Biosorption of Pb(II) and Co(II) on Red Rose Waste Biomass

Abstract

<em>In the present investigation the biosorption potential of rosa gruss an teplitz (Red Rose) Waste Biomass (RRWB) for the removal of Pb(II) and Co(II) from aqueous solutions was studied. The effect of different process parameters such as pH, biosorbent dose, biosorbent size, temperature, contact time, initial metal concentration and pretreatments on the biosorption capacity of this waste biomass was studied. The results showed that the equilibrium data for both metal ions followed the Langmuir isotherm with a biosorption capacity of 112.0 and 115.9 mg/g for Pb(II) and Co(II) respectively. The overall biosorption process was best described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. Modification of red rose waste biomass by pretreating with different reagents significantly improved its biosorption capacity. A maximum biosorption capacity of 99.72 and 51.68 mg/g was observed for Pb(II) and Co(II) by treating the biomass with methanol and polyethyleneimine + glutraldehyde respectively. The results clearly indicated that red rose waste biomass has a potential to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions.</em>