387 © 2017 The Authors Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.

4 | 2017

Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various

adsorbents: a review
Renu, Madhu Agarwal and K. Singh

ABSTRACT
Renu
Heavy metals are discharged into water from various industries. They can be toxic or carcinogenic in
Madhu Agarwal (corresponding author)
nature and can cause severe problems for humans and aquatic ecosystems. Thus, the removal of heavy K. Singh
Department of Chemical Engineering,
metals from wastewater is a serious problem. The adsorption process is widely used for the removal of Malaviya National Institute of Technology,
JLN Marg,
heavy metals from wastewater because of its low cost, availability and eco-friendly nature. Both Jaipur 302017,
India
commercial adsorbents and bioadsorbents are used for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater,
E-mail: madhunaresh@gmail.com
with high removal capacity. This review article aims to compile scattered information on the different
adsorbents that are used for heavy metal removal and to provide information on the commercially
available and natural bioadsorbents used for removal of chromium, cadmium and copper, in particular.
Key words | adsorbents, adsorption capacity, heavy metal, wastewater

INTRODUCTION

Discharge from industry contains various organic and inor- nickel, zinc, lead, mercury and arsenic, respectively (Gopa-
ganic pollutants. Among these pollutants are heavy metals lakrishnan et al. ). Various treatment technologies
which can be toxic and/or carcinogenic and which are employed for the removal of heavy metals include chemical
harmful to humans and other living species (MacCarthy precipitation, ion exchange, chemical oxidation, reduction,
et al. ; Clement et al. ; Renge et al. ). The reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, electrodialysis and adsorp-
heavy metals of most concern from various industries tion (Fu & Wang ). Among these methods, adsorption
include lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cad- is the most efficient as the other techniques have inherent
mium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and mercury (Hg) limitations such as the generation of a large amount of
(Mehdipour et al. ). They originate from sources such sludge, low efficiency, sensitive operating conditions and
as metal complex dyes, pesticides, fertilisers, fixing agents costly disposal. The adsorption method is a relatively new
(which are added to dyes to improve dye adsorption onto process and is emerging as a potentially preferred alternative
the fibres), mordants, pigments and bleaching agents (Rao for the removal of heavy metals because it provides flexi-
et al. ). In developed countries, legislation is becoming bility in design, high-quality treated effluent and is
increasingly stringent for heavy metal limits in wastewater. reversible and the adsorbent can be regenerated (Fu &
In India, the current maximum contaminant level (ppm– Wang ). The specific sources of chromium are leather
mg/mL) for heavy metals is 0.05, 0.01, 0.25, 0.20, 0.80, tanning, electroplating, nuclear power plants and textile
0.006, 0.00003, 0.050 for chromium, cadmium, copper, industries. Chromium(VI) is an oxidising agent, is carcino-
genic in nature and is also harmful to plants and animals
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative (Barnhart ). Exposure to chromium(VI) can cause
Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits copying
cancer in the digestive tract and lungs, epigastric pain,
and redistribution for non-commercial purposes with no derivatives,
provided the original work is properly cited (http://creativecommons.org/ nausea, severe diarrhoea, vomiting and haemorrhage
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). (Mohanty et al. ). Although chromium can access
doi: 10.2166/wrd.2016.104

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 388 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

many oxidation states, chromium(VI) and chromium(III) ions from wastewater. Commercial adsorbents are those
are the species that are mainly found in industrial effluents adsorbents which are produced commercially on a large
(Mohan & Pittman ). Chromium(VI) is more toxic scale, such as activated carbon, silica gel, alumina, etc., how-
than chromium(III) and is of more concern (Al-Othman ever they are costly. Natural bioadsorbents are those
et al. ). The United States Environmental Protection obtained from biological material and are comparatively
Agency (USEPA) has set the maximum chromium levels cheap. However, cost analysis is an important criterion for
in drinking water at 0.1 ppm. The USEPA has classified cad- selection of an adsorbent for heavy metal removal from
mium as a human carcinogen and it is known to cause wastewater. The cost of the adsorption process depends on
deleterious effects to health and bone demineralisation the cost of the adsorbent. For instance, the cost of commer-
either through direct bone damage or as a result of renal dys- cial activated carbon is Rs. 500/kg; however, the cost of
function (Fu & Wang ). The major sources of cadmium bioadsorbents is in the range of Rs. 4.4–36.89/kg, which is
include metal refineries, smelting, mining and the photo- much less as compared to the commercial adsorbents
graphic industry and it is listed as a Category-I carcinogen (Gupta & Babu ). A comprehensive approach has
by the International Agency for Research on Cancer been followed to cover all significant work done in this
(IARC) and a group B-I carcinogen by the USEPA (Friberg field to date, and a final evaluation has been made on the
et al. ). Copper is an essential element and is required most efficient adsorbent(s) to date.
for enzyme synthesis as well as tissue and bone develop-
ment. Copper(II) is toxic and carcinogenic when it is
ingested in large amounts and causes headache, vomiting, ADSORBENTS USED FOR REMOVAL OF HEAVY
nausea, liver and kidney failure, respiratory problems and METALS FROM WASTEWATER
abdominal pain (Ren et al. ; Hu et al. ; Lan et al.
). The USEPA has set the copper limit at 1.3 ppm in There are a number of types of adsorbent that are used for
industrial effluents. Industrial sources of copper include the efficient removal of heavy metal removal from waste-
smelting, mining, electroplating, surface finishing, electric water that are both commercial and/or bioadsorbents.
appliances, electrolysis and electrical components (Yin et al. These are described as follows.
; Bilal et al. ; Lan et al. ). Nickel is a human car-
cinogen in nature and causes kidney and lung problems, Commercially available adsorbents for chromium
gastrointestinal distress, skin dermatitis and pulmonary fibro- removal
sis (Borba et al. ). Zinc is essential for human health but
large quantities of zinc can cause skin irritation, stomach Graphene
cramps, vomiting and anaemia (Oyaro et al. ). Similarly,
lead is harmful to human health and can damage kidney, Nanomaterials are efficient adsorbents for the removal of
liver, reproductive system and brain functions (Naseem & heavy metals from wastewater because of their high surface
Tahir ). Mercury is also harmful and it is a neurotoxin area, enhanced active sites and the functional groups that
that can affect the central nervous system. If it is exceeded are present on their surface (Gopalakrishnan et al. ).
in concentration it can cause pulmonary, chest pain and dys- Graphene is a carbon-based nanomaterial with a two-dimen-
pnoea (Namasivayam & Kadirvelu ). Arsenic can cause sional structure, high specific surface area and good
skin, lung, bladder and kidney cancer, muscular weakness, chemical stability. It is available in various forms such as
loss of appetite, and nausea (Mohan & Pittman ). pristine graphene, graphene oxide and reduced graphene
Due to stringent regulations for heavy metals, their oxide. Graphene may be oxidised to add hydrophilic
removal has become a serious environmental problem. groups for heavy metal removal (Thangavel & Venugopal
This review surveys the various commercially available ). Yang et al. (a) adsorbed chromium onto the sur-
adsorbents and natural biosorbents used over the past dec- face of graphene oxide and the maximum adsorption
ades for the removal of chromium, cadmium and copper capacity found was around 92.65 mg/g at an optimum pH

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 389 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

of 5. This adsorption of chromium on graphene oxide was et al. ), i.e., 7.78 mg/g, 15.4 mg/g, 8.8 mg/g, respectively.
found to be endothermic and spontaneous. Gopalakrishnan Table 1 summarises the graphene-related work that has been
et al. () have also oxidised graphene for the addition of reported in this area.

COOH,
C¼O and
OH functional groups onto the sur-
face using a modified Hummer’s method (Hummers & Activated carbon
Offeman ). The novelty of their work is that only
70 mg of graphene oxide has been utilised for 100% removal Modern industries began production of active carbon in
of chromium from wastewater effectively at an optimum pH 1900–1901 to replace bone char in the sugar refining indus-
of 8. Graphene composite materials have been developed by try (Bansal et al. ) and powdered activated carbon was
a number of authors for the removal of heavy metals. first produced commercially in Europe in the early 19th cen-
Li et al. () functionalised graphene oxide with magnetic tury, using wood as a raw material (Mantell ). Activated
cyclodextrin chitosan for the removal of chromium since carbon can be obtained from any material which has high
magnetic cyclodextrin chitosan has favourable properties carbon content. Activated carbon is a good adsorbent for
such as high adsorption capacity and magnetic property chromium removal because it has a well-developed porous
which assists in the separation process. Guo et al. () structure and a high internal surface area for adsorption
functionalised graphene with a ferro/ferric oxide composite (Anirudhan & Sreekumari ). However, because coal-
for chromium removal with a maximum adsorption capacity based activated carbon is expensive, its use has been
of 17.29 mg/g which is higher as compared to the adsorp- restricted and further efforts have been made to convert
tion capacity of other magnetic adsorbents, such as cheap and abundant agricultural waste into activated
Fe@Fe2O3 core-shell nanowires (Ai et al. ), chitosan- carbon (Anirudhan & Sreekumari ). Activated carbon
coated MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (Xiao et al. ) and is now prepared from various agricultural wastes such as
Fe3O4-polyethyleneimine (PEI)-montmorillonite (Larraza rubber wood sawdust (Karthikeyan et al. ), moso and

Table 1 | Chromium removal using graphene, graphine oxide and modified graphine as an adsorbent

Metal Contact Adsorbent Removal

concentration Optimum Best model time Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (ppm-mg/L) pH fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Graphene oxide based inverse 1,000 4 Langmuir 120 0.125–2.5 45 – Lingamdinne

spinel nickel ferrite et al. ()
composite
Zero-valent iron assembled on 40–100 3 Langmuir 120 – 101 83.8% Lv et al. ()
magnetic Fe3O4/graphene
nanocomposites
Zero-valent iron decorated on 15–35 3 Langmuir 90 1.0 – 70% Li et al. ()
graphene nanosheets
Copolymer of – 1.1 – 45 – 82.4 93% Ma et al. ()
dimethylaminoethyl
methacrylate with graphene
oxide
Graphene sand composite 8–20 1.5 Langmuir 90 10 2859.38 93% Dubey et al.
(GSC) ()
Graphene oxide 52 5 Langmuir 12 – 43.72 92.65% Yang et al.
(a)
Modified graphene (GN) with 50, 100 2 Langmuir 60 400 21.57 98.2% Wu et al. ()
cetyltrimethylammonium
bromide

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 390 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

ma bamboo (Lo et al. ), viticulture industry wastes, grape once activated maa bamboo and 91.7% removal using
stalk, lex, pomace (Sardella et al. ), hazelnut shell acti- twice activated maa bamboo. Removal efficiency decreases
vated carbon (Kobya ), coconut tree sawdust (Selvi for once activated moso bamboo and twice activated moso
et al. ), coconut shell carbon (Babel & Kurniawan bamboo by 20–77% because their average pore diameter is
), sugarcane bagasse (Sharma & Forster ), treated less than 2 nm and major pores were mesopores. Kobya
sawdust of Indian rose wood (Garg et al. ), wood acti- () prepared activated carbon using hazelnut shell and
vated carbon (Selomulya et al. ), tyre activated carbon maximum adsorption capacity of 170 mg/g was obtained
(Hamadi et al. ), coconut shell activated carbon (Selo- at an optimum pH 1 which is higher than adsorption
mulya et al. ) and palm shell (Saifuddin & Kumaran capacity of other adsorbents such as wood activated
; Owlad et al. ; Kundu et al. ; Nizamuddin carbon (Selomulya et al. ), tyre activated carbon
et al. , ; Sabzoi et al. ; Thangalazhy-Gopakumar (Hamadi et al. ) and coconut shell activated carbon
et al. ), etc. (Selomulya et al. ) which is only 87.6 mg/g, 58.5 mg/g
Karthikeyan et al. () removed chromium from and 107.1 mg/g, respectively. Table 2 summarises the
wastewater using activated carbon derived from rubber reported use of activated carbon for chromium removal
wood sawdust and 44 mg/g maximum adsorption capacity from wastewater.
was obtained at an optimum pH 2. Maximum adsorption
capacity obtained in their work was higher as compared to Carbon nanotubes
other adsorbents such as coconut tree sawdust (Selvi et al.
), coconut shell carbon (Babel & Kurniawan ), Carbon nanotubes are efficient adsorbents for heavy metal
sugarcane bagasse (Sharma & Forster ) and treated saw- removal because they possess chemical stability, large surface
dust of Indian rose wood (Garg et al. ), which were only area, excellent mechanical and electrical properties, adsorp-
3.60 mg/g, 10.88 mg/g, 13.40 mg/g and 10 mg/g, respect- tion property and well-developed mesopores (Gupta et al.
ively. Lo et al. () derived activated carbon from moso ; Mubarak et al. a; Al-Khaldi et al. ). They can
and ma bamboo, and 100% removal was obtained using also be further modified by chemical treatment to increase

Table 2 | Chromium removal using activated carbon as an adsorbent

Metal Contact Removal

concentration Optimum time Adsorbent Adsorbent per cent
Adsorbent derived from (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) (%) References

Acrylonitriledivinylbenzene 30 2 Freundlich 420 0.6 101.2 80% Duranoğlu et al.

copolymer ()
Syzygium jambolanum nut 20–100 2 Langmuir 240 5 – 100% Muthukumaran
carbon & Beulah
()
Green alga Ulva lactuca 5–50, 5–250 1 Langmuir 40 2 10.61 112.36 98% El-Sikaily et al.
()
Jatropha wood 30–100 2–10 Langmuir 360 0.6–2 106.4–140.8 – Gueye et al.
()
Tamarind wood 10–50 6.5 Langmuir 40 2 – 28% Acharya et al.
Freundlich ()
Pterocladia capillacea 5–100 1 Langmuir 120 3–10 66 100% El Nemr et al.
()
Zizania caduciflora 10–50 2–3 Freundlich 48 0.8 2.7 84.8% Liu et al. ()
Prawn shell 25–125 – Langmuir 31.4 – 100 98% Arulkumar et al.
Freundlich ()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 391 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

adsorption capacity (Chen et al. ; Mubarak et al. , et al. ). This material is not soluble in water and possesses
a, b, c, a, c; Ruthiraan et al. b). Hu a granular structure, chemical stability and good mechanical
et al. () removed chromium using oxidised multi-walled strength (Chuah et al. ). Silica is derived from rice husk
carbon nanotubes and 100% maximum removal was using sol gel technique and has an affinity for chromium
achieved at an optimum pH of 2.88. Gupta et al. () com- (Adam et al. ). Thus, Oladoja et al. () incorporated
bined the adsorptive property of multi-walled carbon iron oxide into silica derived from rice husk, calling it modi-
nanotubes with the magnetic property of iron oxide. The fied rice husk derived silica. This modified rice husk
advantages of this composite are high surface area, can be derived silica has higher adsorption (63.69 mg/g) as com-
used for contaminant removal and can be controlled and pared to the silica derived from raw rice husk. Rice husk in
removed from the medium using a simple magnetic process. its natural form and in modified form (activated carbon modi-
A maximum removal of 88% at pH 6 was obtained. Luo fied using ozone) was used for the removal of chromium(VI)
et al. () prepared manganese dioxide/iron oxide/acid oxi- and results compared (Bishnoi et al. ; Sugashini &
dised multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites for Begum ). It was found that ozone modified rice husk
chromium removal. Manganese dioxide is a scavenger of aqu- shows a higher removal capacity than raw rice husk. Suga-
eous trace metals because of its high adsorption capacity but shini & Begum () modified rice husk by treating it with
the use of pure manganese dioxide is not favoured because of ozone to produce activated carbon for chromium removal
the high cost and its unfavourable physical and chemical with 86% removal being reported. Ozone was used for acti-
properties. The maximum adsorption capacity of the above vation because it is a strong oxidising agent, stable and can
nanocomposite was 186.9 mg/g with a maximum removal of be regenerated. Rice husk can also be modified by prep-
85% at an optimum pH of 2. Mubarak et al. (b) functiona- aration of biochar. Biochar is a carbon-rich solid by-product
lised carbon nanotubes for chromium removal using nitric resulting from the pyrolysis of rice husk under oxygen-free
acid and potassium permagnate in 3:1 volume ratio and com- and low temperature conditions (Lehmann ; Woolf
pared the removal capacity with non-functionalised carbon et al. ; Mubarak et al. , c; Agrafioti et al. ;
nanotubes. They found that maximum adsorption capacity Ruthiraan et al. a, b). Biochar has the ability to
for functionalised carbon nanotubes was 2.517 mg/g while adsorb heavy metals because of electrostatic interactions
for non-functionalised carbon nanotubes it was 2.49 mg/g, between the negative surface charge and the metal cations,
and removal capacity for functionalised carbon nanotubes as well as ion exchange between biochar surface protons
(87.6%) was higher compared to non-functionalised carbon and metal cations (Machida et al. ; Lehmann ;
nanotubes (83%). Mubarak et al. (b) produced carbon Woolf et al. ; Xu et al. ; Thines et al. , ). Agra-
nanotubes using microwave heating for comparative study fioti et al. () modified rice husk by pyrolysis for chromium
of the removal of chromium with another heavy metal (i.e., removal with 95% removal reported. Table 4 summarises the
lead). Microwave heating provides a fast and uniform heating reported use of rice husk for chromium removal from
rate and it accelerates reaction and gives a higher yield. The wastewater.
maximum adsorption capacity obtained for chromium was
24.45 mg/g and removal efficiency obtained was 95% at an Surfactant modified waste
optimum pH 8. Table 3 summarises the reported use of
carbon nanotubes for chromium removal from wastewater. Various agricultural wastes have been modified using surfac-
tants (Bingol et al. ; Namasivayam & Sureshkumar
Bio-adsorbents for chromium removal from wastewater ; Nadeem et al. ; Jing et al. ; Min et al. ).
Surfactants are amphipathic substances with both lyophobic
Rice husk and lyophilic groups with the capability of forming self-
associated clusters. Depending upon the nature of their
Rice husk consists of cellulose (32.24%), lignin (21.44%), hydrophilic group they can be cationic (positive charge),
hemicellulose (21.34%) and mineral ash (15.05%) (Rahman anionic (negative charge), non-ionic (no apparent charge)

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 392 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 3 | Chromium removal using carbon nanotubes as an adsorbent

Metal Contact Adsorbent Removal

concentration Optimum time Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Nitric acid oxidised 1 7 – 2 150 0.5 18% Atieh et al. ()

carbon nanotube
Composite of carbon 100 2 Langmuir 240 2.5 264.5 >95% Sankararamakrishnan
nanotubes and Freundlich et al. ()
activated alumina
Nitrogen-doped 12.82 8 Langmuir 720 0.2 638.56 >97% Shin et al. ()
magnetic CNTs
CNT supported by 0.5 2 Langmuir 60 0.04 9 72% Atieh ()
activated carbon
Cigarette filter with 4 – – – 4 – 63–79% Yu et al. ()
MWCNT and
graphene
Oxidised multi-walled 2.88 <2 Langmuir 9,900 75–1.25 4.2615 100% Hu et al. ()
carbon nanotubes adsorption
isotherm
Composite of multi- 20 6 – 10–60 0.1–2 – 88% Gupta et al. ()
walled carbon
nanotubes and iron
oxide
Manganese dioxide/ 50–300 2 Langmuir 150 5 186.9 85% Luo et al. ()
iron oxide/acid
oxidised multi-
walled carbon
nanotube
nanocomposites
Carbon nanotubes 1 9 Langmuir 120 0.1 2.47, 2.48 87.6% Mubarak et al. (b)
functionalised using and
nitric acid and Freundlich
potassium
permagnate
Carbon nanotube 2 8 Langmuir 60 9 24.45 95% Mubarak et al. (b)
produced using and
microwave heating Freundlich

Table 4 | Chromium removal using rice husk as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Iron oxide incorporated 50–300 2 Langmuir 120 2.0 63.69 71% Oladoja et al.
into silica derived ()
from rice husk
Ozone-treated rice husk 50, 100 2 Freundlich 150 4.0 8.7–13.1 86% Sugashini &
Begum
()
Modified rice husk 190, 850 6.8 Freundlich 5,760 1–16 – 95% Agrafioti et al.
()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 393 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

and zwitterionic (both charges are present); because of these Ahmad et al. () reported chromium removal using
characteristics surfactant modified adsorbents are superior chromium-resistant reducing bacteria Acinetobacter haemo-
in removal efficiency and promote selective adsorption lyticus inside sugarcane bagasse; this bacteria converts
(Nadeem et al. ; Rosen & Kunjappu ). These Cr(VI) into Cr(III) which is less toxic and less soluble as com-
researchers modified carbon powder obtained from the pared to Cr(VI), and a removal of more than 90% was
husks and pods of Moringa oleifera using the surfactant obtained. Chemicals used for modification of sugarcane
cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. This process improved bagasse are succinic anhydride, EDTA dianhydride
the removal efficiency of the carbon powder with an adsorp- (EDTAD), xanthate, pyromellitic anhydride, sulphuric acid,
tion capacity of 27 mg/g being reported at an optimum pH citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, ethylenediamine, etc. These
of 8. Similarly, Namasivayam & Sureshkumar () modi- acids work as good chelating agents, so they become polymer-
fied coconut coir pith by using hexadecyltrimethyl ised with sugarcane bagasse because it increases the number
ammonium bromide surfactant to increase the removal effi- of chelating sites and helps in heavy metal removal from
ciency of chromium. They reported a maximum adsorption wastewater. Garg et al. () used succinic acid for modifi-
capacity of 76.3 mg/g at an optimum pH of 2. Table 5 sum- cation of sugarcane bagasse and reported 92% removal
marises the reported use of surfactant modified waste as an obtained at an optimum pH of 2. Cronje et al. () removed
adsorbent for chromium removal. chromium by activating sugarcane bagasse with zinc chlor-
ide, and >87% chromium was reported at an optimum pH

Modified sugarcane bagasse of 8.58. Table 6 summarises the reported use of sugarcane
bagasse as an adsorbent for chromium removal.

Sugarcane bagasse is a by-product of agricultural wastes that

consists of cellulose (50%), polyoses (27%) and lignin (23%). Modified wheat bran
Due to these biological component polymers, sugarcane
bagasse is rich in hydroxyl and phenolic groups and these Wheat bran is an agricultural by-product which can be used
groups can be chemically modified to improve adsorption for the removal of heavy metals and is obtained from the
capacity (Ngah & Hanafiah ). Sugarcane bagasse is shell of flour mill wheat seeds. It is economically viable, bio-
obtained from the fibrous material left after cane stalk crush- degradable and consists of many nutrients such as protein,
ing and juice extraction. Sugarcane bagasse originates from minerals, fatty acids and dietary fibres (Kaya et al. ). It
the outer rind and inner pith (Ullah et al. ) and has has various organic functional groups with a surface area
been used in the natural form as well as in a modified form. of 441 m2/g and a fixed carbon content of 31.78% (Singh

Table 5 | Chromium removal using surfactant modified waste as an adsorbent

Adsor-
Metal Contact bent Removal
concentration Optimum time Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Coconut coir pith 30 8 Langmuir 120 1 29.96 98% Nadeem et al.

modified by using ()
surfactant
cetyltrimethyl
ammonium bromide
Coconut coir pith 20–60 2 Langmuir, 90 0.5–6.0 76.3 96% Namasivayam &
modified by using Freundlich, Sureshkumar
hexadecyltrimethyl Dubinin– ()
ammonium bromide Radushkevich
surfactant

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 394 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 6 | Chromium removal using modified sugarcane bagasse as an adsorbent

Metal Best
concentration Optimum model Contact Adsorbent Adsorbent Removal per
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) cent (%) References

Acinetobacter haemolyticus 10–100 7 – 2,880 – – >90% Ahmad

bacteria inside sugarcane et al.
bagasse ()
Succinic acid modified 50 2 – 60 20 – 92% Garg et al.
sugarcane bagasse ()
Sugarcane bagasse activated 77.5 8.58 – 60 6.85 – >87% Cronje et al.
with zinc chloride ()

et al. ). It has various functional groups, such as meth- Modified coconut waste
oxy, phenolic hydroxyl and carbonyl, that have the ability
to bind heavy metals (Ravat et al. ). Farajzadeh & Coconut waste is also used as an adsorbent for chromium
Monji () demonstrated the removal of chromium removal. Its sorption properties are due to the presence of
using wheat bran with a maximum adsorption capacity of coordinating functional groups such as hydroxyl and car-
93 mg/g and a maximum removal of 89%. Wheat bran can boxyl (Tan et al. ). Coconut coir pith and coconut
be modified by using different acids to increase removal shell are coconut wastes suitable for heavy metal removal.
capacity (Al-Khaldi et al. ). The thermo-chemical inter- Coir pith is a light fluffy biomaterial and is generated
action between wheat bran and acids increases with during the separation process of fibre from coconut husk
temperature. Thus, Özer & Özer () modified wheat (Namasivayam & Sureshkumar ). Notably, 7.5 million
bran using sulphuric acid and demonstrated chromium tons per year of coconut is produced in India (Chadha
removal with an adsorption capacity of up to 133 mg/g at ). Raw coir pith consists of 35% cellulose, 1.8% fats,
an optimum pH of 1.5. Kaya et al. () used tartaric acid 25.2% lignin and resin, 7.5% pentosans, 8.7% ash content,
for modification of wheat bran and reported a 51% removal 11.9% moisture content and 10.6% other substances (Dan
without modification, while after modification, removal was ). Namasivayam & Sureshkumar () modified coir
up to 90% at pH 2 and the maximum adsorption capacity pith using the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bro-
was reported to be 4.53 mg of Cr(VI)/g and 5.28 mg of mide for chromium removal. The maximum removal
Cr(VI)/g at pH 2.2, without and with modification, respect- obtained with this material was reported as being higher
ively. Table 7 summarises the reported use of modified than 90% at an optimum pH of 2 and the maximum adsorp-
wheat bran as an adsorbent for chromium removal. tion capacity was 76.3 mg/g. This was higher than the

Table 7 | Chromium removal using modified wheat bran as an adsorbent

Metal
concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent Adsorbent Removal per
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) cent (%) References

Wheat bran 20 5 ̶ 20 80 93 89% Farajzadeh &

Monji ()
Wheat bran 50, 100 1.5 Langmuir 300 2.0 133 99.9% Özer & Özer
modified using ()
sulphuric acid
Wheat bran 52 2, 2.2 Freundlich 15–1,440 20 5.28 90% Kaya et al.
modified using ()
tartaric acid

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 395 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

maximum adsorption capacity obtained using raw coir pith interfered with by the presence of iron as more than one
which was only 1.24 mg/g (Sumathi et al. ). This heavy metal in the mixture may increase, decrease or may
demonstrates that the adsorption capacity obtained after not affect removal performance of the adsorbent. The
modification was much higher. Similarly, Shen et al. () removal per cent and adsorption capacity obtained in
removed chromium using coconut coir and derived char single phase (presence of chromium only) was 51% and
and reported a maximum removal of 70%. Table 8 summar- 4.79 mg/g while for the binary system (presence of chro-
ises the reported use of modified coconut waste as an mium along with iron) it was 79% and 7.60 mg/g. López-
adsorbent for chromium removal. Téllez et al. () removed chromium by preparing a compo-
site that incorporates iron nanoparticles into orange peel
Modified orange peel waste pith. It was found that for this composite the percentage
removal and adsorption capacity were 71% and 5.37 mg/g,
Orange peel is used as an adsorbent for the removal of chro- respectively, as compared to raw orange peel, i.e., 34%
mium from wastewater because it contains cellulose, and 1.90 mg/g, respectively. Table 9 summarises the
hemicelluloses, pectin (galacturonic acid) and lignin (Feng reported use of modified orange peel waste as an adsorbent
et al. ). These components also have various coordinat- for chromium removal from wastewater.
ing functional groups including carboxylic and phenolic
acid groups which can bind heavy metals. Orange peel is Modified sawdust
an attractive adsorbent because of its availability and low
cost (Feng et al. ). Marín et al. () studied the role As a solid waste, sawdust is produced in large quantities at
of three major functional groups (amine, carboxyl and sawmills. It contains primarily lignin and cellulose. Sawdust
hydroxyl) on chromium removal where the bioadsorbent has been used as an adsorbent for heavy metal removal and
(orange peel) was chemically modified by esterification, shows good removal (Shukla et al. ). Sawdust is
acetylation and methylation in order to selectively block obtained by cutting, grinding, drilling, sanding or by pulver-
the functional groups. Thus, esterification decreased ising wood with a saw or other tool producing fine wood
removal capacity, which indicates that the carboxylic particles. Argun et al. () used hydrochloric acid modi-
groups present in the adsorbent are important for chromium fied oak sawdust (Quercus coccifera) for the removal of
removal and that the amine and hydroxyl groups have a neg- chromium. This treatment increases the proportion of
ligible effect. The maximum adsorption capacity reported by active surfaces and prevents the elution of tannin com-
these researchers was 40.56 mg/g. Lugo-Lugo et al. () pounds that would stain treated water. The maximum
biosorbed chromium on pre-treated orange peel in both removal efficiency reported was 84% for Cr(VI) at pH 3
single (presence of chromium only) and binary mixtures and the maximum adsorption capacity was 1.70 mg/g for
(presence of chromium along with iron). It was observed Cr(VI) at pH 3. Politi & Sidiras () used pine sawdust
that in the binary mixture, removal of chromium was modified with 0.11–3.6 N sulphuric acid for the removal of

Table 8 | Chromium removal using modified coconut waste as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent Removal

concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Modified coir pith using the 20–100 2 Langmuir, 30–90 50 76.3, 1.24 >90% Namasivayam &
surfactant Freundlich Sureshkumar
hexadecyltrimethylammonium and ()
bromide Dubinin–
Raduskevich
Coconut coir and derived char 10–500 3 – 7,200 1.0 70.4 70% Shen et al. ()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 396 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 9 | Chromium removal using modified orange peel waste as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Modified orange peel 0–500 4 Langmuir 4,320 4.0 40.56 82% Marín et al.
()
Pre-treated orange peel 10 3 Langmuir 260 10.0 4.79, 7.60 51%, 79% Lugo-Lugo
model et al. ()
Composite of iron 10–50 1 Langmuir 60 5.0 1.90, 5.37 34%, 71% López-Téllez
nanoparticles into et al. ()
orange peel pith

chromium and reported a maximum adsorption capacity of to the adsorbent) has an affinity for chromium. Egg shells
20.3 mg/g and 86% removal at pH 2. Table 10 summarises have been used for the removal of chromium from water
the reported use of modified sawdust as an adsorbent for in both modified and non-modified forms. Modification is
chromium removal from wastewater. carried out by calcinating at high temperatures. After calci-
nation the structure changes due to the development of
Modified egg shell pores via the emission of carbondioxide gas (Rohim et al.
). Daraei et al. () used egg shell for chromium
Although chicken eggs are a worldwide daily food they also removal and reported 93% removal at an optimum pH 5
pose environmental problems. For example, in the United and 1.45 mg/g of maximum adsorption capacity. Liu &
States, about 150,000 tons of this material is disposed of in Huang () modified egg shell using PEI. The PEI functio-
landfills every year (Toro et al. ). Egg shell has an out- nalises the eggshell membrane (ESM) via cross-linking
standing mechanical performance, such as an excellent reactions between various functional groups. The prepared
combination of stiffness, strength, impact resistance and bioadsorbent is reported as interacting strongly with chro-
toughness. The composition is about 95% calcium carbon- mium(VI), and the uptake capacity of the PEI–ESM was
ate (which occurs in two crystal forms: hexagonal calcite increased by 105% compared with the unmodified egg
and rhombohedral aragonite) and 5% organic materials. shell with a maximum removal of 90% and a maximum
The amine and amide groups of the proteins on the surface adsorption capacity of up to 160 mg/g at an optimum pH
of particulate egg shell are a potential source of hardening of 3. Table 11 summarises the reported use of modified
agent and help in chromium removal via chelation (Guru egg shell as an adsorbent for chromium removal from
& Dash ) and this hardening agent (providing strength wastewater.

Table 10 | Chromium removal using modified sawdust as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Hydrochloric acid 0.1–100 3 Langmuir, 0–720 60 1.70 84% Argun et al.

modified oak sawdust D–R ()
(Quercus coccifera) isotherms
Sulphuric acid modified 15–75 2 Freundlich 240 4 20.3 – Politi &
pine sawdust Sidiras
()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 397 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 11 | Chromium removal using modified egg shell as an adsorbent

Metal
concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent Adsorbent Removal per
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) cent (%) References

Egg shell 5–30 5 Freundlich 90 3.5 1.45 93% Daraei et al.

()
Egg shell 100 3 Langmuir 10–1,440 10–40 160 90% Liu & Huang
modified using ()
PEI

Commercially available adsorbents for cadmium regular two-dimensional hexagonal array of channels with a
removal from wastewater pore diameter of the order of 7–10 nm. The reported removal
was 98% at pH > 4.5. Similarly, Burke et al. () also used
Mesoporous silica aminopropyl and mercaptopropyl, functionalised and bi-func-
tionalised, large pore mesoporous silica spheres for the
Mesoporous silica is a highly ordered material which possesses removal of chromium from wastewater. These researchers
a regular two-dimensional hexagonal array of channels. Meso- reported a maximum sorption capacity of 43.16 mg/g for Cr.
porous silica is efficient for cadmium removal because of its Pérez-Quintanilla et al. () modified silica and amorphous
high surface area and 2–10 nm pore size (Bhattacharyya silica using 2-mercaptopyridine and reported maximum
et al. ). Mesoporous silica may be chemically modified adsorption capacities of 205 mg/g and 97 mg/g, respectively.
via the attachment of groups including carboxylic acid, sulfo- Table 12 documents the available data for mesoporous silica
nic acid and amino-carbonyl. Javadian et al. () prepared for cadmium removal from wastewater.
polyaniline/polypyrrole/hexagonal type mesoporous silica
for cadmium removal and reported a removal of 99.2% cad- Chitosan
mium at an optimum pH of 8. Hajiaghababaei et al. ()
modified SBA-15 nanoporous silica by functionalising it with Chitosan is a derivative of the N-deacetylation of chitin which
ethylenediamine. SBA-15 is a highly ordered material with a is a naturally occurring polysaccharide obtained from

Table 12 | Cadmium removal using mesoporous silica as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
Adsorbent functionalised concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
with (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Silica functionalised with 25 <8 Langmuir 1,440– 20 12.36, 14.61, 80% Machida et al.
mono amino and 2,880 28.10 ()
mercapto groups
Amino functionalised 50 5 Langmuir 120 5 18.25 90% Heidari et al.
silica ()
Amino functionalised 5–300 – Langmuir 1,440 1.11 93.30 100% Aguado et al.
mesoporous silica ()
Iminodiacetic acid- 50–1,000 5.6 Langmuir 1,440 4.0 – 99.8% Gao et al.
modified mesoporous ()
SBA-15
Polyamine-functionalised 100 5.5–7 – 2,880 – – 70% Alothman &
Apblett
()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 398 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

crustaceans. Chitosan is an efficient adsorbent for the removal ). Similarly, Hydari et al. () modified chitosan by coat-
of heavy metals (Ren et al. ). Chitosan is cheap, hydrophilic ing with activated carbon and reported an adsorption capacity
and biodegradable and it also offers ease of derivatisation. It of 52.63 mg/g adsorption capacity at an optimum pH of 6 with
contains amino and hydroxyl groups that may form chelates 100% removal. Table 13 presents cadmium removal data for
with heavy metals (Huo et al. ; Hu et al. ). Chitosan chitosan as an adsorbent from wastewater.
has the advantage of being cheap yet effective, but has the dis-
advantages of being mechanically weak, soluble under acidic Zeolite
conditions and may leach carbohydrate when used in raw
form (Ren et al. ; Huo et al. ). Various efforts have Zeolites are among the best adsorbents for the removal of cad-
been made to stabilise chitosan using cross-linking agents, mium because they are composed of hydrated aluminosilicate
but this results in a decrease in adsorption capacity (Wang minerals made from the interlinked tetrahedra of alumina
et al. ). Thus, Chen et al. () have developed ‘ion imprint (AlO4) and silica (SiO4) moieties (Choi et al. ). Zeolite
technology’ for achieving higher adsorption capacity and stab- has good ion exchange properties, a high surface area and a
ility. This involves the development of a novel adsorbent that is hydrophilic character which makes them suitable for seques-
a thiourea-modified magnetic ion imprinted chitosan/TiO2 tration of cadmium. Modified zeolite provides a higher
composite for the removal of cadmium. The maximum adsorp- adsorption capacity compared to natural zeolite. There are
tion capacity obtained for this material was reported to be different methods for zeolite modification. For example, nano-
256.41 mg/g at an optimum pH of 7. Chitosan has also been sized zeolite has more accessible pores which make it more
modified by a coating process involving ceramic alumina. Coat- suitable for heavy metal removal. Among nanosized zeolite
ing helps increase accessibility of binding sites and improves adsorbents, NaX nanozeolite (Ansari et al. ) (in molar
mechanical stability. Maximum adsorption capacity obtained ratio of 5.5 Na2O:1.0 Al2O3:4.0 SiO2:190 H2O) is widely
was reported to be 108.7 mg/g at an optimum pH of 6 and used for cadmium removal from wastewater (Erdem et al.
the maximum removal reported was 93.76% (Wan et al. ; Jha et al. ; Ibrahim et al. ; Aliabadi et al. ;

Table 13 | Cadmium removal using chitosan as an adsorbent

Metal Contact Adsorption

concentration Optimum time Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

α-Ketoglutaricacid- 100–500 6 Langmuir 90 0.04 201.2 93% Yang et al.

modified magnetic (b)
chitosan
Electrospun nanofibre 50–1,000 5 Freundlich, 120 – 248.1 72% Aliabadi
membrane of PEO/ Langmuir and et al.
chitosan Dubinin– ()
Radushkevich
Nano-hydroxyapatite/ 100–500 5.6 Freundlich and 90 5.0 92, 122 92% Salah et al.
chitosan composite Langmuir ()
Polyaniline grafted 40–220 6 Langmuir 120 4.5 145 99.6% Igberase &
cross-linked chitosan Osifo
beads ()
O-carboxymethyl 675 10 – 1,440 – – 95% Borsagli
functionalisation of et al.
chitosan ()
Multi-walled carbon – 6–7 – – – – >90% Salam et al.
nanotubes modified ()
with chitosan

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 399 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Rad et al. ). Rad et al. () synthesised NaX nanozeolite demonstrates more than 80% cadmium removal at an opti-
using a microwave heating method, and then polyvinylacetate mum pH of 7–8. Table 14 summarises the removal
polymer/NaX nanocomposite nanofibres were prepared using parameters for the sequestering of cadmium using zeolite.
electrospinning method; the potential of these composite
nanofibres was then investigated for cadmium. The reported Red mud
maximum adsorption capacity was 838.7 mg/g with 80%
removal at an optimum pH of 5. Choi et al. () modified zeo- Red mud is a waste material from the aluminium industry that
lite by replacing Si(IV)and Al(III) sites in the lattice with may be converted into an efficient adsorbent for cadmium
exchangeable cations such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, removal from waste water (Gupta & Sharma ). Red mud
or calcium, leading to a net negative charge. Mg-modified zeo- has the advantage of being cheap and available and possesses
lite has certain advantages such as non-toxicity, low cost, a high capacity for cadmium removal; however, it also has
abundance (and hence availability) and large pore size of some disadvantages including the difficulty of dealing with
40–50 nm compared to the non-modified adsorbent. This the wastewater produced during red mud activation before
Mg-modified adsorbent has a cadmium removal of more application, and regeneration/recovery of red mud is difficult
than 98% at an optimum pH of 7. In addition, the adsorption after application (Zhu et al. ). However, Zhu et al. ()
capacity of Mg-zeolite was found to be 1.5 times higher than developed red mud as a novel adsorbent for cadmium removal
that of zeolite modified with Na or K and 1.5 to 2.0 times from wastewater. In this regard, the adsorption process onto
higher than that of natural zeolite. granular red mud was found to be spontaneous and endother-
Coal, which is used in many industries as a fuel, pro- mic in nature. A maximum adsorption capacity of 52.1 mg/g
duces fly ash as a by-product which causes air pollution was reported at a pH of 3 to 6. Similarly, Gupta & Sharma
and presents disposal problems. Due to its low cost fly ash () also used red mud for cadmium removal from waste-
can be used for zeolite formation using the hydrothermal water and complete removal was obtained at the lower
process (Hui et al. ). Javadian et al. () converted concentration (1:78 × 10
5 to 1:78 × 10
4 Molar) while 60–
fly ash into amorphous aluminosilicate adsorbent and 65% removal was obtained at the higher concentration
reported a maximum adsorption capacity for cadmium of (1:78 × 10
4 to 1:78 × 10
3 Molar) at an optimum pH
26.246 mg/g with 84% removal at an optimum pH of 5. Simi- between 4 and 5. Ma et al. () used CaCO3-dominated
larly, Visa () converted fly ash into zeolite for cadmium red mud (red mud containing substantial amounts of CaCO3)
removal through a hydrothermal process using sodium for cadmium removal from wastewater. With increase in satur-
hydroxide. These researchers reported that this product ation degree of binding sites on red mud particles by the heavy
has high surface area and is rich in micropores and metal, the proportion of HCH3COO-extractable Cu fraction

Table 14 | Cadmium removal using using zeolite as an adsorbent

Metal
concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent Adsorbent Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) (%) References

Synthetic 100–2,000 – Freundlich 180 1.0 315.65 – El-Kamash et al.

zeolite A and D–R ()
Zeolite 25–100 6 Freundlich 90 25 – 76% Rao et al. ()
Zeolite from 1124.1–3372.3 6.6 Langmuir 1,440 10 57–195 95.6% Izidoro et al.
fly ash ()
Oil shale into 100 7 Sips 60–1,440 – 95.6 – Shawabkeh
zeolite et al. ()
Natural 9–90 5 Freundlich 1,440 – 9 71% Hamidpour
zeolite et al. ()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 400 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

(acetic acid-extractable Cu fraction) increased accordingly. and methanol to produce an adsorbent. The prepared
Cadmium increasingly bound with HCH3COO-extractable DCB material behaved as a cation exchanger with 90%
forms until adsorption capacity of red mud was depleted. Ju removal at an optimum pH 8. Azouaou et al. () used
et al. () mixed 2–8% w/w granular red mud with cement waste material from cafeterias as an adsorbent for cad-
and reported an adsorption capacity of 9 mg/g. It was also mium removal and reported an adsorption capacity of
found that an increase in temperature increases the equili- 15.65 mg/g with more than 80% removal at an optimum
brium adsorption which suggests that this adsorption process pH of 7. Table 15 presents cadmium removal data for
is endothermic in nature. coffee residue as an adsorbent.

Bio-adsorbents for the removal of cadmium Rice husk

Coffee residue Rice husk is an agricultural waste obtained from rice mills
and it consists of cellulose, hemicelluloses, mineral ash,
Coffee residue has been reported as an efficient adsorbent lignin and a high percentage of silica (Rahman et al.
for the removal of cadmium from wastewater. For example, ). It contains groups such as –OH, Si-O-Si and -Si-H
Boonamnuayvitaya et al. () used coffee residues for which have an affinity for cadmium coordination and
cadmium removal and also blended them with clay to pre- hence removal. It may be useful as an adsorbent for cad-
pare an adsorbent with a negative charge which promotes mium removal because it is cheap and easily available.
cadmium complexation and removal. The prepared adsor- Chemicals that are used for the modification of rice husk
bent contains hydroxyl, carbonyl and amine groups and in order to increase adsorption capacity include the bases
W
has a pyrolysis temperature of 500 C (this temperature sodium hydroxide, epichlorohydrin and sodium carbonate
gives maximum adsorption capacity) and a particle size (Kumar & Bandyopadhyay ). Ye et al. () modified
diameter of 4 mm. A weight ratio of coffee residue to rice husk by constant stirring with sodium hydroxide for 24
clay of 80:20 was found to be the most suitable blend. Oli- hours and reported an adsorption capacity for cadmium
veira et al. () employed coffee husks that comprise the removal of 125.94 mg/g, which is higher than the non-
dry outer skin, pulp and parchment as these are likely to modified rice husk at 73.96 mg/g, at an optimum pH of
represent the major residue obtained from the handling 6.5. Kumar & Bandyopadhyay () modified rice husk
and processing of coffee. For this material, the maximum using epichlorohydrin, sodium hydroxide and sodium
adsorption capacity was reported to be 6.9 mg/g at an opti- bicarbonate, and the adsorption capacity increased from
mum pH of 4 with a removal of 65–85%. Kaikake et al. 8.58 mg/g for raw rice husk to 11.12 mg/g, 20.24 mg/g
() soaked and degreased coffee beans (DCB) in water and 16.18 mg/g, respectively, with the removal increasing

Table 15 | Cadmium removal using coffee residue as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Coffee residues 25–250 1.6–2.5 Langmuir 30 10 17.5–17.9 88–92% Boonamnuayvitaya

blended with et al. ()
clay
Coffee husks 50–100 4 Langmuir 4,320 6.7 6.9 65–85% Oliveira et al. ()
Coffee beans 6–202 8 Langmuir 1,440 10 3.80 90% Kaikake et al. ()
Coffee grounds 10–700 7 Langmuir 120 9 15.65 >80% Azouaou et al. ()
from
cafeterias

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 401 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

from 75% to 86.2%, 97% and 97.2%, respectively, at an anhydride in the presence of toluene in basic medium. The
optimum pH of 9. It was also reported that the equilibrium adsorption capacity reported for this material was 200 mg/g
time was reduced from 600 min to 120 min, 240 min and at an optimum pH of 4. Aziz et al. (b) modified olive
60 min, respectively. Ajmal et al. () treated rice husk stones using concentrated sulphuric acid at room tempera-
using phosphate, and a maximum removal of 99% was ture followed by neutralisation with 0.1 N sodium
reported at an optimum pH of 12. Srivastava et al. () hydroxide solution, and the maximum adsorption capacity
used mesoporous rice husk with an 80% pore area (ratio was reported to be 128.2 mg/g at an optimum pH range of
of rice husk’s unoccupied area to its total area) and 5–10. Blázquez et al. () used olive stones for cadmium
reported a 23.3% cadmium removal along with some removal and observed the effect of different parameters on
other heavy metals at an optimum pH of 6. Sharma the percentage removal. Thus it was found that for a smaller
et al. () used polyacrylamide grafted rice husk for cad- size of adsorbent particles (250–355 nm) the removal
mium removal from wastewater, and 85% removal was capacity increases up to 90% at an optimum pH of 11,
reported at an optimum pH of 9. Table 16 summarises and the maximum adsorption capacity was reached within
the removal parameters for the sequestering of cadmium 20 minutes, which is fast compared to the equilibrium
using rice husk. time achieved in cadmium removal using olive stones pre-
pared by ZnCl2 activation (Kula et al. ) and by using
Powdered olive stones olive cake (Al-Anber & Matouq ). Olive stone can
also be used as an adsorbent by converting it into activated
Olive stones form part of the waste produced from the oleic carbon using chemicals such as ZnCl2, H3PO4 and H2O2
industry and are available in olive oil producing countries with a subsequent improvement in pore distribution that
(Bohli et al. ). Thus, the olive stone is a plentiful by-pro- increases the surface area of the adsorbent. Kula et al.
duct of the olive oil industry and is a candidate for use as an () used 20% zinc chloride as an olive stone activating
adsorbent for the removal of cadmium. Olive stones can be agent for cadmium removal and 95% removal was reported
modified using succinic anhydride, sulphuric acid, nitric and compared with raw olive stone (43%) at an optimum
acid or sodium hydroxide to increase adsorption (Blázquez pH of 9. Obregón-Valencia & del Rosario Sun-Kou ()
et al. ; Aziz et al. a). Aziz et al. (a) modified prepared activated carbon from carbon aguaje and olive
olive stones using succinic anhydride that chemically func- fruit stone using phosphoric acid solution, and a maximum
tionalises it with succinate moieties that have an affinity adsorption capacity of 8.14 mg/g and 9.01 mg/g and a
for cadmium. This adsorbent was synthesised by esterifying removal capacity of 61% and 68% was obtained for aguaje
the lignocellulosic matrix of the olive stone with succinic and olive fruit stones, respectively. Hamdaoui ()

Table 16 | Cadmium removal using rice husk as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorption Removal

concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) Reference

Rice husk ash 10–100 6 Freundlich, Redlich– 5 1–10 3.04 29.8% Srivastava
Peterson et al.
()
Sulphuric acid- 50, 100 4 Langmuir 60 1.0 41.15 and – El-Shafey
treated rice 38.76 ()
husk
Activated rice 8.9–89 M 6 Freundlich, Langmuir 20 4.0 – 97% Akhtar et al.
husk and Dubinin– ()
Radushkevish

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 402 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

compared the adsorption capacity of olive stone in the because of these polyphenols, amine and carboxyl groups
absence of ultrasound (42.19 mg/g) and in the presence of (Foo & Lu ; Lu & Foo ). Chand et al. () chemi-
ultrasound (55.87 mg/g) and with combined ultrasound/stir- cally modified apple pomace with succinic anhydride via a
ring (64.94 mg/g). Ultrasound increases adsorption capacity simple ring opening mechanism that provides a larger surface
of olive stone due to acoustic power which enhances mass area on the material. The surface area is reported to increase
and heat transfer at films and within the pore. Further, com- by 18%, and consequently, 50 times less apple pomace was
bination of stirring with ultrasound leads to intensification required as an adsorbent. The adsorption capacity of modi-
of the removal of cadmium. Table 17 summarises the fied apple pomace (91.74 mg/g) was increased 20 times
removal parameters for the sequestering of cadmium using compared to non-modified apple pomace (4.45 mg/g) and
powdered olive stones. for the modified apple pomace a removal of 90% was
obtained compared to 70% for non-modified apple pomace
Apple pomace at an optimum pH of 4. Similarly, in other work, these
researchers prepared an adsorbent by introducing the
Apple pomace is a waste product from the apple juice indus- xanthate moiety into apple pomace. The maximum adsorp-
try and is usually dumped at industrial sites in very large tion capacity obtained for the xanthate modified material
quantities (Chand et al. ). An apple (solid residue part) was reported to be 112.35 mg/g with a maximum removal
consists of the flesh 95% (wt%), seed 2–4% (wt%) and stem of 99.7% at an optimum pH of 4. This research suggests that
1% (wt%) (Chand et al. ). Apple pomace is the solid resi- chemically modified apple pomace is best for cadmium
due part of the apple which is obtained during its processing removal and the introduction of xanthate gives higher

1 removal than succinic anhydride. Table 18 presents cadmium
(Chand et al. ). Apple pomace contains 7.24 g kg of
total polyphenol which includes epicatechin (0.64 g/kg), removal data for apple pomace as an adsorbent.
caffeic acid (0.28 g/kg), 3-hydroxyphloridzin (0.27 g/kg),
phloretin-20-xyloglucoside (0.17 g/kg), phloridzin (1.42 g/kg), Modified coconut waste
quercetin-3-galactoside (1.61 g/kg), quercetin-3-galucoside
(0.87 g/kg), quercetin-3-xyloside (0.53 g/kg), quercetin- Seven and a half million tons of coconut per year is pro-
3-arbinoside (0.98 g/kg) and quercetin-3-rhamnoside duced in India alone and the waste by-products have been
(0.47 g/kg). Thus, apple pomace behaves as a metal chelator used as adsorbents for cadmium removal (Chadha ).

Table 17 | Cadmium removal using powdered olive stone as an adsorbent

Adsorbent
functionalised/ Metal
composite with/ concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent Adsorption Removal
modified (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) per cent (%) Reference

Olive cake 100 6 Langmuir and 1,440 0.3 65.4 66% Al-Anber &
Freundlich Matouq
()
Zinc chloride 15–45 9 Langmuir and 60 20 – 95% Kula et al.
activated olive Freundlich ()
stone
Microwaved olive 20 5 Langmuir 7 0.25–2 11.72 95.32% Alslaibi et al.
stone activated ()
carbon
Activated carbon 56–562 5 Redlich– 200 6 17.665 23% Bohli et al.
from olive stones Peterson ()
Olive stone waste 33–16,861 5.5–6 Langmuir and 60 13.33 – 49.2% Fiol et al.
Freundlich ()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 403 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 18 | Cadmium removal using apple pomace as an adsorbent

Metal
concentration Optimum Best model Contact Adsorbent Adsor bent Removal per
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH fit time (min) dose (g/L) capacity (mg/g) cent (%) References

Succinic anhydride 10–80 4 Langmuir 10–180 0.8 and 40 4.45, 91.74 70%, 90% Chand et al.
modified apple ()
pomace
Xanthate moiety into 10–120 4 Langmuir 5–60 0.2–8 112.35 99.7% Chand et al.
apple pomace ()

The sorption properties are due to the presence of functional concentration range of 20 to 1,000 ppm with a maximum
groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl and this material adsorption capacity of 285.7 mg/g and 98% removal at pH 7.
demonstrates a high affinity for metal ions (Tan et al. Similarly, Sousa et al. () used green coconut shell for
). Coconut coir pith and coconut shell are waste by-pro- cadmium removal, along with other heavy metals, and the
ducts that can be used for cadmium removal. Coir pith is a maximum adsorption capacity found for the single com-
light fluffy biomaterial generated during the separation of ponent system (presence of cadmium only) was reported
the coconut fibre from the husk (Namasivayam & Sureshku- to be 37.78 mg/g and for the multicomponent system (pres-
mar ). Raw coir pith consists of 35% cellulose, 1.8% ence of lead, nickel, zinc and copper along with cadmium),
fats, 25.2% lignin and resin, 7.5% pentosans, 8.7% ash, 11.96 mg/g at pH 5. Table 19 presents cadmium removal
11.9% moisture and 10.6% other substances (Dan ). data for modified coconut waste as an adsorbent.
Kadirvelu & Namasivayam () prepared activated
carbon using coconut coir pith and reported a maximum Commercially available adsorbents for copper removal
adsorption capacity of 93.4 mg/g at a pH of 5. For cadmium from wastewater
removal, along with some other heavy metals, Jin et al. ()
converted coconut into activated carbon and then grafted it Magnetic adsorbents
with tetraoxalyl ethylenediamine melamine chelate using a
pressure relief dipping ultrasonic method. The maximum Various magnetic adsorbents have been used or show
adsorption capacity reported was 26.41 mg/g at an optimum potential for the effective removal of copper from waste-
pH of 5.5. Pino et al. () used green coconut shell water, including ‘magnetic’ adsorbent micro- and nano-
powder and reported removal of cadmium over a large sized particles (Yin et al. ). These latter adsorbents

Table 19 | Cadmium removal using modified coconut waste as an adsorbent

Metal Adsorbent
concentration Optimum Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent (%) References

Activated 5–40 5 Langmuir, 120 0.3921 93.4 98% Kadirvelu &

carbon from Freundlich Namasivayam
coconut shell ()
Activated 1,124 5.5 Langmuir 240 2 26.41 93.4% Jin et al. ()
carbon from
coconut shell
Green coconut 20–1,000 7 Langmuir 120 5 285.7 98% Pino et al. ()
shell
Green coconut 100 5 – 1.33– 1.620 37.38, 11.96 – Sousa et al. ()
shell 9.98

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 404 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

show high adsorption capacity and can be harvested from using an iron salt co-precipitation method followed by
aqueous solution in the presence of a suitable magnetic direct encapsulation with a coating of pectin and in the
field. In addition, such material is potentially reusable absence of calcium cross linking. The experimental data
(Mehta et al. ). A problem with the use of unmodified are reported to fit both Langmuir and Freundlich models
magnetic particles is the formation of aggregates due to and a maximum adsorption capacity of 48.99 mg/g was
magnetic dipolar attraction between the particles. To pre- reported. The adsorbent can be further regenerated using
vent this, a layer of various polymer compounds or the EDTA and a removal of 93.70% was obtained after the
inorganic oxide may be coated on the surface of the par- first regeneration cycle and a removal of 58.66% remained
ticles (Yin et al. ). Ren et al. () prepared a novel even after a fifth cycle. Hu et al. () used sulfonated gra-
adsorbent by using waste fungal mycelium obtained from phene oxide for removal of copper from wastewater. The
industry (industries dealing with fungal products such as introduction of the sulfo functional group to graphene
antibiotics, citric acid and enzymes), chitosan and iron oxide is reported to increase the copper adsorption with
oxide nanoparticles utilising metal imprinting technology. an adsorption capacity of 62.73 mg/g at pH 4.68 and the
Fungal mycelium has been used because of its low cost, experimental data fit the Langmuir isotherm.
abundance and high efficiency. However, its direct use is
difficult because of its limited reusability, relative low Alumina
adsorption and low mechanic intensity (mechanical
strength). Chitosan is considered useful since it is a poly- Alumina may be used for copper removal from wastewater
saccharide and contains -NH2 and -OH functional and several authors have utilised alumina for this purpose
groups, which have an affinity for copper removal, and either in nanoparticulate form or via loading with cation
iron oxide is used because it is magnetic. In metal ion exchangers (Mahmoud et al. ; Fouladgar et al. ).
imprinting technology, selective binding sites are made For example, Fouladgar et al. () used Ɣ-alumina nano-
on synthetic polymer using metal ion templates, and after particles for removal of copper along with nickel.
removal of these templates, polymer become more selec- Nanoparticles are useful because of their high adsorption
tive for heavy metal removal from wastewater. Thus, capacity due to the high number of metal coordination
binding of chitosan and industrial waste fungal mycelium sites. These researchers have a best fit for the Freundlich
on iron oxide nanoparticles produces a novel adsorbent isotherm and a maximum adsorption capacity of 31.3 mg/g
known as magnetic Cu(II) ion imprinted composite adsor- for copper removal from wastewater. Ghaemi () used
bent (Cu(II)-MICA). Ren et al. () reported that the a phase inversion method to prepare a mixed matrix mem-
Langmuir isotherm fits the experimental data well and a brane using PES (polyethersulfone) and varying amounts
maximum adsorption capacity of 71.36 mg/g was reported. (1 wt%) of alumina nanoparticles. Such mixed matrix
It was also shown that this adsorbent can be reused up to membranes have shown higher water permeation com-
five times with a regeneration loss of 14–15%. Lan et al. pared to a pristine PES membrane that is facilitated by
() used hyaluronic acid supported magnetic micro- the addition of small amounts of nanoparticles. This results
spheres for copper removal, and their adsorption capacity in an increase in porosity and hydrophilicity. The mixed
is reported to increase from 6 mg/g to 12.2 mg/g as the matrix membrane has shown the highest removal of
pH is increased from 2 to 6.8, and slowly decreases to copper from wastewater of 60% compared to the PES
11.6 mg/g up to pH 8. The corresponding adsorption equi- membrane (around 25%). Mahmoud et al. () removed
librium study showed that the copper adsorption of the copper from wastewater using three new alumina adsor-
hyaluronic acid-supported magnetic microspheres had the bents of acidic, neutral and basic nature and their surface
best fit to the Freundlich isotherm model. Gong et al. was modified by loading with 1-nitroso-2-napthol as a
() used a pectin-coated iron oxide magnetic nanocom- cation exchanger. After modification, alumina adsorbent
posite as an adsorbent for removal of copper from become stronger towards acid leaching and thermal
wastewater. This nanocomposite adsorbent was synthesised decomposition. The adsorption capacities obtained were

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 405 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

27.96 mg/g, 28.58 mg/g and 28.59 mg/g for the acidic, neu- copper removal using chitosan immobilised on bentonite
tral and basic adsorbents, respectively. Conventional clay (Futalan et al. ). Furthermore, the bed was regener-
porous solids such as fly ash, clay and silica materials ated using NaCl/HCl solution at pH 5 that gave 50% elution
have the disadvantage of having non-uniform pores and efficiency. It increases removal capacity because the bed
low adsorption capacity. Thus, Rengaraj et al. () pre- becomes free from heavy metals after contact with the
pared aminated and protonated mesoporous alumina for eluent. Vengris et al. () modified clay using hydrochloric
copper removal from wastewater. Mesoporous alumina acid followed by neutralisation of resultant solution with
have several advantages over conventional porous solids sodium hydroxide for copper removal from wastewater.
such as a large surface area, uniform pore size distribution Initially, the chemical composition (wt%) of clay was: iron
with a sponge-like interlinked pore system, high stability oxide 6.9, silicon oxide 44.2, aluminium oxide 15.3, calcium
and high metal uptake capacity (Lee et al. ). Ion oxide 13.8 and magnesium oxide 4. After treatment with
exchange takes place between copper and the hydrogen hydrochloric acid, aluminium, iron and magnesium com-
ions that are present on the surface of mesoporous pounds of clay had increased because acid treatment
alumina, and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained causes dissolution of iron, calcium, magnesium and alu-
for aminated mesoporous alumina is 7.9239 mg/g com- minium oxides and during the neutralisation process many
pared to 14.5349 mg/g for protonated mesoporous silica. dissolved metals (except calcium) reprecipitate in the form
of hydroxides and their amount in the modified adsorbent
Clay increases. This leads to an increase in metal uptake capacity
of modified clay compared to unmodified clay. This acidic
Clay may be used for removal of copper from wastewater treatment led to the decomposition of the montmorillonite
and has a number of advantages over other adsorbents, structure. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained for
such as high surface area, excellent physical (plasticity, single component solutions was 0.75 mg/g, for ternary com-
bonding strength, shrinkage)/chemical properties (large ponent solutions 0.80 mg/g and the experimental data fitted
zeta potential, cation exchange property, shows monobasi- the Langmuir isotherm. Similarly, Oubagaranadin et al.
city) and structural/surface properties (load bearing () modified montmorillonite-illite clay using sulphuric
strength, resistance to wear, resistance to chemical attack) acid for copper removal from wastewater. The Brunauer–
(Singh et al. ; Krikorian & Martin ; Aşçı et al. Emmett–Teller (BET) model fitted well with the experimen-
). Thus, researchers have studied different types of tal data and the shape of the isotherm indicated that copper
clay, either in raw form or after its modification, for adsorption was multilayer.
copper sequestration. For example, Bertagnolli et al. ()
W
employed bentonite clay after calcination at 400–500 C. Bio-adsorbents for copper removal from wastewater
Bentonite has several advantageous properties as an adsor-
bent including low cost, good ion exchange capacity, Fungal biomass
selectivity and regenerability. After calcination, the chemical
morphology and composition of clay does not change Fungal biomass has been explored by several researchers for
although the resulting structural changes alter its behaviour its potential to remove copper from wastewater. The use of
towards water and enables it to use infixed bed columns fungal biomass for such purposes has been hindered due to
with no expansion. This material showed a maximum problems such as small particle size, poor mechanical
adsorption capacity of 11.89 mg/g. de Almeida Neto et al. strength, low density and rigidity (Akar et al. ; McHale
() reported copper removal in a fixed bed using Bofe & McHale ; Volesky & Holan ). However, the use
bentonite calcinated clay, and a maximum adsorption of a suitable matrix can potentially overcome these problems.
capacity of 19.0638 mg/g was reported. The equilibrium Thus, Iqbal & Edyvean () used a low cost, physically
time was increased from 120 to 400 minutes which is strong and highly porous matrix, namely ‘loofah sponge’ for
much less compared to equilibrium time obtained by the immobilised biomass of Phanerochaete chrysosporium,

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 406 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

and a maximum adsorption capacity of 50.9 mg/g at pH 6 Yeast

with 98% removal reported. Formaldehyde inactivated Cla-
dosporium cladosporioides, Gliomastix murorum and Yeast has been successfully used as an adsorbent for the
Bjerkandera fungi, at optimum conditions, can also be used sequestration of copper. Yeast is a fungus and has a larger
for copper removal. These fungi are highly porous, their size than bacteria and, like other eukaryotic organisms,
mesh structure provides ready access and a large surface has a nucleus and associated cytoplasmic organelles. The
area for the biosorption of copper. Thus, Li et al. () cytoplasm present in living cells is important for the living
obtained maximum adsorption capacities of 7.74 mg/g, cells because it interacts with metal ions and after entering
9.01 mg/g and 12.08 mg/g, and removals of 93.79%, 85.09% into the cells, the heavy metal ions are separated into com-
and 81.96%, for C. cladosporioides, G. murorum and Bjer- partments for removal (Wang & Chen ). Waste beer
kandera fungi, respectively. The biosorption data of all yeast is a by-product of the brewing industry that is a
fungal species fitted well with the Langmuir model. Ertugay cheap and promising adsorbent for copper removal from
& Bayhan () used Agaricus bisporus fungi and 73.3% wastewater (Han et al. ). These researchers reported a
removal was obtained at pH 5 with a preferred fit to the maximum uptake of copper of 1.45 mg/g with a preferred
Freundlich model compared to other adsorption models. fit to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms; bisorption
Table 20 summarises the parameters for the sequestration was reached in equilibrium in 30 minutes. The sorption
of copper using fungal biomass. capacity of beer yeast was found to be a function of the

Table 20 | Copper removal using fungal biomass as an adsorbent

Intial metal Contact Adsorption

concentration time Adsorbent capacity Removal per
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) cent (%) References

Aspergillus niger 10–100 6 Langmuir – – 23.6 – Mukhopadhyay

and ()
Freundlich
Mucor rouxii 10–1,000 5–6 Langmuir, 4,320 0.25 52.6 96.3%, Majumdar et al.
adsorption 94.8%, ()
95.7%,
96.2%
Fungal cells (dead) and 20–100 5–9 – 4,320 0.2 – 95.27% Hemambika et al.
(living) ()
Aspergillus niger 25–100 5 – 10, 200 15 15.6 – Dursun et al.
()
Rhizopus oryazae 20–200 4–6 Langmuir 200 1 19.4 – Bhainsa &
filamentous fungus D’Souza ()
Pleurotus pulmonarius 5–200 4 Langmuir 12 3 6.20, 1.52 – Veit et al. ()
CCB019 and
Schizophyllum
commune
Chlorella sp. and 5 7 – 12 25 33.4 – Maznah et al.
Chlamydomonas sp. ()
Trametes versicolor 37–80 5.51 Plackett– 80 1 60.98 – Şahan et al.
Burman ()
Aspergillus niger 10–100 6 Langmuir, 30 2–5 23.62 30% Mukhopadhyay
Freundlich et al. ()
Penicillium citrinum 10–90 5 Langmuir, 30 1.5 – 76.2% Verma et al.
Freundlich ()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 407 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

initial metal ion concentration, the adsorbent dose, pH, con- Industrial algal waste has also been used for copper removal
tact time and the amount of salts added and the process best with a maximum adsorption of 16.7 mg/g at pH 5.3 (Vilar
fits the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models (Han et al. ). Under hydrated and dehydrated conditions,
et al. ). Table 21 summarises the parameters for the micro algae Spirulina platensis has also been reported to
sequestration of copper using yeast. remove up to 90% of copper from aqueous solution (Solisio
et al. ). The dried biomass of Spirogyra neglecta has a
Algal biomass reported maximum adsorption capacity for copper of
115.5 mg/g at pH 4.5–5 (Singh et al. ). Table 22 sum-
Algae may be used for the removal of copper because of marises the removal parameters for the sequestering of
their high capacity, low cost, renewability and ready abun- copper using algal biomass as an adsorbent.
dance (Chen ). There are different types of marine
algae, such as red algae, green algae and brown algae, that Microbial (bacteria)
are used for copper removal from wastewater, and the
main difference in these algae is in their respective cell Bacteria and cyanobacteria remove heavy metal because
walls where biosorption occurs (Romera et al. ). The the cell wall has the ability to capture the heavy metals
cell walls of brown algae contain cellulose (as a structural due to negatively charged groups within its fabric (Uslu
support), alginic acid and polymers of mannuronic and & Tanyol ). There are several processes to remove
guluronic acids complexed with metals such as sodium, heavy metals, such as transport across the cell membrane,
magnesium, potassium, calcium and other polysaccharides biosorption to cell walls, entrapment in extra cellular cap-
(Romera et al. ). Green algae mainly have cellulose in sules, precipitation, complexation and oxidation/reduction
the cell wall with a high content of bonded proteins. There- (Rai et al. ; Brady et al. ; Veglio et al. ). Bac-
fore, this material contains various functional groups such teria are the most abundant and versatile of
as carboxyl, amino, sulfate and hydroxyl. Red algae contain microorganisms (Mann ) and bacteria species such as
cellulose in the cell wall, but their biosorption capacity is Bacillus sp., Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas cepacia,
attributed mainly to the presence of sulfated polysaccharides Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces coelicolor have been
called galactans (Romera et al. ). Brown algae, Turbi- used for copper removal from wastewater (Nakajima
naria ornate, and green algae, Ulothrix zonata, have shown ; Öztürk et al. ; Hassan et al. ). Veneu et al.
a maximum copper removal of 176.20 mg/g and () used Streptomyces lumalinharesii for copper removal
147.06 mg/g from wastewater at pH 6 and pH 4.5, respect- from wastewater and a removal of 81% was reported at an
ively (Nuhoglu et al. ; Vijayaraghavan & Prabu ). optimum pH of 5 with best fit to the Freundlich model.

Table 21 | Copper removal using yeast biomass as an adsorbent

Initial metal Adsorption

concentration Contact Adsorbent capacity Removal
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit time (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) per cent References

Caustic-treated 16–18 5 Freundlich, 2,160 2.0 9.01 – Lu &

Succharomyces Langmuir Wilkins
cerevisiae yeast ()
biomass
Saccharomyces 25–200 3–4 Freundlich, – 15 2.59 43.08% Cojocaru
cerevisiae biomass Langmuir, et al.
Redlich– ()
Peterson
Baker’s yeast 100 2.7–6 Langmuir 250 1 65 – Yu et al.
()

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 408 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 22 | Copper removal using algal biomass as an adsorbent

Intial metal Contact Adsorption Removal

concentration time Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Sargassum sp., 64 5 Langmuir 60 1 62.91, 90% Sheng et al. ()

Padina sp., Ulva 72.44
sp. and Gracillaria
sp.
Padina sp. 127 5 Langmuir 30 2 50.87 90% Kaewsarn ()
Sargassum 25 4–5 Equilibrium – 1.2 2.3 meq/g – Kratochvil &
Volesky ()
Macroalga, 15–190 4.5 Modified 240 5 71 75% Herrero et al. ()
Sargassum competitive
muticum Langmuir
sorption
Gelidium 317 5.3 Freundlich 60 1–20 31.137 97% Vilar et al. ()
Cystoseira 25, 40, 50 4.5 Langmuir, 720 2.5 160 100% Christoforidis et al.
crinitophylla Freundlich ()
biomass
Sargassum, 1–100 4.5 Langmuir, 60, 90, 0.1 71.4, 19.3, 87.3% Jacinto et al. ()
Chlorococcum Freundlich 300 11.4
and GAC
Codium vermilara 10–150 5 Langmuir 120 0.5 16.521 – Romera et al. ()
Spirogyra insignis 10–150 4 Langmuir 120 5 19.063 – Romera et al. ()
Spirulina platensis 100–400 – Langmuir, – 1–4 92.6–96.8 91% Solisio et al. ()
Freundlich
Dried micro-algal/ 10–1,000 4 Langmuir 120 0.4 18–31 80–100% Loutseti et al.
bacterial biomass ()

Öztürk et al. () used S. coelicolor for copper removal structure with nitrogen and oxygen as ligand atoms and
and reported 21.8% removal at an optimum pH of 5 with most copper in bacterial cells is combined with amino
a good fit to the Langmuir model. Uslu & Tanyol () acid residues present in cell surface protein. Table 23 sum-
used P. putida for copper removal as a single component marises the removal parameters for the sequestering of
(in the presence of copper only) or as binary component copper using bacteria as an adsorbent.
(in the presence of copper along with other heavy metal,
i.e., lead here) and reported an endothermic and spon-
taneous process with 50% copper removal from FACTORS AFFECTING ADOPTION OF HEAVY
wastewater. Lu et al. () used Enterobacter sp. J1 for METALS
copper removal and an adsorption capacity of 32.5 mg/g
and a removal of 90% of copper removal was reported at There are many factors which affect heavy metal removal
pH >2. Even after four repeated adsorption and desorption efficiency of adsorbents from wastewater. These factors are
cycles, the Enterobacter sp. J1 biomass achieved 79% initial concentration, temperature, adsorbent dose, pH, con-
removal. Nakajima () studied removal of copper tact time and stirring speed. Heavy metal removal per cent
using Arthrobacter nicotianae bacteria from wastewater increases with increase in initial concentration, tempera-
by electron spin resonance method, and found that ture, adsorbent dose, contact time and stirring speed (Sahu
copper ions present in bacterial cells are of octahedral et al. ).

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 409 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Table 23 | Copper removal using bacteria as an adsorbent

Initial metal Contact Adsorption Removal

concentration time Adsorbent capacity per cent
Adsorbent (mg/L) pH Best model fit (min) dose (g/L) (mg/g) (%) References

Paenibacillus polymyxa 25–500 6 Langmuir 120 – 112, 1,602 – Acosta et al. ()
Escherichia coli 32–64 – – – – 8.846, – Ravikumar et al.
10.364 ()
Pseudomonas stutzeri 30–100 5 Langmuir, 30 1 36.2 – Hassan et al. ()
Freundlich
Pseudomonas putida 0.1 5 Langmuir 10 1 6.6 80% Pardo et al. ()
Sphaerotilus natans 100 6 Langmuir 150 3 60 – Beolchini et al.
()
Sphaerotilus natans – – Langmuir 30 1 44.48 – Pagnanelli et al.
(Gram-negative ()
bacteria)
Bacillus sp. (bacterial 100 5 Langmuir 30 2 16.25. 1.64 – Tunali et al. ()
strain isolated from
soil)
Lactobacillus sp. (DSM 0.398–39.8 3–6 Langmuir 5–1,440 0.3–10 0.046 – Schut et al. ()
20057)

FUTURE PERSPECTIVE AND CHALLENGES IN copper from wastewater. A wide range of adsorbents has
REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS been studied for removal of heavy metals from wastewater.
A few adsorbents that stand out for their maximum adsorp-
In this review paper, the bioadsorbents used for removal of tion capacities are: graphene sand composite (2,859.38 mg/g),
chromium, cadmium and copper are low cost adsorbents composite of carbon nanotubes and activated alumina
and are beneficial replacements for commercially available (264.5 mg/g), PEI functionalised eggshell (160 mg/g) for
adsorbents. In some studies, removal efficiency of adsor- chromium, chitosan/TiO2 composite (256.41 mg/g), chito-
bents for heavy metal removal from wastewater has been san-coated ceramic alumina (108.7 mg/g), α-ketoglutaric
reported to increase after modification. However, less acid-modified magnetic chitosan (201.2 mg/g), electrospun
work has been carried out in this direction. Hence, our nanofibre membrane of PEO/chitosan (248.1 mg/g), NaX
future perspectives are to increase removal efficiency of nanozeolite (838.7 mg/g), green coconut shell powder
bioadsorbents after modification (at minimum requirements (285.7 mg/g), succinic anhydride modified olive stones
of acid, bases and heat), regeneration of adsorbents, recov- (200 mg/g) for cadmium, green coconut shell powder
ery of metal ions and application of bioadsorbents at (285.7 mg/g), Paenibacillus polymyxa bacteria (1,602 mg/g)
commercial level. The challenge in heavy metal removal for copper. Further, optimum values of parameters such as
from wastewater is that it may require large amounts of pH, contact time and adsorbent dose were also compared
bioadsorbents and extra chemicals to maintain a pH that for chromium, cadmium and copper removal from waste-
provides suitable conditions for adsorption. water. It was found that the optimum value of pH is in the
range of 1–2 for chromium, 4–7 for cadmium and 4.5–6
for copper. Similarly, the optimum value of contact
CONCLUSIONS time for maximum removal is in the range of 120–9,900 min-
utes for chromium, 5–120 minutes for cadmium and 120
This review shows the potential of commercial and agricul- minutes–12 hours for copper. However, the optimum
tural adsorbents for the removal of chromium, cadmium and value of adsorbent dose is in the range of 0.75–10 g/L for

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 410 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

chromium, 0.01–4.5 g/L for cadmium and 0.25–1 g/L for haemolyticus. International Biodeterioration &
copper. Overall, the adsorption data have been found to fit Biodegradation 85, 571–576.
Ai, Z., Cheng, Y., Zhang, L. & Qiu, J.  Efficient removal of Cr
the Langmuir and Freundlich models, which indicates (VI) from aqueous solution with Fe@ Fe2O3 core
shell
single and multilayer adsorption behaviour. Further, the nanowires. Environmental Science & Technology 42 (18),
cost of both commercial adsorbents and bioadsorbents 6955–6960.
Ajmal, M., Rao, R. A. K., Anwar, S., Ahmad, J. & Ahmad, R. 
was compared. The cost of commercial activated carbon is
Adsorption studies on rice husk: removal and recovery of Cd(II)
Rs. 500/kg; however, the cost of bioadsorbents is in the from wastewater. Bioresource Technology 86 (2), 147–149.
range of Rs. 4.4–36.89/kg, which is much less compared to Akar, S. T., Akar, T., Kaynak, Z., Anilan, B., Cabuk, A., Tabak, Ö.,
the commercial adsorbents (Gupta & Babu ). Bioadsor- Demir, T. A. & Gedikbey, T.  Removal of copper(II) ions
from synthetic solution and real wastewater by the combined
bents have the benefits of being cheap, easily available, no
action of dried Trametes versicolor cells and montmorillonite.
sludge generation, can be regenerated, possess technical Hydrometallurgy 97 (1), 98–104.
feasibility, engineering applicability and affinity for heavy Akhtar, M., Iqbal, S., Kausar, A., Bhanger, M. I. & Shaheen, M. A.
metal removal.  An economically viable method for the removal of
selected divalent metal ions from aqueous solutions using
activated rice husk. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 75
(1), 149–155.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Al-Anber, Z. A. & Matouq, M. A. D.  Batch adsorption of
cadmium ions from aqueous solution by means of olive cake.
Journal of Hazardous Materials 151 (1), 194–201.
The authors wish to thank the Department of Chemical Aliabadi, M., Irani, M., Ismaeili, J., Piri, H. & Parnian, M. J. 
Engineering and Materials Research Centre, MNIT Jaipur Electrospun nanofiber membrane of PEO/Chitosan for the
for the financial support to carry out my PhD research adsorption of nickel, cadmium, lead and copper ions from
aqueous solution. Chemical Engineering Journal 220, 237–243.
work. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of
Al-Khaldi, F. A., Abusharkh, B., Khaled, M., Atieh, M. A., Nasser,
interest regarding the publication of this paper. M. S., Saleh, T. A., Agarwal, S., Tyagi, I. & Gupta, V. K. 
Adsorptive removal of cadmium(II) ions from liquid phase
using acid modified carbon-based adsorbents. Journal of
Molecular Liquids 204, 255–263.
REFERENCES
Alothman, Z. A. & Apblett, A. W.  Metal ion adsorption using
polyamine-functionalized mesoporous materials prepared
Acharya, J., Sahu, J. N., Sahoo, B. K., Mohanty, C. R. & Meikap, B. C. from bromopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica. Journal
 Removal of chromium (VI) from wastewater by activated of Hazardous Materials 182 (1), 581–590.
carbon developed from Tamarind wood activated with zinc Al-Othman, Z. A., Ali, R. & Naushad, M.  Hexavalent
chloride. Chemical Engineering Journal 150 (1), 25–39. chromium removal from aqueous medium by activated
Acosta, M. P., Valdman, E., Leite, S. G. F., Battaglini, F. & Ruzal, carbon prepared from peanut shell: adsorption kinetics,
S. M.  Biosorption of copper by Paenibacillus polymyxa equilibrium and thermodynamic studies. Chemical
cells and their exopolysaccharide. World Journal of Engineering Journal 184, 238–247.
Microbiology and Biotechnology 21 (6–7), 1157–1163. Alslaibi, T. M., Abustan, I., Ahmad, M. A. & Foul, A. A. 
Adam, F., Kandasamy, K. & Balakrishnan, S.  Iron Cadmium removal from aqueous solution using microwaved
incorporated heterogeneous catalyst from rice husk ash. olive stone activated carbon. Journal of Environmental
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 304 (1), 137–143. Chemical Engineering 1 (3), 589–599.
Agrafioti, E., Kalderis, D. & Diamadopoulos, E.  Ca and Fe Anirudhan, T. S. & Sreekumari, S. S.  Adsorptive removal of
modified biochars as adsorbents of arsenic and chromium in heavy metal ions from industrial effluents using activated
aqueous solutions. Journal of Environmental Management carbon derived from waste coconut buttons. Journal of
146, 444–450. Environmental Sciences 23 (12), 1989–1998.
Aguado, J., Arsuaga, J. M., Arencibia, A., Lindo, M. & Gascón, V. Ansari, M., Aroujalian, A., Raisi, A., Dabir, B. & Fathizadeh, M.
 Aqueous heavy metals removal by adsorption on amine-  Preparation and characterization of nano-NaX zeolite
functionalized mesoporous silica. Journal of Hazardous by microwave assisted hydrothermal method. Advanced
Materials 163 (1), 213–221. Powder Technology 25 (2), 722–727.
Ahmad, W. A., Ahmad, W. H. W., Karim, N. A., Raj, A. S. & Argun, M. E., Dursun, S., Ozdemir, C. & Karatas, M.  Heavy
Zakaria, Z. A.  Cr (VI) reduction in naturally rich growth metal adsorption by modified oak sawdust: thermodynamics
medium and sugarcane bagasse by Acinetobacter and kinetics. Journal of Hazardous Materials 141 (1), 77–85.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 411 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Arulkumar, M., Thirumalai, K., Sathishkumar, P. & Palvannan, T. adsorbents for copper removal from industrial wastewater –
 Rapid removal of chromium from aqueous solution A review. Journal of Hazardous Materials 263, 322–333.
using novel prawn shell activated carbon. Chemical Bingol, A., Ucun, H., Bayhan, Y. K., Karagunduz, A., Cakici, A. &
Engineering Journal 185, 178–186. Keskinler, B.  Removal of chromate anions from
Aşçı, Y., Nurbaş, M. & Açıkel, Y. S.  Sorption of Cd(II) onto aqueous stream by a cationic surfactant-modified yeast.
kaolin as a soil component and desorption of Cd(II) from Bioresource Technology 94 (3), 245–249.
kaolin using rhamnolipid biosurfactant. Journal of Bishnoi, N. R., Bajaj, M., Sharma, N. & Gupta, A.  Adsorption
Hazardous Materials 139 (1), 50–56. of Cr (VI) on activated rice husk carbon and activated
Atieh, M. A.  Removal of chromium (VI) from polluted water alumina. Bioresource Technology 91 (3), 305–307.
using carbon nanotubes supported with activated carbon. Blázquez, G., Hernáinz, F., Calero, M. & Ruiz-Nunez, L. F. 
Procedia Environmental Sciences 4, 281–293. Removal of cadmium ions with olive stones: the effect of
Atieh, M. A., Bakather, O. Y., Tawabini, B. S., Bukhari, A. A., some parameters. Process Biochemistry 40 (8), 2649–2654.
Khaled, M., Alharthi, M., Fettouhi, M. & Abuilaiwi, F. A.  Bohli, T., Ouederni, A., Fiol, N. & Villaescusa, I.  Evaluation
Removal of chromium (III) from water by using modified and of an activated carbon from olive stones used as an adsorbent
nonmodified carbon nanotubes. Journal of Nanomaterials for heavy metal removal from aqueous phases. Comptes
2010, 17. Rendus Chimie 18 (1), 88–99.
Aziz, A., Elandaloussi, E. H., Belhalfaoui, B., Ouali, M. S. & De Boonamnuayvitaya, V., Chaiya, C., Tanthapanichakoon, W. &
Ménorval, L. C. a Efficiency of succinylated-olive stone Jarudilokkul, S.  Removal of heavy metals by adsorbent
biosorbent on the removal of cadmium ions from aqueous prepared from pyrolyzed coffee residues and clay. Separation
solutions. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 73 (2), 192–198. and Purification Technology 35 (1), 11–22.
Aziz, A., Ouali, M. S., Elandaloussi, E. H., De Menorval, L. C. & Borba, C. E., Guirardello, R., Silva, E. A., Veit, M. T. & Tavares,
Lindheimer, M. b Chemically modified olive stone: a C. R. G.  Removal of nickel (II) ions from aqueous
low-cost sorbent for heavy metals and basic dyes removal solution by biosorption in a fixed bed column: experimental
from aqueous solutions. Journal of Hazardous Materials 163 and theoretical breakthrough curves. Biochemical
(1), 441–447. Engineering Journal 30 (2), 184–191.
Azouaou, N., Sadaoui, Z., Djaafri, A. & Mokaddem, H.  Borsagli, F. G. M., Mansur, A. A., Chagas, P., Oliveira, L. C. &
Adsorption of cadmium from aqueous solution onto Mansur, H. S.  O-carboxymethyl functionalization of
untreated coffee grounds: equilibrium, kinetics and chitosan: complexation and adsorption of Cd (II) and Cr (VI)
thermodynamics. Journal of Hazardous Materials 184 (1), as heavy metal pollutant ions. Reactive and Functional
126–134. Polymers 97, 37–47.
Babel, S. & Kurniawan, T. A.  Cr (VI) removal from synthetic Brady, D., Stoll, A. D., Starke, L. & Duncan, J. R.  Chemical
wastewater using coconut shell charcoal and commercial and enzymatic extraction of heavy metal binding polymers
activated carbon modified with oxidizing agents and/or from isolated cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
chitosan. Chemosphere 54 (7), 951–967. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 44 (3), 297–302.
Bansal, R. P., Donnet, J. P. & Stoeckli, F.  Active Carbon. Burke, A. M., Hanrahan, J. P., Healy, D. A., Sodeau, J. R., Holmes,
Marcel Dekker Inc., New York, USA. J. D. & Morris, M. A.  Large pore bi-functionalised
Barnhart, J.  Occurrences, uses, and properties of chromium. mesoporous silica for metal ion pollution treatment. Journal
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 26 (1), S3–S7. of Hazardous Materials 164 (1), 229–234.
Beolchini, F., Pagnanelli, F., Toro, L. & Veglio, F.  Ionic Chadha, K. L.  Coconut research in India – a review. Indian
strength effect on copper biosorption by Sphaerotilus natans: Coconut Journal 36 (4), 13–19.
equilibrium study and dynamic modelling in membrane Chand, P., Shil, A. K., Sharma, M. & Pakade, Y. B.  Improved
reactor. Water Research 40 (1), 144–152. adsorption of cadmium ions from aqueous solution using
Bertagnolli, C., Kleinübing, S. J. & Da Silva, M. G. C.  chemically modified apple pomace: mechanism, kinetics,
Preparation and characterization of a Brazilian bentonite and thermodynamics. International Biodeterioration &
clay for removal of copper in porous beds. Applied Clay Biodegradation 90, 8–16.
Science 53 (1), 73–79. Chand, P., Bafana, A. & Pakade, Y. B.  Xanthate modified
Bhainsa, K. C. & D’Souza, S. F.  Removal of copper ions by apple pomace as an adsorbent for removal of Cd (II), Ni (II)
the filamentous fungus, Rhizopus oryzae from aqueous and Pb (II), and its application to real industrial wastewater.
solution. Bioresource Technology 99 (9), 3829–3835. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 97, 60–66.
Bhattacharyya, S., Lelong, G. & Saboungi, M. L.  Recent Chen, J. P.  Decontamination of Heavy Metals: Processes,
progress in the synthesis and selected applications of MCM- Mechanisms, and Applications. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL,
41: a short review. Journal of Experimental Nanoscience 1 USA.
(3), 375–395. Chen, G. C., Shan, X. Q., Zhou, Y. Q., Shen, X. E., Huang, H. L. &
Bilal, M., Shah, J. A., Ashfaq, T., Gardazi, S. M. H., Tahir, A. A., Khan, S. U.  Adsorption kinetics, isotherms and
Pervez, A., Haroon, H. & Mahmood, Q.  Waste biomass thermodynamics of atrazine on surface oxidized multiwalled

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 412 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

carbon nanotubes. Journal of Hazardous Materials 169 (1), El Nemr, A., El-Sikaily, A., Khaled, A. & Abdelwahab, O. 
912–918. Removal of toxic chromium from aqueous solution,
Chen, A., Zeng, G., Chen, G., Hu, X., Yan, M., Guan, S., Chang, wastewater and saline water by marine red alga Pterocladia
C., Lu, L., Zou, Z. & Xie, G.  Novel thiourea-modified capillacea and its activated carbon. Arabian Journal of
magnetic ion-imprinted chitosan/TiO2 composite for Chemistry 8 (1), 105–117.
simultaneous removal of cadmium and 2, 4-dichlorophenol. El-Shafey, E. I.  Sorption of Cd (II) and Se (IV) from aqueous
Chemical Engineering Journal 191, 85–94. solution using modified rice husk. Journal of Hazardous
Choi, H. J., Yu, S. W. & Kim, K. H.  Efficient use of Mg- Materials 147 (1), 546–555.
modified zeolite in the treatment of aqueous solution El-Sikaily, A., El Nemr, A., Khaled, A. & Abdelwehab, O. 
contaminated with heavy metal toxic ions. Journal of the Removal of toxic chromium from wastewater using green
Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers 63, 482–489. alga Ulva lactuca and its activated carbon. Journal of
Christoforidis, A. K., Orfanidis, S., Papageorgiou, S. K., Lazaridou, Hazardous Materials 148 (1), 216–228.
A. N., Favvas, E. P. & Mitropoulos, A. C.  Study of Cu(II) Erdem, E., Karapinar, N. & Donat, R.  The removal of heavy
removal by Cystoseira crinitophylla biomass in batch and metal cations by natural zeolites. Journal of Colloid and
continuous flow biosorption. Chemical Engineering Journal Interface Science 280 (2), 309–314.
277, 334–340. Ertugay, N. & Bayhan, Y. K.  The removal of copper (II) ion
Chuah, T. G., Jumasiah, A., Azni, I., Katayon, S. & Choong, S. T.  by using mushroom biomass (Agaricus bisporus) and kinetic
Rice husk as a potentially low-cost biosorbent for heavy metal modelling. Desalination 255 (1), 137–142.
and dye removal: an overview. Desalination 175 (3), 305–316. Farajzadeh, M. A. & Monji, A. B.  Adsorption characteristics
Clement, R. E., Eiceman, G. A. & Koester, C. J.  Environmental of wheat bran towards heavy metal cations. Separation and
analysis. Analytical Chemistry 67 (12), 221R–255R. Purification Technology 38 (3), 197–207.
Cojocaru, C., Diaconu, M., Cretescu, I., Savić, J. & Vasić, V.  Feng, N., Guo, X., Liang, S., Zhu, Y. & Liu, J.  Biosorption of
Biosorption of copper (II) ions from aqua solutions using heavy metals from aqueous solutions by chemically modified
dried yeast biomass. Colloids and Surfaces A: orange peel. Journal of Hazardous Materials 185 (1), 49–54.
Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 335 (1), 181–188. Fiol, N., Villaescusa, I., Martínez, M., Miralles, N., Poch, J. &
Cronje, K. J., Chetty, K., Carsky, M., Sahu, J. N. & Meikap, B. C. Serarols, J.  Sorption of Pb (II), Ni (II), Cu (II) and Cd
 Optimization of chromium (VI) sorption potential using (II) from aqueous solution by olive stone waste. Separation
developed activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse with and Purification Technology 50 (1), 132–140.
chemical activation by zinc chloride. Desalination 275 (1), Foo, L. Y. & Lu, Y.  Isolation and identification of procyanidins
276–284. in apple pomace. Food Chemistry 64 (4), 511–518.
Dan, T. K.  Development of light weight building bricks using Fouladgar, M., Beheshti, M. & Sabzyan, H.  Single and binary
coconut pith. Research and Industry 37 (1), 11–17. adsorption of nickel and copper from aqueous solutions by
Daraei, H., Mittal, A., Noorisepehr, M. & Mittal, J.  Separation γ-alumina nanoparticles: equilibrium and kinetic modeling.
of chromium from water samples using eggshell powder as a Journal of Molecular Liquids 211, 1060–1073.
low-cost sorbent: kinetic and thermodynamic studies. Friberg, L., Elinder, C. G. & Kjellstrom, T.  Environmental
Desalination and Water Treatment 53 (1), 214–220. Health Criteria 134: Cadmium. World Health Organization,
de Almeida Neto, A. F., Vieira, M. G. A. & da Silva, M. G. C.  Geneva, Switzerland.
Adsorption and desorption processes for copper removal Fu, F. & Wang, Q.  Removal of heavy metal ions from
from water using different eluents and calcinated clay as wastewaters: a review. Journal of Environmental
adsorbent. Journal of Water Process Engineering 3, 90–97. Management 92 (3), 407–418.
Dubey, R., Bajpai, J. & Bajpai, A. K.  Green synthesis of Futalan, C. M., Kan, C. C., Dalida, M. L., Pascua, C. & Wan, M. W.
graphene sand composite (GSC) as novel adsorbent for  Fixed-bed column studies on the removal of copper using
efficient removal of Cr (VI) ions from aqueous solution. chitosan immobilized on bentonite. Carbohydrate Polymers
Journal of Water Process Engineering 5, 83–94. 83 (2), 697–704.
Duranoğlu, D., Trochimczuk, A. W. & Beker, Ü.  A comparison Gao, Z., Wang, L., Qi, T., Chu, J. & Zhang, Y.  Synthesis,
study of peach stone and acrylonitrile-divinylbenzene characterization, and cadmium (II) uptake of iminodiacetic
copolymer based activated carbons as chromium (VI) acid-modified mesoporous SBA-15. Colloids and Surfaces A:
sorbents. Chemical Engineering Journal 165 (1), 56–63. Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 304 (1), 77–81.
Dursun, A. Y., Uslu, G., Cuci, Y. & Aksu, Z.  Bioaccumulation Garg, V. K., Gupta, R., Kumar, R. & Gupta, R. K.  Adsorption
of copper(II), lead(II) and chromium(VI) by growing of chromium from aqueous solution on treated sawdust.
Aspergillus niger. Process Biochemistry 38 (12), 1647–1651. Bioresource Technology 92 (1), 79–81.
El-Kamash, A. M., Zaki, A. A. & El Geleel, M. A.  Modeling Garg, U. K., Kaur, M. P., Sud, D. & Garg, V. K.  Removal of
batch kinetics and thermodynamics of zinc and cadmium hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution by adsorption
ions removal from waste solutions using synthetic zeolite A. on treated sugarcane bagasse using response surface
Journal of Hazardous Materials 127 (1), 211–220. methodological approach. Desalination 249 (2), 475–479.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 413 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Ghaemi, N.  A new approach to copper ion removal from Han, R., Li, H., Li, Y., Zhang, J., Xiao, H. & Shi, J. 
water by polymeric nanocomposite membrane embedded Biosorption of copper and lead ions by waste beer yeast.
with γ-alumina nanoparticles. Applied Surface Science 364, Journal of Hazardous Materials 137 (3), 1569–1576.
221–228. Hassan, S. H., Kim, S. J., Jung, A. Y., Joo, J. H., Eun Oh, S. & Yang,
Gong, J. L., Wang, X. Y., Zeng, G. M., Chen, L., Deng, J. H., J. E.  Biosorptive capacity of Cd(II) and Cu(II) by
Zhang, X. R. & Niu, Q. Y.  Copper (II) removal by lyophilized cells of Pseudomonas stutzeri. Journal of General
pectin–iron oxide magnetic nanocomposite adsorbent. and Applied Microbiology 55 (1), 27–34.
Chemical Engineering Journal 185, 100–107. Heidari, A., Habibollah, Y. & Zahra, M.  Removal of Ni (II),
Gopalakrishnan, A., Krishnan, R., Thangavel, S., Venugopal, G. & Cd (II), and Pb (II) from a ternary aqueous solution by amino
Kim, S. J.  Removal of heavy metal ions from pharma- functionalized mesoporous and nano mesoporous silica.
effluents using graphene-oxide nanosorbents and study of Chemical Engineering Journal 153 (1), 70–79.
their adsorption kinetics. Journal of Industrial and Hemambika, B., Rani, M. J. & Kannan, V. R.  Biosorption of
Engineering Chemistry 30, 14–19. heavy metals by immobilized and dead fungal cells: a
Gueye, M., Richardson, Y., Kafack, F. T. & Blin, J.  High comparative assessment. Journal of Ecology and the Natural
efficiency activated carbons from African biomass residues Environment 3 (5), 168–175.
for the removal of chromium (VI) from wastewater. Journal Herrero, R., Lodeiro, P., García-Casal, L. J., Vilariño, T., Rey-
of Environmental Chemical Engineering 2 (1), 273–281. Castro, C., David, C. & Rodríguez, P.  Full description of
Guo, X., Du, B., Wei, Q., Yang, J., Hu, L., Yan, L. & Xu, W.  copper uptake by algal biomass combining an equilibrium
Synthesis of amino functionalized magnetic graphenes NICA model with a kinetic intraparticle diffusion driving
composite material and its application to remove Cr (VI), Pb force approach. Bioresource Technology 102 (3), 2990–2997.
(II), Hg (II), Cd (II) and Ni (II) from contaminated water. Hu, J., Chen, C., Zhu, X. & Wang, X.  Removal of chromium
Journal of Hazardous Materials 278, 211–220. from aqueous solution by using oxidized multiwalled carbon
Gupta, S. & Babu, B. V.  Economic feasibility analysis of low nanotubes. Journal of Hazardous Materials 162 (2), 1542–
cost adsorbents for the removal of Cr (VI) from waste water. 1550.
In: Proceedings of International Convention on Water Hu, X. J., Wang, J. S., Liu, Y. G., Li, X., Zeng, G. M., Bao, Z. L., Zeng,
Resources Development and Management (ICWRDM), BITS X. X., Chen, A. W. & Long, F.  Adsorption of chromium
Pilani. (VI) by ethylenediamine-modified cross-linked magnetic
Gupta, V. K. & Sharma, S.  Removal of cadmium and zinc chitosan resin: isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics.
from aqueous solutions using red mud. Environmental Journal of Hazardous Materials 185 (1), 306–314.
Science & Technology 36 (16), 3612–3617. Hu, X. J., Liu, Y. G., Wang, H., Chen, A. W., Zeng, G. M., Liu,
Gupta, V. K., Agarwal, S. & Saleh, T. A.  Chromium removal S. M., Guo, Y. M., Hu, X., Li, T. T., Wang, Y. Q., Zhou, L. &
by combining the magnetic properties of iron oxide with Liu, S. H.  Removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution
adsorption properties of carbon nanotubes. Water Research using sulfonated magnetic graphene oxide composite.
45 (6), 2207–2212. Separation and Purification Technology 108, 189–195.
Guru, P. S. & Dash, S.  Amino acid modified eggshell powder Hui, K. S., Chao, C. Y. H. & Kot, S. C.  Removal of mixed
(AA-ESP) — A novel bio-solid scaffold for adsorption of some heavy metal ions in wastewater by zeolite 4A and residual
Styrylpyridinium dyes. Journal of Dispersion Science and products from recycled coal Fly ash. Journal of Hazardous
Technology 34 (8), 1099–1112. Materials 127 (1), 89–101.
Hajiaghababaei, L., Badiei, A., Ganjali, M. R., Heydari, S., Hummers, W. S. & Offeman, R. E.  Preparation of graphitic
Khaniani, Y. & Ziarani, G. M.  Highly efficient removal oxide. Journal of the American Chemical Society 80, 1339–
and preconcentration of lead and cadmium cations from 1339.
water and wastewater samples using ethylenediamine Huo, H., Su, H. & Tan, T.  Adsorption of Agþ by a surface
functionalized SBA-15. Desalination 266 (1), 182–187. molecular-imprinted biosorbent. Chemical Engineering
Hamadi, N. K., Chen, X. D., Farid, M. M. & Lu, M. G.  Journal 150 (1), 139–144.
Adsorption kinetics for the removal of chromium (VI) from Hydari, S., Sharififard, H., Nabavinia, M. & Reza Parvizi, M. 
aqueous solution by adsorbents derived from used tyres and A comparative investigation on removal performances of
sawdust. Chemical Engineering Journal 84 (2), 95–105. commercial activated carbon, chitosan biosorbent and
Hamdaoui, O.  Removal of cadmium from aqueous medium chitosan/activated carbon composite for cadmium. Chemical
under ultrasound assistance using olive leaves as sorbent. Engineering Journal 193, 276–282.
Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification Ibrahim, H. S., Jamil, T. S. & Hegazy, E. Z.  Application of
48 (6), 1157–1166. zeolite prepared from Egyptian kaolin for the removal of
Hamidpour, M., Afyuni, M., Kalbasi, M., Khoshgoftarmanes, A. H. heavy metals: II. Isotherm models. Journal of Hazardous
& Inglezakis, V. J.  Mobility and plant-availability of Cd Materials 182 (1), 842–847.
(II) and Pb (II) adsorbed on zeolite and bentonite. Applied Igberase, E. & Osifo, P.  Equilibrium, kinetic, thermodynamic
Clay Science 48 (3), 342–348. and desorption studies of cadmium and lead by polyaniline

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 414 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

grafted cross-linked chitosan beads from aqueous solution. sawdust activated carbon. Journal of Hazardous Materials
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 26, 340–347. 124 (1), 192–199.
Iqbal, M. & Edyvean, R. G. J.  Biosorption of lead, copper and zinc Kaya, K., Pehlivan, E., Schmidt, C. & Bahadir, M.  Use of
ions on loofa sponge immobilized biomass of Phanerochaete modified wheat bran for the removal of chromium (VI) from
chrysosporium. Minerals Engineering 17 (2), 217–223. aqueous solutions. Food Chemistry 158, 112–117.
Izidoro, J. D. C., Fungaro, D. A., Abbott, J. E. & Wang, S.  Kobya, M.  Removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions by
Synthesis of zeolites X and A from fly ashes for cadmium and adsorption onto hazelnut shell activated carbon: kinetic and
zinc removal from aqueous solutions in single and binary ion equilibrium studies. Bioresource Technology 91 (3), 317–321.
systems. Fuel 103, 827–834. Kratochvil, D. & Volesky, B.  Biosorption of Cu from
Jacinto, M. L. J., David, C. P. C., Perez, T. R. & De Jesus, B. R.  ferruginous wastewater by algal biomass. Water Research 32
Comparative efficiency of algal biofilters in the removal of (9), 2760–2768.
chromium and copper from wastewater. Ecological Krikorian, N. & Martin, D. F.  Extraction of selected heavy
Engineering 35 (5), 856–860. metals using modified clays. Journal of Environmental
Javadian, H., Sorkhrodi, F. Z. & Koutenaei, B. B.  Science and Health 40 (3), 601–608.
Experimental investigation on enhancing aqueous cadmium Kula, I., Uğurlu, M., Karaoğlu, H. & Celik, A.  Adsorption of
removal via nanostructure composite of modified hexagonal Cd (II) ions from aqueous solutions using activated carbon
type mesoporous silica with polyaniline/polypyrrole prepared from olive stone by ZnCl2 activation. Bioresource
nanoparticles. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Technology 99 (3), 492–501.
Chemistry 20 (5), 3678–3688. Kumar, U. & Bandyopadhyay, M.  Sorption of cadmium from
Javadian, H., Ghorbani, F., Tayebi, H. A. & Asl, S. H.  Study of aqueous solution using pretreated rice husk. Bioresource
the adsorption of Cd (II) from aqueous solution using zeolite- Technology 97 (1), 104–109.
based geopolymer, synthesized from coal fly ash; kinetic, Kundu, A., Gupta, B. S., Hashim, M. A., Sahu, J. N., Mujawar, M.
isotherm and thermodynamic studies. Arabian Journal of & Redzwan, G.  Optimisation of the process variables in
Chemistry 8 (6), 837–849. production of activated carbon by microwave heating. RSC
Jha, V. K., Matsuda, M. & Miyake, M.  Sorption properties of Advances 5 (45), 35899–35908.
the activated carbon-zeolite composite prepared from coal fly Lan, S., Wu, X., Li, L., Li, M., Guo, F. & Gan, S.  Synthesis and
ash for Ni(2þ), Cu(2þ), Cd(2þ) and Pb(2þ). Journal of characterization of hyaluronic acid-supported magnetic
Hazardous Materials 160 (1), 148–153. microspheres for copper ions removal. Colloids and Surfaces
Jin, G. P., Zhu, X. H., Li, C. Y., Fu, Y., Guan, J. X. & Wu, X. P.  A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 425, 42–50.
Tetraoxalyl ethylenediamine melamine resin functionalized Larraza, I., López-Gónzalez, M., Corrales, T. & Marcelo, G. 
coconut active charcoal for adsorptive removal of Ni (II), Pb Hybrid materials: magnetite–polyethylenimine–
(II) and Cd (II) from their aqueous solution. Journal of montmorillonite, as magnetic adsorbents for Cr (VI) water
Environmental Chemical Engineering 1 (4), 736–745. treatment. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 385 (1), 24–33.
Jing, X., Cao, Y., Zhang, X., Wang, D., Wu, X. & Xu, H.  Lee, B., Kim, Y., Lee, H. & Yi, J.  Synthesis of functionalized
Biosorption of Cr (VI) from simulated wastewater using a porous silicas via templating method as heavy metal ion
cationic surfactant modified spent mushroom. Desalination adsorbents: the introduction of surface hydrophilicity onto
269 (1), 120–127. the surface of adsorbents. Microporous and Mesoporous
Ju, S. H., Lu, S. D., Peng, J. H., Zhang, L. B., Srinivasakannan, C., Materials 50 (1), 77–90.
Guo, S. H. & Wei, L. I.  Removal of cadmium from Lehmann, J.  A handful of carbon. Nature 447, 143–144.
aqueous solutions using red mud granulated with cement. Li, X., Xu, Q., Han, G., Zhu, W., Chen, Z., He, X. & Tian, X. 
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China 22 (12), Equilibrium and kinetic studies of copper (II) removal by
3140–3146. three species of dead fungal biomasses. Journal of Hazardous
Kadirvelu, K. & Namasivayam, C.  Activated carbon from Materials 165 (1), 469–474.
coconut coirpith as metal adsorbent: adsorption of Cd (II) Li, L., Fan, L., Sun, M., Qiu, H., Li, X., Duan, H. & Luo, C. 
from aqueous solution. Advances in Environmental Research Adsorbent for chromium removal based on graphene oxide
7 (2), 471–478. functionalized with magnetic cyclodextrin–chitosan. Colloids
Kaewsarn, P.  Biosorption of copper (II) from aqueous and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 107, 76–83.
solutions by pre-treated biomass of marine algae Padina sp. Li, X., Ai, L. & Jiang, J.  Nanoscale zerovalent iron decorated
Chemosphere 47 (10), 1081–1085. on graphene nanosheets for Cr (VI) removal from aqueous
Kaikake, K., Hoaki, K., Sunada, H., Dhakal, R. P. & Baba, Y.  solution: surface corrosion retard induced the enhanced
Removal characteristics of metal ions using degreased coffee performance. Chemical Engineering Journal 288, 789–797.
beans: adsorption equilibrium of cadmium (II). Bioresource Lingamdinne, L. P., Koduru, J. R., Choi, Y. L., Chang, Y. Y. &
Technology 98 (15), 2787–2791. Yang, J. K.  Studies on removal of Pb (II) and Cr (III)
Karthikeyan, T., Rajgopal, S. & Miranda, L. R.  Chromium using graphene oxide based inverse spinel nickel ferrite nano-
(VI) adsorption from aqueous solution by Hevea Brasilinesis composite as sorbent. Hydrometallurgy 165, 64–72.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 415 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Liu, B. & Huang, Y.  Polyethyleneimine modified eggshell MacCarthy, P., Klusman, R. W., Cowling, S. W. & Rice, J. A. 
membrane as a novel biosorbent for adsorption and Water analysis. Analytical Chemistry 65 (12), 244R–292R.
detoxification of Cr (VI) from water. Journal of Materials Machida, M., Mochimaru, T. & Tatsumoto, H.  Lead (II)
Chemistry 21 (43), 17413–17418. adsorption onto the graphene layer of carbonaceous
Liu, H., Liang, S., Gao, J., Ngo, H. H., Guo, W., Guo, Z., Wang, J. materials in aqueous solution. Carbon 44 (13), 2681–2688.
& Li, Y.  Enhancement of Cr(VI) removal by modifying Machida, M., Fotoohi, B., Amamo, Y., Ohba, T., Kanoh, H. &
activated carbon developed from Zizania caduciflora with Mercier, L.  Cadmium (II) adsorption using functional
tartaric acid during phosphoric acid activation. Chemical mesoporous silica and activated carbon. Journal of
Engineering Journal 246, 168–174. Hazardous Materials 221, 220–227.
Lo, S. F., Wang, S. Y., Tsai, M. J. & Lin, L. D.  Adsorption Mahmoud, M. E., Osman, M. M., Hafez, O. F. & Elmelegy, E. 
capacity and removal efficiency of heavy metal ions by Moso Removal and preconcentration of lead (II), copper (II),
and Ma bamboo activated carbons. Chemical Engineering chromium (III) and iron (III) from wastewaters by surface
Research and Design 90 (9), 1397–1406. developed alumina adsorbents with immobilized 1-nitroso-2-
López-Téllez, G., Barrera-Díaz, C. E., Balderas-Hernández, P., naphthol. Journal of Hazardous Materials 173 (1), 349–357.
Roa-Morales, G. & Bilyeu, B.  Removal of hexavalent Majumdar, S. S., Das, S. K., Saha, T., Panda, G. C., Bandyopadhyoy,
chromium in aquatic solutions by iron nanoparticles T. & Guha, A. K.  Adsorption behavior of copper ions on
embedded in orange peel pith. Chemical Engineering Journal Mucor rouxii biomass through microscopic and FTIR analysis.
173 (2), 480–485. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 63 (1), 138–145.
Loutseti, S., Danielidis, D. B., Economou-Amilli, A., Katsaros, C., Mann, H.  Biosorption of heavy metals by bacterial biomass.
Santas, R. & Santas, P.  The application of a micro-algal/ In: Biosorption of Heavy Metals (B. Volesky, ed.). CRC Press,
bacterial biofilter for the detoxification of copper and Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 93–137.
cadmium metal wastes. Bioresource Technology 100 (7), Mantell, C. L.  Carbon and Graphite Handbook. Interscience,
2099–2105. New York, USA.
Lu, Y. & Foo, L. Y.  Constitution of some chemical Marín, A. P., Ortuno, J. F., Aguilar, M. I., Meseguer, V. F., Sáez, J.
components of apple seed. Food Chemistry 61 (1), 29–33. & Lloréns, M.  Use of chemical modification to
Lu, Y. & Wilkins, E.  Heavy metal removal by caustic-treated determine the binding of Cd (II), Zn (II) and Cr (III) ions by
yeast immobilized in alginate. Journal of Hazardous orange waste. Biochemical Engineering Journal 53 (1), 2–6.
Materials 49 (2), 165–179. Maznah, W. W., Al-Fawwaz, A. T. & Surif, M.  Biosorption of
Lu, W. B., Shi, J. J., Wang, C. H. & Chang, J. S.  Biosorption of copper and zinc by immobilised and free algal biomass, and
lead, copper and cadmium by an indigenous isolate the effects of metal biosorption on the growth and cellular
Enterobacter sp. J1 possessing high heavy-metal resistance. structure of Chlorella sp. and Chlamydomonas sp. isolated
Journal of Hazardous Materials 134 (1), 80–86. from rivers in Penang, Malaysia. Journal of Environmental
Lugo-Lugo, V., Barrera-Díaz, C., Ureña-Núñez, F., Bilyeu, B. & Sciences 24 (8), 1386–1393.
Linares-Hernández, I.  Biosorption of Cr (III) and Fe (III) McHale, A. P. & McHale, S.  Microbial biosorption of metals:
in single and binary systems onto pretreated orange peel. potential in the treatment of metal pollution. Biotechnology
Journal of Environmental Management 112, 120–127. Advances 12 (4), 647–652.
Luo, C., Tian, Z., Yang, B., Zhang, L. & Yan, S.  Manganese Mehdipour, S., Vatanpour, V. & Kariminia, H.-R.  Influence of
dioxide/iron oxide/acid oxidized multi-walled carbon ion interaction on lead removal by a polyamide
nanotube magnetic nanocomposite for enhanced hexavalent nanofiltration membrane. Desalination 362, 84–92.
chromium removal. Chemical Engineering Journal 234, 256– Mehta, D., Mazumdar, S. & Singh, S. K.  Magnetic adsorbents
265. for the treatment of water/wastewater – a review. Journal of
Lv, X., Xue, X., Jiang, G., Wu, D., Sheng, T., Zhou, H. & Xu, X. Water Process Engineering 7, 244–265.
 Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) assembled on Min, Y. U. E., Zhang, M., Bin, L. I. U., Xing, X. U., Xiaoming, L. I.,
magnetic Fe3O4/graphene for Chromium (VI) removal from Qinyan, Y. U. E. & Chunyuan, M. A.  Characteristics of
aqueous solution. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science amine surfactant modified peanut shell and its sorption
417, 51–59. property for Cr (VI). Chinese Journal of Chemical
Ma, Y., Lin, C., Jiang, Y., Lu, W., Si, C. & Liu, Y.  Competitive Engineering 21 (11), 1260–1268.
removal of water-borne copper, zinc and cadmium by a Mohan, D. & Pittman, C. U.  Activated carbons and low cost
CaCO3-dominated red mud. Journal of Hazardous Materials adsorbents for remediation of tri- and hexavalent chromium
172 (2), 1288–1296. from water. Journal of Hazardous Materials 137 (2), 762–811.
Ma, H. L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Wang, L., Sun, C., Liu, P., He, L., Mohan, D. & Pittman, C. U.  Arsenic removal from water/
Zeng, X. & Zhai, M.  Radiation-induced graft wastewater using adsorbents – a critical review. Journal of
copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate onto Hazardous Materials 142 (1), 1–53.
graphene oxide for Cr(VI) removal. Radiation Physics and Mohanty, K., Jha, M., Meikap, B. C. & Biswas, M. N. 
Chemistry 124, 159–163. Removal of chromium (VI) from dilute aqueous solutions by

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 416 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

activated carbon developed from Terminalia arjuna nuts Mukhopadhyay, M., Noronha, S. B. & Suraishkumar, G. K. 
activated with zinc chloride. Chemical Engineering Science Kinetic modeling for the biosorption of copper by pretreated
60 (11), 3049–3059. Aspergillus niger biomass. Bioresource Technology 98 (9),
Mubarak, N. M., Alicia, R. F., Abdullah, E. C., Sahu, J. N., Haslija, 1781–1787.
A. A. & Tan, J.  Statistical optimization and kinetic Muthukumaran, K. & Beulah, S.  Removal of chromium (VI)
studies on removal of Zn2þ using functionalized carbon from wastewater using chemically activated Syzygium
nanotubes and magnetic biochar. Journal of Environmental jambolanum nut carbon by batch studies. Procedia
Chemical Engineering 1 (3), 486–495. Environmental Sciences 4, 266–280.
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C. & Jayakumar, N. S. Nadeem, M., Mahmood, A., Shahid, S. A., Shah, S. S., Khalid,
a Removal of heavy metals from wastewater using A. M. & McKay, G.  Sorption of lead from aqueous
carbon nanotubes. Separation & Purification Reviews 43 (4), solution by chemically modified carbon adsorbents. Journal
311–338. of Hazardous Materials 138 (3), 604–613.
Mubarak, N. M., Thines, R. K., Sajuni, N. R., Abdullah, E. C., Nadeem, M., Shabbir, M., Abdullah, M. A., Shah, S. S. & McKay,
Sahu, J. N., Ganesan, P. & Jayakumar, N. S. b Adsorption G.  Sorption of cadmium from aqueous solution by
of chromium (VI) on functionalized and non-functionalized surfactant-modified carbon adsorbents. Chemical
carbon nanotubes. Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Engineering Journal 148 (2), 365–370.
31 (9), 1582–1591. Nakajima, A.  Electron spin resonance study of copper
Mubarak, N. M., Kundu, A., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C. & biosorption by bacteria. Water Research 36 (8), 2091–2097.
Jayakumar, N. S. c Synthesis of palm oil empty fruit bunch Namasivayam, C. & Kadirvelu, K.  Uptake of mercury (II)
magnetic pyrolytic char impregnating with FeCl3 by microwave from wastewater by activated carbon from an unwanted
heating technique. Biomass and Bioenergy 61, 265–275. agricultural solid by-product: coirpith. Carbon 37 (1), 79–84.
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C., Jayakumar, N. S. & Namasivayam, C. & Sureshkumar, M. V.  Removal of
Ganesan, P. a Novel microwave-assisted multiwall chromium (VI) from water and wastewater using surfactant
carbon nanotubes enhancing Cu (II) adsorption capacity in modified coconut coir pith as a biosorbent. Bioresource
water. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers Technology 99 (7), 2218–2225.
53, 140–152. Naseem, R. & Tahir, S. S.  Removal of Pb (II) from aqueous/
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C., Jayakumar, N. S. & acidic solutions by using bentonite as an adsorbent. Water
Ganesan, P. b Microwave assisted multiwall carbon Research 35 (16), 3982–3986.
nanotubes enhancing Cd (II) adsorption capacity in aqueous Ngah, W. W. & Hanafiah, M. A. K. M.  Removal of heavy
media. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry 24, metal ions from wastewater by chemically modified plant
24–33. wastes as adsorbents: a review. Bioresource Technology 99
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Wong, J. R., Jayakumar, N. S., (10), 3935–3948.
Ganesan, P. & Abdullah, E. C. c Overview on the Nizamuddin, S., Kumar, J., Subramanian, N., Sahu, J. N.,
functionalization of carbon nanotubes. In: Chemical Ganesan, P., Mubarak, N. M. & Mazari, S. A.  Synthesis
Functionalization of Carbon Nanomaterials: Chemistry and and characterization of hydrochars produced by
Applications (V. K. Thakur & M. K. Thakur, eds). CRC Press, hydrothermal carbonization of oil palm shell. The Canadian
Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 82–101. Journal of Chemical Engineering 93 (11), 1916–1921.
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C., Jayakumar, N. S. & Nizamuddin, S., Mubarak, N. M., Tiripathi, M., Jayakumar, N. S.,
Ganesan, P. a Microwave-assisted synthesis of multi- Sahu, J. N. & Ganesan, P.  Chemical, dielectric and
walled carbon nanotubes for enhanced removal of Zn (II) structural characterization of optimized hydrochar produced
from wastewater. Research on Chemical Intermediates 42 (4), from hydrothermal carbonization of palm shell. Fuel 163,
3257–3281. 88–97.
Mubarak, N. M., Thobashinni, M., Abdullah, E. C. & Sahu, J. N. Nuhoglu, Y., Malkoc, E., Gürses, A. & Canpolat, N.  The
b Comparative kinetic study of removal of Pb2þ ions and removal of Cu (II) from aqueous solutions by Ulothrix
Cr3þ ions from waste water using carbon nanotubes zonata. Bioresource Technology 85 (3), 331–333.
produced using microwave heating. C 2 (1), 7. Obregón-Valencia, D. & del Rosario Sun-Kou, M. 
Mubarak, N. M., Sahu, J. N., Abdullah, E. C. & Jayakumar, N. S. Comparative cadmium adsorption study on activated carbon
c Rapid adsorption of toxic Pb (II) ions from aqueous prepared from aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa) and olive fruit
solution using multiwall carbon nanotubes synthesized by stones (Olea europaea L.). Journal of Environmental
microwave chemical vapor deposition technique. Journal of Chemical Engineering 2 (4), 2280–2288.
Environmental Sciences 45, 143–155. Oladoja, N. A., Ololade, I. A., Alimi, O. A., Akinnifesi, T. A. &
Mukhopadhyay, M.  Role of surface properties during Olaremu, G. A.  Iron incorporated rice husk silica as a
biosorption of copper by pretreated Aspergillus Niger sorbent for hexavalent chromium attenuation in aqueous
biomass. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and system. Chemical Engineering Research and Design 91 (12),
Engineering Aspects 329 (1), 95–99. 2691–2702.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 417 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Oliveira, W. E., Franca, A. S., Oliveira, L. S. & Rocha, S. D.  International Journal of Engineering, Science and Technology
Untreated coffee husks as biosorbents for the removal of 2 (7), 81–103.
heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Journal of Hazardous Ravat, C., Dumonceau, J. & Monteil-Rivera, F.  Acid/base and
Materials 152 (3), 1073–1081. Cu (II) binding properties of natural organic matter extracted
Oubagaranadin, J. U. K., Murthy, Z. V. & Mallapur, V. P.  from wheat bran: modeling by the surface complexation
Removal of Cu (II) and Zn (II) from industrial wastewater by model. Water Research 34 (4), 1327–1339.
acid-activated montmorillonite-illite type of clay. Comptes Ravikumar, S., Yoo, I. K., Lee, S. Y. & Hong, S. H.  Construction
Rendus Chimie 13 (11), 1359–1363. of copper removing bacteria through the integration of two-
Owlad, M., Aroua, M. K. & Daud, W. M. A. W.  Hexavalent component system and cell surface display. Applied
chromium adsorption on impregnated palm shell activated Biochemistry and Biotechnology 165 (7–8), 1674–1681.
carbon with polyethyleneimine. Bioresource Technology 101 Ren, Y., Zhang, M. & Zhao, D.  Synthesis and properties of
(14), 5098–5103. magnetic Cu (II) ion imprinted composite adsorbent for
Oyaro, N., Ogendi, J., Murago, E. N. & Gitonga, E.  The selective removal of copper. Desalination 228 (1), 135–149.
contents of Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd in meat in Nairobi, Kenya. Rengaraj, S., Kim, Y., Joo, C. K. & Yi, J.  Removal of copper
Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment 5, 119–121. from aqueous solution by aminated and protonated
Özer, A. & Özer, D.  The adsorption of Cr (VI) on sulphuric mesoporous aluminas: kinetics and equilibrium. Journal of
acid-treated wheat bran. Environmental Technology 25 (6), Colloid and Interface Science 273 (1), 14–21.
689–697. Renge, V. C., Khedkar, S. V. & Pandey Shraddha, V.  Removal
Öztürk, A., Artan, T. & Ayar, A.  Biosorption of nickel (II) of heavy metals from wastewater using low cost adsorbents: a
and copper (II) ions from aqueous solution by Streptomyces review. Scientific Reviews and Chemical Communications 2
coelicolor A3 (2). Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 34 (4), 580–584.
(2), 105–111. Rohim, R., Ahmad, R., Ibrahim, N., Hamidin, N. & Abidin,
Pagnanelli, F., Esposito, A., Toro, L. & Veglio, F.  Metal C. Z. A.  Characterization of calcium oxide catalyst from
speciation and pH effect on Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd biosorption eggshell waste. Advances in Environmental Biology 8, 35–39.
onto Sphaerotilus natans: langmuir-type empirical model. Romera, E., González, F., Ballester, A., Blázquez, M. L. & Munoz,
Water Research 37 (3), 627–633. J. A.  Comparative study of biosorption of heavy metals
Pardo, R., Herguedas, M., Barrado, E. & Vega, M.  using different types of algae. Bioresource Technology 98 (17),
Biosorption of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc by inactive 3344–3353.
biomass of Pseudomonas putida. Analytical and Rosen, M. J. & Kunjappu, J. T.  Surfactants and Interfacial
Bioanalytical Chemistry 376 (1), 26–32. Phenomena. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Pérez-Quintanilla, D., del Hierro, I., Fajardo, M. & Sierra, I.  Ruthiraan, M., Abdullah, E. C., Thines, K. R. & Mubarak, N. M.
Cr (VI) adsorption on functionalized amorphous and a Synthesis of magnetic biochar from Garcinia
mesoporous silica from aqueous and non-aqueous media. Mangostana peel using muffle furnace for adsorption of Zn2þ
Materials Research Bulletin 42 (8), 1518–1530. ions from aqueous solution. International Journal of
Pino, G. H., de Mesquita, L. M. S., Torem, M. L. & Pinto, G. A. S. Chemical Engineering 2, 18–21.
 Biosorption of cadmium by green coconut shell powder. Ruthiraan, M., Mubarak, N. M., Thines, R. K., Abdullah, E. C., Sahu,
Minerals Engineering 19 (5), 380–387. J. N., Jayakumar, N. S. & Ganesan, P. b Comparative
Politi, D. & Sidiras, D.  Wastewater treatment for dyes and kinetic study of functionalized carbon nanotubes and magnetic
heavy metals using modified pine sawdust as adsorbent. biochar for removal of Cd2þ ions from wastewater. Korean
Procedia Engineering 42, 1969–1982. Journal of Chemical Engineering 32 (3), 446–457.
Rad, L. R., Momeni, A., Ghazani, B. F., Irani, M., Mahmoudi, M. & Sabzoi, N., Yong, E. K., Jayakumar, N. S., Sahu, J. N., Ganesan, P.,
Noghreh, B.  Removal of Ni2þ and Cd2þ ions from aqueous Mubarak, N. M. & Mazari, S. A.  An optimisation study for
solutions using electrospun PVA/zeolite nanofibrous catalytic hydrolysis of oil palm shell using response surface
adsorbent. Chemical Engineering Journal 256, 119–127. methodology. Journal of Oil Palm Research 27 (4), 339–351.
Rahman, I. A., Ismail, J. & Osman, H.  Effect of nitric acid Ş ahan, T., Ceylan, H., Ş ahiner, N. & Aktaş, N.  Optimization
digestion on organic materials and silica in rice husk. Journal of removal conditions of copper ions from aqueous solutions
of Materials Chemistry 7 (8), 1505–1509. by Trametes versicolor. Bioresource Technology 101 (12),
Rai, L. C., Gaur, J. P. & Kumar, H. D.  Phycology and heavy- 4520–4526.
metal pollution. Biological Reviews 56 (2), 99–151. Sahu, J. N., Acharya, J. & Meikap, B. C.  Response surface
Rao, G. P. C., Satyaveni, S., Ramesh, A., Seshaiah, K., Murthy, K. S. N. modeling and optimization of chromium (VI) removal from
& Choudary, N. V.  Sorption of cadmium and zinc from aqueous solution using Tamarind wood activated carbon in
aqueous solutions by zeolite 4A, zeolite 13X and bentonite. batch process. Journal of Hazardous Materials 172 (2), 818–825.
Journal of Environmental Management 81 (3), 265–272. Saifuddin, M. & Kumaran, P.  Removal of heavy metal from
Rao, K. S., Mohapatra, M., Anand, S. & Venkateswarlu, P.  industrial wastewater using chitosan coated oil palm shell
Review on cadmium removal from aqueous solutions. charcoal. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology 8 (1), 43–53.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 418 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Salah, T. A., Mohammad, A. M., Hassan, M. A. & El-Anadouli, B. Singh, S. P., Ma, L. Q. & Harris, W. G.  Heavy metal
E.  Development of nano-hydroxyapatite/chitosan interactions with phosphatic clay. Journal of Environmental
composite for cadmium ions removal in wastewater Quality 30 (6), 1961–1968.
treatment. Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Singh, A., Kumar, D. & Gaur, J. P.  Copper(II) and lead(II)
Engineers 45 (4), 1571–1577. sorption from aqueous solution by non-living Spirogyra
Salam, M. A., Makki, M. S. & Abdelaal, M. Y.  Preparation and neglecta. Bioresource Technology 98 (18), 3622–3629.
characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/chitosan Singh, K. K., Hasan, S. H., Talat, M., Singh, V. K. & Gangwar, S.
nanocomposite and its application for the removal of heavy K.  Removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions using
metals from aqueous solution. Journal of Alloys and wheat bran. Chemical Engineering Journal 151 (1), 113–121.
Compounds 509 (5), 2582–2587. Solisio, C., Lodi, A., Torre, P., Converti, A. & Del Borghi, M. 
Sankararamakrishnan, N., Jaiswal, M. & Verma, N.  Copper removal by dry and re-hydrated biomass of Spirulina
Composite nanofloral clusters of carbon nanotubes and platensis. Bioresource Technology 97 (14), 1756–1760.
activated alumina: an efficient sorbent for heavy metal Sousa, F. W., Oliveira, A. G., Ribeiro, J. P., Rosa, M. F., Keukeleire,
removal. Chemical Engineering Journal 235, 1–9. D. & Nascimento, R. F.  Green coconut shells applied as
Sardella, F., Gimenez, M., Navas, C., Morandi, C., Deiana, C. & adsorbent for removal of toxic metal ions using fixed-bed
Sapag, K.  Conversion of viticultural industry wastes into column technology. Journal of Environmental Management
activated carbons for removal of lead and cadmium. Journal 91 (8), 1634–1640.
of Environmental Chemical Engineering 3 (1), 253–260. Srivastava, V. C., Mall, I. D. & Mishra, I. M.  Characterization
Schut, S., Zauner, S., Hampel, G., König, H. & Claus, H.  of mesoporous rice husk ash (RHA) and adsorption kinetics
Biosorption of copper by wine-relevant lactobacilli. of metal ions from aqueous solution onto RHA. Journal of
International Journal of Food Microbiology 145 (1), 126–131. Hazardous Materials 134 (1), 257–267.
Selomulya, C., Meeyoo, V. & Amal, R.  Mechanisms of Cr (VI) Srivastava, V. C., Mall, I. D. & Mishra, I. M.  Removal of
removal from water by various types of activated carbons. cadmium (II) and zinc (II) metal ions from binary aqueous
Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 74 (2), solution by rice husk ash. Colloids and Surfaces A:
111–122. Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 312 (2), 172–184.
Selvi, K., Pattabhi, S. & Kadirvelu, K.  Removal of Cr (VI) Sugashini, S. & Begum, K. M. M. S.  Preparation of activated
from aqueous solution by adsorption onto activated carbon. carbon from carbonized rice husk by ozone activation for Cr
Bioresource Technology 80 (1), 87–89. (VI) removal. New Carbon Materials 30 (3), 252–261.
Sharma, D. C. & Forster, C. F.  A preliminary examination Sumathi, K. M. S., Mahimairaja, S. & Naidu, R.  Use of
into the adsorption of hexavalent chromium using low-cost low-cost biological wastes and vermiculite for removal of
adsorbents. Bioresource Technology 47 (3), 257–264. chromium from tannery effluent. Bioresource Technology 96
Sharma, N., Kaur, K. & Kaur, S.  Kinetic and equilibrium (3), 309–316.
studies on the removal of Cd2þ ions from water using Tan, W. T., Ooi, S. T. & Lee, C. K.  Removal of chromium (VI)
polyacrylamide grafted rice (Oryza sativa) husk and (Tectona from solution by coconut husk and palm pressed fibres.
grandis) saw dust. Journal of Hazardous Materials 163 (2), Environmental Technology 14 (3), 277–282.
1338–1344. Thangalazhy-Gopakumar, S., Al-Nadheri, W. M. A., Jegarajan, D.,
Shawabkeh, R., Al-Harahsheh, A., Hami, M. & Khlaifat, A.  Sahu, J. N., Mubarak, N. M. & Nizamuddin, S. 
Conversion of oil shale ash into zeolite for cadmium and lead Utilization of palm oil sludge through pyrolysis for bio-oil and
removal from wastewater. Fuel 83 (7), 981–985. bio-char production. Bioresource Technology 178, 65–69.
Shen, Y. S., Wang, S. L., Tzou, Y. M., Yan, Y. Y. & Kuan, W. H. Thangavel, S. & Venugopal, G.  Understanding the adsorption
 Removal of hexavalent Cr by coconut coir and derived property of graphene-oxide with different degrees of
chars – The effect of surface functionality. Bioresource oxidation levels. Powder Technology 257, 141–148.
Technology 104, 165–172. Thines, R. K., Mubarak, N. M., Ruthiraan, M., Abdullah, E. C., Sahu,
Sheng, P. X., Wee, K. H., Ting, Y. P. & Chen, J. P.  Biosorption J. N., Jayakumara, N. S., Ganesan, P. & Sajuni, N. R. 
of copper by immobilized marine algal biomass. Chemical Adsorption isotherm and thermodynamics studies of Zn(II)
Engineering Journal 136 (2), 156–163. on functionalized and non-functionalized carbon nanotubes.
Shin, K. Y., Hong, J. Y. & Jang, J.  Heavy metal ion adsorption Advanced Science, Engineering and Medicine 6 (9), 974–984.
behavior in nitrogen-doped magnetic carbon nanoparticles: Thines, K. R., Abdullah, E. C., Ruthiraan, M. & Mubarak, N. M.
isotherms and kinetic study. Journal of Hazardous Materials  Production of magnetic biochar derived from durian’s
190 (1), 36–44. rind at vacuum condition for removal of methylene blue
Shukla, A., Zhang, Y. H., Dubey, P., Margrave, J. L. & Shukla, S. S. pigments from aqueous solution. Environment 14, 15.
 The role of sawdust in the removal of unwanted Toro, P., Quijada, R. & Yazdani-Pedram, M.  Eggshell, a new
materials from water. Journal of Hazardous Materials 95 (1), bio-filler for polypropylene composites. Materials Letters 61,
137–152. 4347–4350.

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest
 419 Renu et al. | Heavy metal removal from wastewater using various adsorbents Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination | 07.4 | 2017

Tunali, S., Cabuk, A. & Akar, T.  Removal of lead and copper Wang, J. S., Peng, R. T., Yang, J. H., Liu, Y. C. & Hu, X. J. 
ions from aqueous solutions by bacterial strain isolated from Preparation of ethylenediamine-modified magnetic chitosan
soil. Chemical Engineering Journal 115 (3), 203–211. complex for adsorption of uranyl ions. Carbohydrate
Ullah, I., Nadeem, R., Iqbal, M. & Manzoor, Q.  Biosorption Polymers 84 (3), 1169–1175.
of chromium onto native and immobilized sugarcane bagasse Woolf, D., Amonette, J. E., Street-Perrott, F. A., Lehmann, J. &
waste biomass. Ecological Engineering 60, 99–107. Joseph, S.  Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate
Uslu, G. & Tanyol, M.  Equilibrium and thermodynamic change. Nature Communications 1, 56.
parameters of single and binary mixture biosorption of lead Wu, Y., Luo, H., Wang, H., Wang, C., Zhang, J. & Zhang, Z. 
(II) and copper (II) ions onto Pseudomonas putida: effect of Adsorption of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions
temperature. Journal of Hazardous Materials 135 (1), 87–93. by graphene modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.
Veglio, F., Beolchini, F. & Gasbarro, A.  Biosorption of toxic Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 394, 183–191.
metals: an equilibrium study using free cells of Arthrobacter Xiao, Y., Liang, H., Chen, W. & Wang, Z.  Synthesis and
sp. Process Biochemistry 32 (2), 99–105. adsorption behavior of chitosan-coated MnFe2O4
Veit, M. T., Tavares, C. R. G., Gomes-da-Costa, S. M. & Guedes, T. A. nanoparticles for trace heavy metal ions removal. Applied
 Adsorption isotherms of copper (II) for two species of dead Surface Science 285, 498–504.
fungi biomasses. Process Biochemistry 40 (10), 3303–3308. Xu, X., Cao, X. & Zhao, L.  Comparison of rice husk-and dairy
Veneu, D. M., Torem, M. L. & Pino, G. A.  Fundamental manure-derived biochars for simultaneously removing heavy
aspects of copper and zinc removal from aqueous solutions metals from aqueous solutions: role of mineral components
using a Streptomyces lunalinharesii strain. Minerals in biochars. Chemosphere 92 (8), 955–961.
Engineering 48, 44–50. Yang, S., Li, L., Pei, Z., Li, C., Lv, J., Xie, J., Wen, B. & Zhang, S.
Vengris, T., Binkien, R. & Sveikauskait, A.  Nickel, copper a Adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of
and zinc removal from waste water by a modified clay Cr(III) on graphene oxide. Colloids and Surfaces A:
sorbent. Applied Clay Science 18 (3), 183–190. Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 457, 100–106.
Verma, A., Singh, A., Bishnoi, N. R. & Gupta, A.  Biosorption Yang, G., Tang, L., Lei, X., Zeng, G., Cai, Y., Wei, X., Zhou, Y.,
of Cu (II) using free and immobilized biomass of Penicillium Li, S., Fang, Y. & Zhang, Y. b Cd(II) removal from
citrinum. Ecological Engineering 61, 486–490. aqueous solution by adsorption on α-ketoglutaric acid-
Vijayaraghavan, K. & Prabu, D.  Potential of Sargassum modified magnetic chitosan. Applied Surface Science 292,
wightii biomass for copper (II) removal from aqueous 710–716.
solutions: application of different mathematical models to Ye, H., Zhu, Q. & Du, D.  Adsorptive removal of Cd (II) from
batch and continuous biosorption data. Journal of Hazardous aqueous solution using natural and modified rice husk.
Materials 137 (1), 558–564. Bioresource Technology 101 (14), 5175–5179.
Vilar, V. J., Botelho, C. M. & Boaventura, R. A.  Copper desorption Yin, D., Du, X., Liu, H., Zhang, Q. & Ma, L.  Facile one-step
from Gelidium algal biomass. Water Research 41 (7), 1569–1579. fabrication of polymer microspheres with high magnetism
Vilar, V. J., Botelho, C. M. & Boaventura, R. A.  Copper and armored inorganic particles by Pickering emulsion
removal by algae Gelidium, agar extraction algal waste and polymerization. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical
granulated algal waste: kinetics and equilibrium. Bioresource and Engineering Aspects 414, 289–295.
Technology 99 (4), 750–762. Yu, J., Tong, M., Sun, X. & Li, B.  Enhanced and selective
Visa, M.  Synthesis and characterization of new zeolite materials adsorption of Pb2þ and Cu2þ by EDTAD-modified biomass
obtained from Fly ash for heavy metals removal in advanced of baker’s yeast. Bioresource Technology 99 (7), 2588–2593.
wastewater treatment. Powder Technology 294, 338–347. Yu, Y. L., Zhuang, Y. T., Song, X. Y. & Wang, J. H. 
Volesky, B. & Holan, Z. R.  Biosorption of heavy metals. Lyophilized carbon nanotubes/graphene oxide modified
Biotechnology Progress 11 (3), 235–250. cigarette filter for the effective removal of cadmium and
Wan, M. W., Petrisor, I. G., Lai, H. T., Kim, D. & Yen, T. F.  chromium from mainstream smoke. Chemical Engineering
Copper adsorption through chitosan immobilized on sand to Journal 280, 58–65.
demonstrate the feasibility for in situ soil decontamination. Zhu, C., Luan, Z., Wang, Y. & Shan, X.  Removal of cadmium
Carbohydrate Polymers 55 (3), 249–254. from aqueous solutions by adsorption on granular red mud
Wang, J. & Chen, C.  Biosorbents for heavy metals removal (GRM). Separation and Purification Technology 57 (1),
and their future. Biotechnology Advances 27 (2), 195–226. 161–169.

First received 3 June 2016; accepted in revised form 28 August 2016. Available online 3 November 2016

Downloaded from https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article-pdf/7/4/387/375972/jwrd0070387.pdf

by guest