Heavy metal release into the environment by industrial activities has become a persistent problem,
with these contaminants continually increasing in concentration. Heavy metals not only circulate
through ecosystems but also accumulate in organisms over time, which elevates their toxic effects
along the food chain. This research was conducted to explore the efficiency of biosorption in
removing lead (II) ions from aqueous solutions using water hyacinth powder modified with
hexadecyltriammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br), a cationic surfactant. The study examined the effect of
critical variables including temperature, contact time, pH, and biosorbent dosage, all within
controlled batch adsorption settings. The findings demonstrated that an optimal biomass dosage of
2.5 g at a pH of 7.0, contact time of 40 minutes, and temperature of 24°C achieved a remarkable lead
(II) ion uptake efficiency of 99.86%, based on an initial concentration of 695 mg/L. Among the
adsorption isotherm models tested, the Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit with an R2-
value of 0.991, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Furthermore, the adsorption process was found to
be reversible, as indicated by an RL-value of 0.045, and the calculated free sorption energy of 18.26
kJ/mol confirmed the chemisorption nature of the process. The adsorption kinetics were consistent
with a pseudo-second-order model, with an impressive R2-value of 0.999, highlighting the process’s
efficiency and potential for practical applications in heavy metal remediation.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Vardhan KH, Kumar PS, Panda RC. A review on heavy metal pollution, toxicity, and remedial measures: Current trends and future perspectives. J Mol Liq. 2019;290:111197. doi: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111197.

2. Shrestha R, Ban S, Devkota S, Sharma S, Joshi R, Tiwari AP, et al. Technological trends in heavy metals removal from industrial wastewater: A review. J Environ Chem Eng. 2021;9(4):105688. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105688.

3. Levin R, Vieira CLZ, Rosenbaum MH, Bischoff K, Mordarski DC, Brown MJ. The urban lead (Pb) burden in humans, animals, and the natural environment. Environ Res. 2021;193:110377. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110377.

4. Kumar A, Kumar A, Chaturvedi AK, Shabnam AA, Subrahmanyam G, et al. Lead toxicity: Health hazards, influence on the food chain, and sustainable remediation approaches. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(7):2179. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17072179.

5. Fomina M, Gadd GM. Biosorption: Current perspectives on concept, definition, and application. Bioresour Technol. 2014;160:3–14. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.12.102.

6. Priya AK, Gnanasekaran L, Dutta K, Rajendran S, Balakrishnan D, Soto-Moscoso M. Biosorption of heavy metals by microorganisms: Evaluation of different underlying mechanisms. Chemosphere. 2022;307:135957. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135957.

7. Riyazuddin R, Nisha N, Ejaz B, Khan MIR, Kumar M, Ramteke PW, et al. A comprehensive review on heavy metal toxicity and sequestration in plants. Biomolecules. 2021;12(1):43. doi: 10.3390/biom12010043.

8. Huynh AT, Chen Y-C, Tran BNT. A small-scale study on the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water using water hyacinth. Processes. 2021;9(10):1802. doi: 10.3390/pr9101802.

9. [Anonymous]. Current status of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in Ethiopia: Achievements, challenges, and prospects—A review. J Environ Earth Sci. 2020. doi: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-03.

10. Datta A, Maharaj S, Prabhu GN, Bhowmik D, Marino A, Akbari V, et al. Monitoring the spread of water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes): Challenges and future developments. Front Ecol Evol. 2021;9:631338. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.631338.

11. Harun I, Pushiri H, Amirul-Aiman AJ, Zulkeflee Z. Invasive water hyacinth: Ecology, impacts, and prospects for the rural economy. Plants. 2021;10(8):1613. doi: 10.3390/plants10081613.

12. Madikizela LM. Removal of organic pollutants in water using water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). J Environ Manage. 2021;295:113153. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113153.

13. Alafnan S, Awotunde A, Glatz G, Adjei S, Alrumaih I, Gowida A. Langmuir adsorption isotherm in unconventional resources: Applicability and limitations. J Pet Sci Eng. 2021;207:109172. doi: 10.1016/j.petrol.2021.109172.

14. Ho YS, Porter JF, McKay G. Equilibrium isotherm studies for the sorption of divalent metal ions onto peat: Copper, nickel, and lead single component systems.

15. Shvartseva O, Skripkina T, Gaskova O, Podgorbunskikh E. Modification of natural peat for removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions. Water. 2022;14(13):2114. doi: 10.3390/w14132114.

16. Ehiomogue P, Ahuchaogu II, Ahaneku IE. Review of adsorption isotherm models.

17. Ali RM, Hamad HA, Hussein MM, Malash GF. Potential of using green adsorbents for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions: Adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, mechanism, and economic analysis. Ecol Eng. 2016;91:317–332. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.03.015.

18. Ringot D, Lerzy B, Chaplain K, Bonhoure J, Auclair E, Larondelle Y. In vitro biosorption of ochratoxin A on the yeast industry by-products: Comparison of isotherm models. Bioresour Technol. 2007;98(9):1812–1821. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2006.06.015.

19. Debnath S, Das R. Strong adsorption of CV dye by Ni ferrite nanoparticles for wastewater purification: Fits well the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model. Ceram Int. 2023;49(10):16199–16215. doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.01.218.

20. Tran HN, Lima EC, Juang R-S, Bollinger J-C, Chao H-P. Thermodynamic parameters of liquid-phase adsorption process calculated from different equilibrium constants related to adsorption isotherms: A comparison study. J Environ Chem Eng. 2021;9(6):106674. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.106674.

21. Wang J, Guo X. Adsorption isotherm models: Classification, physical meaning, application, and solving methods. Chemosphere. 2020;258:127279. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127279.

Heavy metal release into the environment by industrial activities has become a persistent problem,
with these contaminants continually increasing in concentration. Heavy metals not only circulate
through ecosystems but also accumulate in organisms over time, which elevates their toxic effects
along the food chain. This research was conducted to explore the efficiency of biosorption in
removing lead (II) ions from aqueous solutions using water hyacinth powder modified with
hexadecyltriammonium bromide (HDTMA-Br), a cationic surfactant. The study examined the effect of
critical variables including temperature, contact time, pH, and biosorbent dosage, all within
controlled batch adsorption settings. The findings demonstrated that an optimal biomass dosage of
2.5 g at a pH of 7.0, contact time of 40 minutes, and temperature of 24°C achieved a remarkable lead
(II) ion uptake efficiency of 99.86%, based on an initial concentration of 695 mg/L. Among the
adsorption isotherm models tested, the Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit with an R2-
value of 0.991, suggesting monolayer adsorption. Furthermore, the adsorption process was found to
be reversible, as indicated by an RL-value of 0.045, and the calculated free sorption energy of 18.26
kJ/mol confirmed the chemisorption nature of the process. The adsorption kinetics were consistent
with a pseudo-second-order model, with an impressive R2-value of 0.999, highlighting the process’s
efficiency and potential for practical applications in heavy metal remediation.

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Vardhan KH, Kumar PS, Panda RC. A review on heavy metal pollution, toxicity, and remedial measures: Current trends and future perspectives. J Mol Liq. 2019;290:111197. doi: 10.1016/j.molliq.2019.111197.

2. Shrestha R, Ban S, Devkota S, Sharma S, Joshi R, Tiwari AP, et al. Technological trends in heavy metals removal from industrial wastewater: A review. J Environ Chem Eng. 2021;9(4):105688. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.105688.

3. Levin R, Vieira CLZ, Rosenbaum MH, Bischoff K, Mordarski DC, Brown MJ. The urban lead (Pb) burden in humans, animals, and the natural environment. Environ Res. 2021;193:110377. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110377.

4. Kumar A, Kumar A, Chaturvedi AK, Shabnam AA, Subrahmanyam G, et al. Lead toxicity: Health hazards, influence on the food chain, and sustainable remediation approaches. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(7):2179. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17072179.

5. Fomina M, Gadd GM. Biosorption: Current perspectives on concept, definition, and application. Bioresour Technol. 2014;160:3–14. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.12.102.

6. Priya AK, Gnanasekaran L, Dutta K, Rajendran S, Balakrishnan D, Soto-Moscoso M. Biosorption of heavy metals by microorganisms: Evaluation of different underlying mechanisms. Chemosphere. 2022;307:135957. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135957.

7. Riyazuddin R, Nisha N, Ejaz B, Khan MIR, Kumar M, Ramteke PW, et al. A comprehensive review on heavy metal toxicity and sequestration in plants. Biomolecules. 2021;12(1):43. doi: 10.3390/biom12010043.

8. Huynh AT, Chen Y-C, Tran BNT. A small-scale study on the removal of heavy metals from contaminated water using water hyacinth. Processes. 2021;9(10):1802. doi: 10.3390/pr9101802.

9. [Anonymous]. Current status of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in Ethiopia: Achievements, challenges, and prospects—A review. J Environ Earth Sci. 2020. doi: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-03.

10. Datta A, Maharaj S, Prabhu GN, Bhowmik D, Marino A, Akbari V, et al. Monitoring the spread of water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes): Challenges and future developments. Front Ecol Evol. 2021;9:631338. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.631338.

11. Harun I, Pushiri H, Amirul-Aiman AJ, Zulkeflee Z. Invasive water hyacinth: Ecology, impacts, and prospects for the rural economy. Plants. 2021;10(8):1613. doi: 10.3390/plants10081613.

12. Madikizela LM. Removal of organic pollutants in water using water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes). J Environ Manage. 2021;295:113153. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113153.

13. Alafnan S, Awotunde A, Glatz G, Adjei S, Alrumaih I, Gowida A. Langmuir adsorption isotherm in unconventional resources: Applicability and limitations. J Pet Sci Eng. 2021;207:109172. doi: 10.1016/j.petrol.2021.109172.

14. Ho YS, Porter JF, McKay G. Equilibrium isotherm studies for the sorption of divalent metal ions onto peat: Copper, nickel, and lead single component systems.

15. Shvartseva O, Skripkina T, Gaskova O, Podgorbunskikh E. Modification of natural peat for removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions. Water. 2022;14(13):2114. doi: 10.3390/w14132114.

16. Ehiomogue P, Ahuchaogu II, Ahaneku IE. Review of adsorption isotherm models.

17. Ali RM, Hamad HA, Hussein MM, Malash GF. Potential of using green adsorbents for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions: Adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, mechanism, and economic analysis. Ecol Eng. 2016;91:317–332. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.03.015.

18. Ringot D, Lerzy B, Chaplain K, Bonhoure J, Auclair E, Larondelle Y. In vitro biosorption of ochratoxin A on the yeast industry by-products: Comparison of isotherm models. Bioresour Technol. 2007;98(9):1812–1821. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2006.06.015.

19. Debnath S, Das R. Strong adsorption of CV dye by Ni ferrite nanoparticles for wastewater purification: Fits well the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model. Ceram Int. 2023;49(10):16199–16215. doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.01.218.

20. Tran HN, Lima EC, Juang R-S, Bollinger J-C, Chao H-P. Thermodynamic parameters of liquid-phase adsorption process calculated from different equilibrium constants related to adsorption isotherms: A comparison study. J Environ Chem Eng. 2021;9(6):106674. doi: 10.1016/j.jece.2021.106674.

21. Wang J, Guo X. Adsorption isotherm models: Classification, physical meaning, application, and solving methods. Chemosphere. 2020;258:127279. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127279.