Open AccessPERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF BIOSORBENTS DOSAGE AND SIZE IN REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS FROM WASTE WATER
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
umudike journal of engineering technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2545-5257
DOI - 10.33922/j.ujet_v5i1_16
Subject(s) - husk , biosorption , sorption , chemistry , nuclear chemistry , particle size , wastewater , chromium , adsorption , sieve (category theory) , copper , heavy metals , zoology , environmental chemistry , environmental engineering , botany , mathematics , biology , organic chemistry , combinatorics , engineering
Biosorption experiments were conducted using non-living biosorbents, crushed maize cob and coconut husk to determine the effect of dosage and size on sorption of heavy metals from wastewater. Particle sizes passing the 6.3 mm, 2.0 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.212 mm and 0.063 mm BS sieve sizes were used in the experiments. Solutions of Cd (II), Pb (II), Ni (II), Cr (VI) and Cu (II), each prepared in different concentrations of 10 mg/ml, 20 mg/ml, 30 mg/ml, 40 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml were passed through the biosorbents. Results showed that coconut husk is a better biosorbent than maize cob with maximum sorption of 71.6 % at particle size of 0.063 mm and dosage of 50 mg/ml, this was followed by Chromium with 64.5 %, Lead with 56.8 %, Copper with 50.6 % and least by Nickel with 44.4 % all at 50 mg/ml. The test of hypothesis at 5 % level of significance showed that calculated at 10 mg/ml, 20 mg/ml, 30 mg/ml, 40 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml corresponding to 0.911, 0.219, 0.212, 0.691 and 0.619 were less than the tabulated t, the null hypothesis was chosen which indicated that there is no significant difference in the sorption affinities of these heavy metals to coconut husk and maize cob biosorbents. Coefficient of variation at various doses from 10 mg/ml to 50 mg/ml were 0.1275, 0.1145, +0.1181, 0.1032 and 0.1021 which showed very little variability. It was concluded that although there are differences in the sorption capacities of these biosorbents and the affinities of these heavy metals in attaching themselves on the surfaces of the biosorbents, the differences are not significant.