Biosorption of Pb2+ from Natural Water using Date Pits: A Green Chemistry Approach

Removal of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto Date Pits (DP) has been investigated. The date pits (sorbent) may represent an environmental problem. The characteristic parameters (solution pH, initial concentration of Pb2+, sorbent dose, shaking time and temperature) influencing the adsorption process have been examined. pH=7 is found the best one having high floatability of 6 g l-1 dose of DP. The Freundlich and Langmuir were applied. The change in Gibbs free energy change (ΔGo), enthalpy (ΔHo) and entropy (ΔSo) were also calculated. Under the optimum experimental conditions employed, the removal of ~95% of Pb2+ was attained. The procedure was successfully applied to remove Pb2+ from natural water samples. The SEM image of DP before and after lead adsorption shows complete adsorption.