Sorption and desorption of Pb2+ ions by dead Sargassum sp. biomass

Dead Sargassum sp. as a biosorbent for Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions was studied. Kinetics and equilibrium of Pb2+ biosorption were evaluated. The biosorption process used in this work followed a second-order kinetics and was not influenced by temperature, at least within 298–328 K. The equilibrium of biosorption was well described by Langmuir isotherm and the maximum Pb2+ uptake capacity (1.26 mmol g−1) is higher than those reported in the literature, for different sorbents. More than 95% of sorbed Pb2+cations could be removed by desorption with a 0.10 mol l−1 Na2EDTA solution at 298 K.