324
maximum biosorption were between 2 and 6.0. At this pH, it was found that there is
no interference for the adsorption of metallic cations by the fruit cortex. Lower
initial metal ion concentration and higher biosorbent dosage help in achieving maximum adsorption capacity of waste fruit cortexes. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and
intraparticle diffusion models explain the kinetics of the biosorption. Hence, the use
of waste fruit cortexes is highly recommended as biosorbent in heavy metal removal
from water sources.
Keywords Fruit cortexes · Heavy metals · Biosorption · Biosorbent · Wastewater ·
Water · Hydroxyl groups · Carboxyl groups · Complexation · Ion exchange ·
Pseudo-second-order model · Intraparticle diffusion · Langmuir isotherm
13.1 Introduction
Rapid technological advancements in the race to up keep with the industrial revolution
4.0 in the global level have shown to have impacted the environment in adverse manners. Countries around the world are clamoring to make their presence felt by swift
development in terms of infrastructure, buildings, and technological modern gadgets.
The vast science and technological development inevitably add to the pollution of the
environment, an issue that seems to have taken a backseat for the longest of time.
There is no denying that as we prosper in producing new materials, the wastewater produced by the manufacturing companies is often left unregulated. The environmental protection laws are in place in most of the countries around the world.
However, the implementation seems rather lax. The presence of heavy metal contaminants such as chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury
(Hg), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) has been found to be toxic to
humans and the environment (Meena et al. 2008).
Most of the time, the heavy metals found in the groundwater can be sourced back
to the origin, and without fail, it was found to be sourced from the major industry
players. Table 13.1 shows the major sources of heavy metal contamination. Arsenic
that is found in water can sometimes be traced to have come from natural and
anthropogenic sources where long-term geochemical changes release mineral ores
(Sari et al. 2011). However, problem arises when the source of contamination is
human-induced which commonly are industrial effluents.
The source of contamination is very much related to the industries that are booming in the recent years due to global demand. When metal ions are found to be present in the groundwater system, they possess a detrimental effect to the environment.
The inorganic species has been found to be persistent and nonbiodegradable pollutants that pose a danger to the humans consuming the water source (Abdel-Ghani
and El-Chaghaby 2014).
In view of the potential dangers of the presence of heavy metals in environmental
aqueous, numerous researches have been done to find potential ways to remove the
heavy metal contaminants from the wastewater sources (Asubiojo and Ajelabi 2009;
Brown et al. 2000b; Meena et al. 2008). The importance in finding the best way to
S. Ganesan
maximum biosorption were between 2 and 6.0. At this pH, it was found that there is
no interference for the adsorption of metallic cations by the fruit cortex. Lower
initial metal ion concentration and higher biosorbent dosage help in achieving maximum adsorption capacity of waste fruit cortexes. Pseudo-second-order kinetics and
intraparticle diffusion models explain the kinetics of the biosorption. Hence, the use
of waste fruit cortexes is highly recommended as biosorbent in heavy metal removal
from water sources.
Keywords Fruit cortexes · Heavy metals · Biosorption · Biosorbent · Wastewater ·
Water · Hydroxyl groups · Carboxyl groups · Complexation · Ion exchange ·
Pseudo-second-order model · Intraparticle diffusion · Langmuir isotherm
13.1 Introduction
Rapid technological advancements in the race to up keep with the industrial revolution
4.0 in the global level have shown to have impacted the environment in adverse manners. Countries around the world are clamoring to make their presence felt by swift
development in terms of infrastructure, buildings, and technological modern gadgets.
The vast science and technological development inevitably add to the pollution of the
environment, an issue that seems to have taken a backseat for the longest of time.
There is no denying that as we prosper in producing new materials, the wastewater produced by the manufacturing companies is often left unregulated. The environmental protection laws are in place in most of the countries around the world.
However, the implementation seems rather lax. The presence of heavy metal contaminants such as chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury
(Hg), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) has been found to be toxic to
humans and the environment (Meena et al. 2008).
Most of the time, the heavy metals found in the groundwater can be sourced back
to the origin, and without fail, it was found to be sourced from the major industry
players. Table 13.1 shows the major sources of heavy metal contamination. Arsenic
that is found in water can sometimes be traced to have come from natural and
anthropogenic sources where long-term geochemical changes release mineral ores
(Sari et al. 2011). However, problem arises when the source of contamination is
human-induced which commonly are industrial effluents.
The source of contamination is very much related to the industries that are booming in the recent years due to global demand. When metal ions are found to be present in the groundwater system, they possess a detrimental effect to the environment.
The inorganic species has been found to be persistent and nonbiodegradable pollutants that pose a danger to the humans consuming the water source (Abdel-Ghani
and El-Chaghaby 2014).
In view of the potential dangers of the presence of heavy metals in environmental
aqueous, numerous researches have been done to find potential ways to remove the
heavy metal contaminants from the wastewater sources (Asubiojo and Ajelabi 2009;
Brown et al. 2000b; Meena et al. 2008). The importance in finding the best way to
S. Ganesan