Original Articles: 2012 Vol: 4 Issue: 4
Studies on albizia procera legumes for effective removal of Fe (II) and Mn (II) from aqueous solution
Abstract
Contamination of water supplies with metals is a constant area of concern. Nationally and internationally, the challenge to remediate hazardous metal-containing waste streams from present or former mining operations, industrial sites, and ground waters is immense. Adsorption has proved to be an excellent way to treat industrial waste effluents, rendering significant advantages like the low-cost, availability, profitability, ease of operation and highly efficient compare to activated carbon. The present study was aimed to utilize albizia procera legume as an adsorbent like activated charcoal for removal of toxic heavy metals like Fe(II) and Mn(II) from waste water. First time the attempt was made to use albizia procera legume substrate as an effective adsorbent for removal of Fe(II) and Mn(II) from the waste water. The adsorption isotherms were obtained in a batch reactor; various parameters like pH, agitation time, temperature, metal ion concentration and doses of substrate were studied. It is observed that, the process of uptake followed first order rate adsorption and obeyed Freundlich model of adsorption. It has good adsorption capacity for Iron (II) and Manganese (II) at 4.5 pH with optimum agitation time of 30 min even at low concentration. It successfully removed 83-85% of Fe(II) and Mn(II) in one batch. The method could be successfully employed for removal of toxic metals from industrial effluents that could solve the problem of disposal of plant waste materials.