Effect of co-ions on the biosorption of Cr(III) from aqueous solutions using Luffa cylindrical fibre: Equilibrium consideration

The biosorption of single metal system of chromium(III) and binary metal systems (Cr-Pb, Cr-Cd, and Cr-Ni) from aqueous solutions using Luffa cylindrica fibre biomass was investigated as function of pH and initial metal concentration. An optimum pH of 4 was obtained for all the metal systems investigated. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) models were applied to describe the biosorption isotherm of the metal ions by Luffa cylindrica fibre biomass. The equilibrium adsorption data for the four single and binary metal ion systems were best described by Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption of binary mixture of heavy metal solutions onto the surface of Luffa cylindrica fibre was found to be a competitive type. In the binary system under study, chromium (III) was the priority metal and its uptake was greatly promoted in the presence of lead or Nickel cations, while the presence of cadmium inhibited chromium uptake by the Luffa cylindrica fibre biomass.

Author(s): James F. Amaku and Francis K. Onwu

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