KINETIC AND EQUILIBRIUM STUDIES OF LEAD AND CADMIUM BIOSORPTION FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS BY SARGASSUM SPP. BIOMASS

Contamination of the aqueous environment by heavy metals is a worldwide environmental problem. Biosorption of lead (II) and cadmium (II) from aqueous solutions by brown algae Sargassum

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spp. biomass was studied in a batch system. The heavy metals uptake was found to be rapid and reached to 88-96% of equilibrium capacity of biosorption in 15min. The pseudo second-order and saturation rate equations were found in the best fitness with the kinetic data (R² > 0.99). The data obtained from experiments of single-component biosorption isotherm were analyzed using the Freundlich, Langmuir, Freundlich-Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson isotherm models. The Redlich-Peterson equation described the biosorption isotherm of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ with high correlation coefficient (R² 0.99) and better than the other equations. The effect of Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ on the biosorption of Pb²⁺ was not significant, but the metal ions affected the biosorption of Cd²⁺ considerably. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum uptake capacities (qm) of Sargassum spp. for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were obtained as 1.70 and 1.02mmol/g, respectively. Although the Sargassum spp. used in this study can be classified as an efficient biosorbent.