Adsorption of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions from their aqueous solutions using orange (<i>Citrus aurantium</i>) mesocarp and xanthated orange mesocarp

Abstract

The adsorption of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ions at room temperature (27°C) onto two types of biomass produced from orange mesocarp namely: untreated orange mesocarp (Me) of 250 μm particle size and xanthated orange mesocarp (XMe) produced from Me of 250 μm particle size were studied. The results obtained showed that xanthated orange mesocarp (XMe) was a better adsorbent than the untreated orange mesocarp (Me) at room temperature for the removal of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ions. At room temperature, both untreated orange mesocarp (Me) and xanthated orange mesocarp (XMe) showed the following order of selectivity: Ni>Cu. The adsorption isotherm of the metals fit both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The selectivity (X_m) for the metal ions according to Langmuir model were in the order Cu²⁺>Ni²⁺and Ni²⁺>Cu²⁺ for Me and XMe respectively. The selectivity (n) for the metal ions according to Freundlich isotherm model were in the order Ni²⁺>Cu²⁺ for both Me and XMe.

Keywords: Metal adsorption, copper, nickel, orange mesocarp

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 7(1): 115 - 122, 2011