Title: Heavy metal removal with pure and biochar rice husks: modelling and optimisation using Box-Behnken design

Authors: Fulya Aydın Temel; Nurdan Gamze Turan; Okan Ozgonenel; Yüksel Ardalı

Addresses: Department of Environmental Engineering, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey ' Department of Environmental Engineering, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey ' Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey ' Department of Environmental Engineering, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey

Abstract: In this work, the most common heavy metals such as Cu (II), Zn (II), and Pb (II) removal from aqueous leachate of industrial waste were investigated using pure and biochar rice husks. The influence of such parameters as pH, adsorbent dose (g L−1), and contact time (min) on the biosorption of rice and biochar rice was examined by using response surface methodology (RSM) based upon Box-Behnken surface statistical design at a leaching solution, Ci = 32.69 g L−1 as a fixed input parameter. The results show that both linear and squared terms of process variables are found significant on the response variable. The optimum conditions depending on both combinations and individual of all responses for the removal of Zn (II), Cu (II), and Pb (II) ions were determined using the optimising algorithm. To sum up, the use of biochar rice husk is found better than the use of pure rice husk according to statistical analysis. This study strongly indicated that pure and biochar rice husks are an influential alternative adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions by sorption.

Keywords: heavy metal removal; response surface modelling; RSM; Box-Behnken design; BBD; rice husk; biochar rice husk; optimisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGW.2018.094307

International Journal of Global Warming, 2018 Vol.16 No.1, pp.1 - 17

Received: 23 May 2017
Accepted: 13 Aug 2017

Published online: 29 Aug 2018 *

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