Biosorption of Ni (II) from Aqueous Solutions by Marine Algae Cladophora glomerata (L.) Kutz. (Chlorophyta)

Biosorption is a technique that can be used for the removal of pollutants from waters, especially those that are not easily biodegradable, such as metals. A variety of biomaterials are known to bind these pollutants including bacteria, fungi, algae, and industrial and agricultural wastes. Raw seaweed Cladophora glomerata, prepared from an industrial algal waste, was converted into inexpensive biosorbents, which were used for removal of Ni2+ from aqueous solutions. Batch mode experiments were performed to determine the adsorption equilibrium and kinetic behavior of Ni2+ in aqueous solution allowing the computation of kinetic parameters and maximum metal adsorption capacity. The Langmuir model fitted the equilibrium data better than the Freundlich isotherm. The monolayer biosorption capacity of C. glomerata biomass for Ni2+ ions was found to be 22.48 mg/g. Experimental data were also tested in terms of biosorption kinetics using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The results showed that the biosorption processes of Ni2+ ions followed pseudo-second-order kinetics model.