Environmental protection requires the use of natural products instead of chemicals to minimize pollution. This investigation studies the use of a non-useful plant material as naturally occurring biosorbents for the removal of cationic pollutants in wastewater. The effect of pH on the sorption of Pb
2+ and Cd
2+ ion onto
Caladium bicolor
corm biomass was investigated. The experimental results have been analysed in terms of Langmuir, Freundlich and Flory-Huggins isotherms. The data showed that the maximum pH (pH
max) for efficient sorption of Pb
2+ was 7.0 and for Cd
2+ 5.0. Evaluation using Langmuir equation gave the monolayer sorption capacity as 88.50 mg/g and 65.50 mg/g at the respective pH
max for Pb
2+ and Cd
2+. Surface characterization of acid and base treated
C. bicolor biomass indicates a physiosorption as the predominant mechanism for the sorption process. The thermodynamic assessment of the metal ion -
Caladium bicolor biomass system indicates the feasibility and spontaneous nature of the process.
