Abstract:

Heavy metal contaminants are present in wastewater from many industries such as metal manufacturing, dye and paint, chemicals and fertilizer. Heavy metal removal has become the main priority for the environmental concern due to the toxic. Banana peels are a low-cost agriculture waste which could be used for the adsorption of heavy metals in wastewater. Hence, this study focused on the adsorption capabilities of dried banana peels powder under various conditions such as the effect of agitation speed, temperature and contact time for efficient adsorption rate by using agricultural waste adsorbents which is banana peel (treated by acid and alkali). Although banana is one of the most important commercial crops in the world, most of the edible parts are consumed for its nutrients purpose only rather than using adsorption properties. In that case, the banana peels are used in adsorption of heavy metals where it extract out the Cu and Pb from the waste water from the industries. The findings of this study will contribute to bridging up the gap in knowledge on the potential of using banana peels for promoting in the adsorption process and minimize the effect on the living things caused by the waste water released by the heavy industries.The results from the optimized method revealed the applicability of the method to environmental water samples. This study therefore confirms that banana peel is a promising adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from industrial effluent.

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