Natural, HCl-treated, and formaldehyde-treated non-living leaves of Posidonia oceanica, a marine plant, were investigated as potential biosorbents to remove Cd2+ from aqueous solutions. The studied biosorbents were characterized by elemental analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and it was observed that the adsorption capacity of the biosorbents strongly depended on the pH, increasing as the pH rises. The adsorption process was fast. The adsorption kinetic was analyzed using five kinetic models: pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich, intraparticle diffusion, and Bangham models. The adsorption isotherms were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Sips, Redlich-Peterson, and Toth models. The maximum biosorption capacity was attained by the biosorbent treated with HCl (1.11 mmol g-1). The distribution equilibrium constant and the Gibbs free energy change were calculated. The effects of the presence of Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ ions in the solution on Cd2+ uptake were studied. Results indicate that non-living leaves of P. oceanica, natural or treated, can be considered as effective and low-cost biosorbents for the removal of cadmium from aqueous solutions.
Keywords: Biosorption; Cadmium; Isotherms; Kinetics; Low-cost biosorbent; Posidonia oceanica.