Banana stem and leaf biochar as an effective adsorbent for cadmium and lead in aqueous solution

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic heavy metals commonly found in aqueous environments. Biochar as a green adsorbent generated from biomass feedstock may be used for effective removal of these heavy metals. This study investigated the adsorption kinetics and isotherms of Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) in aqueous solutions at different pH by biochar prepared from banana stem and leaf (BSL-BC) at 400 °C. Characterizations using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the synthesized BSL-BC had rough surface, porous structure, and oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption of Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) onto BSL-BC reached equilibrium in 8 h and 200 min, respectively, with faster adsorption attained at higher pH and the optimum pH occurred at 5 (Pb(2+)) and 8 (Cd(2+)). All adsorption kinetic data followed the pseudo-second-order rate model. The adsorption isotherm data of Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) could be well-described by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, respectively, whereas neither the Temkin or Dubinin–Radushkevich models provided satisfactory fitting results. The maximum adsorption capacities for Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) were 302.20 and 32.03 mg/g, respectively. The calculated mechanism contributions showed that complexation with oxygen-containing functional groups, ion exchange, mineral precipitation, and Pb(2+)/Cd(2+)-π coordination accounted for 0.1%, 8.4%, 88.8%, and 2.6% to Pb(2+) adsorption, and 0.4%, 6.3%, 83.0%, and 10.4% to Cd(2+) adsorption, respectively. Therefore, mineral precipitation was likely the major mechanism responsible for adsorption of both Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) by BSL-BC. The results suggest that the synthesized BSL-BC has great potential for adsorption of Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) from aqueous solutions.