The most common used adsorbents are nanomaterials and activated carbon as they have large

surface area, adsorption capacity and microporous structure but their cost are high (9). Therefore,
it is necessary to look for a cheaper and easily available alternate. Consequently, a large number
of available low-cost adsorbents including agro-based material are used to remove Chromium
from polluted wastewater. The most popular adsorbents prepared from agricultural wastes are
Banana Waste (BW), Sawdust (SD), Sugarcane Bagasse (SCB), Phragmites Australis (PA), Pea
Pod Peels (PPP) and Rice straw (RS). Many researchers seek the optimum operating parameters
for each of these adsorbents including pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration and contact
time as well as preparation methods. (17) used 0.1 N NaOH and 0.5 N NaOH as a chemical
preparation for Banana Waste (BW) to increase its adsorption capacity.
Biochar was produced using pyrolysis process in the presence of nitrogen gas on Green Pea Pod
Peels (GPPP) to be used in Cr (IV) removal under different conditions(4). (4) studied the
potential of using biochar from GPPP in a pH rang of (2-7), biochar dosages (0.5 – 5 g/L), initial
Cr (VI) concentrations (20-200 g/L) and contact time till 300 min at 30oC. (20) used the
modification of PPP with NaOH and HCl to increase the adsorptive characteristics of PPP. Many
methods for modification of Rice Straw were done to increase its adsorption of heavy metals.
First of all is the biochar production at different temperatures of 300, 500 and 700oC as
investigated by (3). (33) modified RS with acid treatment using nitric acid and CaO and alkali
treatment using NaOH and urea. Modification with NaOH only is used by (34). (35) modified
the rice husk with tartaric acid while (36) used KOH for the production of rice straw carbon
(RSC) and rice straw activated carbon (RSAC). Activated Carbon (AC) is considered the best
adsorbent for heavy metal because of the large internal surface area, pours availability and high
microporous(37). AC is preferred for its very high surface areas, porous sorbent , functional
groups, high capacity, high rate of adsorption, great capacity to adsorb a wide range of
pollutants, fast kinetics and a high quality treated effluent (38). On the other hand, the main
disadvantages of AC are its very expensive cost, requires complexing agents to improve its
removal performance and its performance is dependent on the type of carbon (39) (40). Most of
the previous studies gave great attention to low concentration for heavy metals( 5 – 400 mgL-1)
and studied the effect of low cost adsorbents in the removal of such metals but they didn’t study
the effect of these materials on high concentration. Therefore, the main objective of this study is
to investigate the effect of these materials on the removal of Chromium from low and high
concentration industrial wastewater up to 1000 mg/L.

With increasing pH, the percentage of Cr removal increases because of de-

protonation of binding sites which makes different functional groups available
for metal binding and vice versa
 At pH < 1, the retention of Cr(VI) was found to be affected by its reduction to Cr(III), the lower the pH
the greater the facility to be reduced to Cr(III). The extent of adsorption and reduction processes
depends on the porous texture, nature and preparation procedure of the activated carbons, the best
performance being obtained with those prepared by physical activation.
Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms
Freundlich adsorption isotherms; this isotherm shows the variation of adsorption process
with pressure at constant temperature.
Langmuir adsorption isotherms
There would be mono layer on adsorbent. Adsorbates would create mono layer on
adsorbent.
BET isotherm

The BET (Brunauner, Emmett, Teller) isotherm assumes the partitioning of a compound between liquid
and solid phases. This isotherm assumes multi-layer adsorption of solute occurs

The three main steps of adsorption onto solid sorbent involve

1. transport of contaminant to adsorbent surface from aqueous solution,

2. adsorption onto solid surface and
3. transport within adsorbent particle
There are several factors which influence the adsorbent’s efficiency including temperature, pH, stirring
duration and initial concentration.

Activated carbons (ACs) are frequently used as adsorbents at water treatment plants for adsorbing
heavy metals owing to the microporous structure, large surface area and chemical complexity. Their
external surface possesses variable functional groups for example phenol, carbonyl, lactone, carboxyl,
quinone and others. It is proven that the adsorption performance of ACs is dependent on surface
functional groups and pore size distribution. However, activated carbon may react with oxygen under
moderate temperature (300 C). Commercial ACs are present in granular, powder, clothe and fibrous
form

What is activated carban?

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon commonly used to filter
contaminants from water and air, among many other uses.

Types: commercial and synthetic activated carbon.

Powdered activated carbon was first produced commercially in Europe in the early 19th century, using
wood as a raw material. The use of activated carbon for the water treatment in the United States was
first reported in 1930, for the elimination of taste and odor from contaminated water [44]. Activated
carbon is a crude form of graphite with a random or amorphous structure, which is highly porous,
exhibiting a broad range of pore sizes, from visible cracks, crevices and slits of molecular dimensions
Activated carbons adsorptive properties are due to such factors as surface area, a micro-porous
structure, and a high degree of surface reactivity.

What is sludge in water treatment?

Solids and wastes are collected as sludge in a variety of water treatment processes.

What is algae and from where it grows?

Eutrophication is the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients,
leading to plentiful growth of simple plant life.

Eutrophication sets off a chain reaction in the ecosystem, starting with an overabundance of algae
and plants. The excess algae and plant matter eventually decompose, producing large amounts of
carbon dioxide. This lowers the pH of seawater, a process known as ocean acidification. Acidification
slows the growth of fish and shellfish