Equilibrium studies of copper ion adsorption onto modified kernel of date (Fructus dactylus)

Heavy metal pollution of water is a serious problem because of its toxic effects on the human health and living organism. Therefore, there is a need to develop technologies to remove toxic pollutants found in polluted water. There are different ways to remove the toxic metals from wastewater. Among all treatments proposed, the adsorption process is one of the most promising technologies in water pollution control. Recently, numerous approaches have been studied for the development of cheaper and effective adsorbents. Many low-cost adsorbents, including natural materials, biosorbents and waste materials from industry and agriculture, have been proposed by several researchers. In this study, removal of copper from aqueous solution by using powdered and modified kernel of date (Fructus dactylus) with apocarbonic anhydrase enzyme has been investigated. The operating variables studied were contact time, initial solution pH, initial metal concentration, temperature and adsorbent dosage. The experimental investigation results showed that modified and powdered kernel of date (F. dactylus) has a high level of adsorption capacity for copper ions. The adsorption data were correlated with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. It was found that the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms fitted well to the data. The results revealed that copper is considerably adsorbed on modified and powdered kernel of date (F. dactylus). Consequently, it is concluded that the modified and powdered kernel of date (F. dactylus) can be successfully used for the removal of the copper ions from the aqueous solutions.

Keywords
Kernel of date (Fructus dactylus); Apocarbonic anhydrase; Heavy metal; Copper removal; Adsorption isotherms