Removal of heavy metals by using biopolymer in ultrasonic medium and optimization of experimental conditions

In this study, pure sporopollenin surface was modified by using two different methods and its intended to increase of biosorption capacity. The role of pretreated sporopollenin (PSp) biomass in M(II) (M= Pb, Cu) removal from aqueous solutions was investigated by batch biosorption technique. The chemical properties and morphology of the biyosorbent were characterized by means of FT-IR and SEM and EDX techniques. Influence of various operating parameters like pH, contact time, biyosorbent dose and initial concentration on biosorption process were optimized by using a quadratic model Box-Behnken design using response surface methodology. The results indicated that Pb(II) and Cu(II) sorption on PSp was strongly dependent on pH. The results demonstrated that PSp was a economic and eco-friendly biosorbent possessed strong biosorption characteristics for Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions.