Adsorption of Heavy Metals from an Aqueous Solution Using Activated Carbon Prepared from Ripe and Unripe Plantain Peels

Abstract

Heavy metals are poisonous and pollute water bodies, posing human health concerns. This research project focuses on removing heavy metals from water through adsorption using activated carbon prepared from ripe [RPP] and unripe plantain peels [UPP]. This research revealed that the removal efficiencies were higher for ripe plantain peels than the unripe peels in the three heavy metal simulated aqueous polluted samples. It was also concluded that the adsorption was favorable using the constants developed from the Isotherms, and the Freundlich isotherms fitted the experimental data better than the Langmuir isotherms. The Scanning Electron Microscope [SEM] and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy [FTIR] observations revealed the presence of heavy metals on the adsorbent. It was concluded that activated carbon prepared from ripe and unripe plantain peels is an effective, economical, environmentally friendly, and cheap natural adsorbent for removing heavy metals from polluted water.