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Name and Surname: Nonkululeko Mabandla

Qualification: Adv Dip (Analytical Chemistry)

Subject and Level: Advanced Analytical Chemistry

Module code: ACHE701

Lecturer: Mr F.M. Makhanya

Experimental 3 and 4: Water treatment analysis: Heavy metal removal via adsorption
studies using Atomic Absorption (AAS) - Nickel and Zinc (Sugarcane Bagasse)

No. of pgs. Inc. Cover page: 12 pgs

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Aim: To determine the extent at which heavy metal contaminants can be removed
from wastewater samples

Abstract

Among other agricultural waste residues, sugarcane bagasse possesses the ability
to adsorb heavy metals. As they are extracted from solution, heavy metals will
adsorb onto the surface of these adsorbents. To determine the degree at which we
witness this removal and to quantify it as a percentage removal, we shall employ
atomic absorption techniques. Additionally, we will examine a number of adsorption-
influencing factors and discuss the trends we see in relation to the findings of the
literature.

Introduction

Water supplies contaminated by heavy metals represent a serious risk to both

human health and the environment. Heavy metals can be extracted from water using
a variety of processes, the most successful of which is absorption. The concentration
of heavy metals in water samples can be measured using the potent analytical
method known as atomic absorption spectroscopy or AAS. Since adsorption is
effective, economical, and environmentally benign, it is a commonly used technique
for removing heavy metals from contaminated water sources. Industrial wastewater
frequently contains heavy metal contaminants like zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni), which
are extremely dangerous to both human health and the environment. Sugar bagasse
charcoal is one of the environmentally friendly and sustainable adsorbents that
researchers have been investigating recently for the removal of heavy metals.

Heavy metal ions build up on the surface of an adsorbent material during the
adsorption process. The charcoal made from sugarcane waste, known as sugar
bagasse, has demonstrated encouraging potential as a powerful adsorbent for heavy
metals such as zinc and nickel. Sugar bagasse charcoal's availability and low cost
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make it a viable choice for water treatment applications, and its porous nature offers
a vast surface area for the adsorption of metal ions.

Sugar bagasse gains improved adsorption capabilities when it undergoes pyrolysis

or carbonization operations to create charcoal because of its high carbon content
and porous structure. These qualities allow sugar bagasse charcoal to successfully
draw in and hold on to heavy metal ions like Zn and Ni from aqueous solutions.
Through chemical interactions, the sugar bagasse charcoal's surface functional
groups are also essential in the binding of metal ion.

Materials and methods

Atomic absorption spectrophotometer, Equipped for analysis.

Orbital shaker with thermal insulation

Hallow cathode lamps, Ni and Zn

Ph meter

Centrifuge

Chemicals

Sugarcane bagasse (grounded)

Zinc Stock solution - 1000ppm.

Nickel stock solution – 1000ppm

0.1 M NaOH

0.1 M HCl

Part 1

Preparation of standard solutions

o 1000 ppm stock solution of Ni was supplied

o Aliquots of standards 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 ppm were prepared in
100ml volumetric flask. 100 ppm was prepared in 500ml volumetric flask.

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pH optimization

• 50 ml Ni metal was transferred in 100ml.

• 0,1 M and HCl was used to adjust pH to 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 while ensuring

these values were stable as per the p H meter.

• Once the p H was finalised 0,1g of sugarcane bagasse was transferred into
each flask and closed.

• Once it was closed, it was immediately placed into orbital shaker and the
solution was shaken at 250 rpm for 30min.

• After 30 minutes adsorption was completed.

• the adsorbent and solution was separated via centrifugation and the sample
was analysed using atomic absorption.

Temperature optimization

• 50ml of the optimum concentration was transferred from the previous

optimization into 5, 250 ml stoppered flasks and adjusted to the
optimum p H obtained from the previous optimization.

• 0,1g of sugarcane bagasse was added into each stoppered flask and
was closed.

• The samples were closed and immediately placed into the orbital
shaker and the samples were exposed to varying temperatures mainly
20, 25, 30, 35, and 40°C for 30 minutes.

• After 30minutes adsorption was completed, the adsorbent and solution

were separated via centrifugation and samples were analysed using
atomic absorption.

Once all optimization experiments were completed the experiments was repeated by
replacing Ni with Zn.

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Results and Discussion

Sugarcane Bagasse

Table 1: of Calibration Curve of Nickel

Ni (std) Concentration Absorbance

1 20 0,4173
2 40 0,6223
3 60 0,6554
4 80 0,7196
5 100 0,7547

Calibration curve of Nickel

Figure 1: the calibration curve of Nickel

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Table 2: Results of Ph and %removal

Ph Absorbance Final concentration % removal

2 0,74995 89,17 12,36
4 0,76615 93,32 7,16
6 0,76735 93.63 6,80
8 0,6749 69,92 43,01
10 0,6812 71,53 39,78

Calibration of p H vs %removal

Figure 2: Graph of % removal vs Ph of Nickel

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Table 3: results of concentration and %Removal

CONCENTRATION %removal
20 74,67
40 51.42
60 9,63
80 24,41
100 38,2

Graph 3: % removal vs Absorbance graph

Figure 3: the graph of % removal vs absorbance

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Table 4: Calibration Curve of ZINC

Zn(std) Concentration Absorbance

1 10 1,5435
2 20 1,6547
3 30 1,6940
4 40 1,7262
5 50 1,7467
6 60 1,7645
7 70 1,7741
8 80 1,7956
9 90 1,7980
10 100 1,8061

Graph 4: concentration vs absorbance

Figure 4: graph of concentration vs absorbance graph

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Table 5: The effect of p H Zn solution

Ph Absorbance Final concentration % removal

(ppm)
2 0,4213 85,00 17,64
4 0,4176 72,13 38,64
6 0,4072 69,11 44,70
8 0,5200 71,00 40,70
10 0,5325 72,2 38,50

Graph 5: %removal vs Ph

Figure 5: the graph of %removal vs Ph

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Table 6: concentration and % removal

Concentration Absorbance Final concentration %removal

(ppm)
20 0,2152 51,375 100
40 0,3943 23,20 100
60 0,4667 53,37 87,35
80 0,5140 73,08 36,83
100 0,5482 87,33 14,50

Graph 6: %removal and Concentration

Figure 6: the graph of %removal and Concentration

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Discussion

In the graphs of % removal vs p H OF Nickel and Zinc acidic solutions have the
biggest impact on metal ion absorption. Ph solution influences the metal ion
adsorption, altering the absorbent's surface of change on the metal specification.
Hydrogen ions could compete fiercely with nickel ions for sugarcane bagasse's
active sites at low pH levels, resulting in less adsorption. In the graph of Nickel and
Zinc (figure 2 and 5), there is negligible absorption between p H 2 and 6, and as p H
increases, the fraction of absorbed nickel is eliminated. The Ph value was
determined to be pH 8, since there is not much change after P h 8.

In the graphs of % removal and concentration for 30 minutes, the starting

concentration was changed from 20 to 100 ppm at 250 rpm using 0.1 g of bagasse.
The starting concentration affects how well nickel is removed. At p H 6, the
percentage clearance decreases from high to low, and it begins to increase once
again at higher concentrations.

This trend is caused by the physical process of nickel adsorption by sugarcane

bagasse, which is dependent on the presence of active sites in the nickel solution. A
lesser percentage of nickel and Zinc is absorbed when the concentration of nickel
and Zinc rises because more nickel molecules are vying for the same few active
sugarcane bagasse sites. Additionally, as the solution gets more saturated, the nickel
concentration gradient diminishes, decreasing the driving power for the adsorption
process.

Conclusion

The experiment was conducted, and the results were obtained, Sugarcane bagasse
was an effective adsorbent for removing metal ions, it can be concluded. The main
variables that were discovered to regulate the sugarcane bagasse's adsorption
efficiency were pH, and adsorbent dosage.

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References

1. Adeleke AO, Al-Gheethi AA & Daud Z (2017), Chemosphere 174, 232-242.

2. Kannan N, and Rengasamy G (2005). Water Air Soil Pollut. 163, 185–201

3. Abdel-Monem M, Al-Zubeiry AH & Al-Gheethi A (2010). Water Science and

Technology 61(12), 2994-3007

4. Chen G, Fan J, Liu R, Zeng G, Chen A & Zou Z (2012). Environ. Technol. 33,
2653-2659.

5. Meena AK, Mishra GK, Kumar S, Rajagopal C & Nagar PN (2003). National
Conference on Carbon. Kanpur, 31140

Answer to question.

1. It is significant for the determination of the concentration of an unknown

substance in a sample by comparing it to a set of standard samples of known
concentration.

2. The regression coefficient is a numeric value that represents the change in

the dependent variable in response to a one unit change in the dependent
variable(x), while holding variables constant.

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