Batch adsorption of zinc on tea factory waste

Approximately 857,000 tonnes of tea is produced in India per year, which is 27.4% of total world production. After processing, tea factory waste is about 190,400 tonnes. Batch adsorption studies have been carried out for evaluating the suitability of tea factory waste as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of zinc. The effects of various parameters like pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of zinc, temperature on adsorption performance were studied using tea factory waste (TFW). The study shows the adsorption potential of Indian TFW for the removal of Zn(II) from aqueous solution. The color removed and sized TFW show very good adsorption for Zn(II) in synthetic wastewater at pH 4.2 and room temperature. The maximum adsorption capacity of Zn(II) per gram of TFW was calculated as 8.9 +/- 0.08 mg. The results prove that the low-cost tea factory waste can be used as a potential adsorbent in developing countries like India.