Comparison between Different Keratin-composed Biosorbents for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions

• Main Authors: Fawzi Banat, Sameer Al-Asheh, Dheaya‘ Al-Rousan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi - SAGE Publishing 2002-05-01
• Series: Adsorption Science & Technology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1260/02636170260295579

This study examined and compared the ability of chicken feathers, human hair and animal horns, as keratin-composed biosorbents, for the removal of Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ ions from single metal ion aqueous solutions under different operating conditions. The three biosorbents investigated in this study were all capable of adsorbing Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ ions from aqueous solutions. The biosorbent showing the highest uptake of Zn 2+ and Cu 2+ ions was animal horns. Chicken feathers showed a higher Cu 2+ ion uptake and a lower Zn 2+ ion compared to human hair. Increasing the initial concentration of Zn 2+ or Cu 2+ ions, or increasing the initial pH value, increased the metal ion uptake. Such uptake decreased when the temperature was raised from 25°C to 50°C for all adsorbent/metal ion combinations except for Zn 2+ ion/human hair where the uptake increased with temperature. It was demonstrated that the addition of NaCl salt to the metal ion solution depressed the metal ion uptake. The Freundlich isotherm model was found to be applicable to the adsorption data for Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ ions.