Removal of Pb (II) From Aqueous Solutions by Waste Eggshell and Cow Bone Derived Adsorbents and Their Synthesized Composite

Wastewater containing heavy metals poses serious risks to both humans and the environment. Hence, the objective of this paper was to investigate the Removal of Pb (II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions by Eggshell Char (EC), Cow bone Char (CC), and Eggshell Cow Bone Char (EC-CC) Composite Adsorbents using appropriate standard methods. EC, CC, and EC-CC Composite adsorbents were characterized using BET and FTIR. Data obtained showed that the EC-CC Composite has more surface area, pore size, pore volume, and stronger functional groups and exhibited superior Pb removal efficiency as it was seen to adsorb more for the same amount of dose, with a Pb removal efficiency of 87.85 %, while EC and CC were 59.25 % and 70.25 %, respectively. Also, the three adsorbents adsorbed the Pb (II) Ions following heterogeneous coverage with multi-layer from the Freundlich isotherm model. While EC aligned with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, which is associated with a chemisorption process, CC and EC/CC materials conformed to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, which is associated with a physisorption. The three adsorbents displayed versatility in their applicability for the removal of Pb, making them effective adsorbents for the treatment of industrial wastewater, especially in Nigeria, and also lead to the creation of wealth from waste materials.