min. Sorption of Cu(II), Fe(II), Mn(II), and Zn(II) in lake water by chemically modified biomasses was 24.31, 14.50, 8.03, and 8.21mg/g by MLR, and 13.15, 10.50, 6.10, and 5.14mg/g by MSB, respectively. These biosorbents are promising and low costs agricultural residues, and as for lettuce roots, these showed great potential even with no chemical modification.