Heavy Metal Adsorption Using Renewable Adsorbents with Honors Thesis Addendum:A global look at where this work can be applied

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to investigate the heavy metal adsorption capabilities of biomass. The overall goal was to design a process that will replace current nonrenewable water treatment technologies with a cheap and biodegradable alternative. In this case, the research team tested the ability of orange peels to uptake cadmium and nickel from solutions created in the lab. From previous research done to test heavy metal adsorption, the team developed a method of testing using mainly a peel-packed glass column. The column was used to run metal solutions through the peels and then ICP-MS testing was used to evaluate metal concentrations in the effluent liquid. The team’s results proved promising, as the orange peels reduced the concentration of a 90ppm nickel solution by 54.2%. A sample of cadmium solution was reduced in concentration by 33.9% under normal conditions and 48.2% under acidic conditions. However, the team has strong recommendations for future work. The experimental techniques can be improved with some procedural adjustments, and the results can be reproduced to assess service life of the peels and verify results.