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Heavy metal pollution has become one of the most critical environmental problems
throughout the world today, since they persist in the environment without degradation.
Present study explored the feasibility o f using Jack wood sawdust as a low cost adsorbent, for
the removal of Gu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Batch mode process was carried out to
investigate the effect of contact time, initial metal concentration, particle size, pH and
temperature with the dosage o f 0.500 g sawdust treated with 0 .1%V/V sodium hydroxide.
Maximum adsorption for Cu(II) was observed at a pH range of 6-7 having the particle size
107-150 pm. Percentage removal of Cu(Il) increased when temperature was varied from 20
°C to 70 °C. Langmuir, Freundlich and D-R isotherms were obtained at 30±0.2 °C.
Applicability of pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, intra-particle diffusion and liquidfilm diffusion kinetic models were investigated at 30±0.2 °C. Cu(ll) removal by Jackwood
sawdust obeyed pseudo-second order kinetic model, Langmuir and D-R isotherms. Maximum
removal capacity obtained from Langmuir and D-R isotherms are 6.26 and 5.51 mg g'1
respectively. Thermodynamic parameters AG, AS and AH obtained for the removal were -8,
52 kJ mol-1 and 0.2 kJ mol"' K'1 respectively indicating the removal process is favourable and
spontaneous. IR analysis o f sawdust before and after the removal of Cu(II) was carried out to
identify the possible functional groups responsible for the removal and significant changes in
the intensities of functional groups o f metal loaded sawdust was observed with shifts in
positions o f some peaks. Ultimately this research can be considered as a demonstration of
using a waste material (sawdust) having low economic value to solve an environmental
problem such as decontamination of industrial effluents.
