Removal of metals from electroplating wastes using banana pith

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 227 - 231
• Main Authors: Low, K.S., Lee, C.K., Leo, A.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Applied sciences; banana pith; Biological and medical sciences; chromium; copper; crop residues; Cu(II); electroplating waste; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; Industrial use water; industrial wastes; industry; lead; metal ions; Musa paradisiaca; Ni(II); nickel; pith; Pollution; Sorption; Use of agricultural and forest wastes. Biomass use, bioconversion; Water treatment and pollution; zinc; Sorption; Ni(II); electroplating waste; Cu(II); banana pith; Copper II; Nickel II; Pollution control; Metal ion; Electroplating; Banana; Vegetal waste; Heavy metal; Industrial waste; Industrial waste water; Agricultural waste; Aqueous solution
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/0960-8524(94)00123-I

Banana pith ( Musacea zingiberales) was evaluated for its ability to sorb metal ions from electroplating waste and synthetic solutions under both batch- and continuous-flow conditions. Sorption was both pH and concentration dependent, with pH 4·5 being the optimum value. The equilibrium data followed the Langmuir isotherm model with maximum capacities of 8·55 and 13·46 mg/g for Cu in electroplating waste and synthetic solution respectively. Competitive studies showed that the affinity of metal sorption was in the order Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Cr(III) > Zn(II). In the continuous-flow studies, breakthrough curves for Cu(II) and Ni(II) in the elctroplating waste were obtained at different bed depths and flow rates. Cu(II) was more satisfactorily sorbed on the banana pith than Ni(II).