Biosorption of Pb (II) and Ni (II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using a Biomaterial

An increase in population initiating rapid industrialization was found to consequently increase the effluents and domestic wastewater into the aquatic ecosystem. Heavy metals are major toxicants found in industrial wastewaters; they may adversely affect the biological treatment of wastewater.Conventional methods for the removal of heavy metals from waste waters are often cost prohibitive hence, there is a need for cheap methods for effluent treatment. Azadirachta indicia leaves are converted to a fine powder for use as a biosorbent for the removal of metal ions in aqueous solution. In this work, the adsorptive interactions between Ni(II) , Pb (II) and the powder were studied under a variety of conditions involving variations in pH, Pb (II) , Ni(II) concentration, biosorbent amount, interaction time and temperature, all in single batch processes. The ability of Neem leaves to absorb metal ions as shown from the results can be used for the development of an efficient, clean and cheap technology for effluent treatment.