Utilisation of bagasse fly ash (a sugar industry waste) for the removal of copper and zinc from wastewater

Bagasse fly ash, a waste produced in sugar industries, has been converted into an inexpensive and effective adsorbent. The product was characterised by different chemical and physical methods and has been used for the removal of copper and zinc from wastewater. Various parameters such as pH, adsorbent dose, initial metal ions concentrations, temperature, particle size, etc. were optimised. Copper and zinc are adsorbed by the developed adsorbent up to 90/95% in batch and column experiments. The adsorption was found to be endothermic in nature and follows both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Isotherms have been used to evaluate thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption process. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.