Original ArticleNitrilotriacetic acid functionalized Adansonia digitata biosorbent: Preparation, characterization and sorption of Pb (II) and Cu (II) pollutants from aqueous solution

Nitrilotriacetic acid functionalized Adansonia digitata (NFAD) biosorbent has been synthesized using a simple and novel method. NFAD was characterized by X-ray Diffraction analysis technique (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer, Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR), particle size dispersion, zeta potential, elemental analysis (CHNS/O analyzer), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The ability of NFAD as biosorbent was evaluated for the removal of Pb (II) and Cu (II) ions from aqueous solutions. The particle distribution of NFAD was found to be monomodal while SEM revealed the surface to be heterogeneous. The adsorption capacity of NFAD toward Pb (II) ions was 54.417 mg/g while that of Cu (II) ions was found to be 9.349 mg/g. The adsorption of these metals was found to be monolayer, second-order-kinetic, and controlled by both intra-particle diffusion and liquid film diffusion. The results of this study were compared better than some reported biosorbents in the literature. The current study has revealed NFAD to be an effective biosorbent for the removal of Pb (II) and Cu (II) from aqueous solution.