Removal of Pb(II) from wastewater using wheat bran

The adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions on wheat bran (WB) has been investigated as a function of initial concentration, adsorbent dose, adsorbent particle size, agitation speed, temperature, contact time and pH of solution. The equilibrium process was described well by the Langmuir isotherm model with maximum sorption capacities of 69.0, 80.7 and 87.0 mg g−1 of Pb(II) on wheat bran at 20, 40 and 60 °C, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters, i.e. ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0 have also been calculated for the system and the sorption process was found to be endothermic. Good correlation coefficients were obtained for the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The metal ion could be stripped by addition of 0.5 M HCl, making the adsorbent regeneration and its reutilization possible.