Biosorption of Copper from Aqueous Solutions by Raw and Activated Spines of Bombax buonopozense: Equilibrium, Kinetics and Thermodynamic Studies

Biosorption of copper on raw and activated (AC) spines of Bombax buonopozense in a batch system was studied. The percentage removal of copper was found to be a function of pH, contact time, dosage, initial metal concentration and temperature. The experimental results were analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevic isotherm models and in each case the Langmuir model appears to have better regression coefficients, R2, 0.998 and 0.987 for raw and activated adsorbents respectively. From the kinetic studies the rate constant values for the adsorption process were calculated. Also, various thermodynamic parameters such as , , and were calculated and the result showed that the sorption process was endothermic in nature and that higher solution temperatures favoured metal ion removal by the adsorbents. These results indicated that spines of Bombax buonopozense have potential for the uptake of the toxic element (copper) from industrial effluents.