Removal of copper, cadmium, and chromium from wastewater by modified wheat bran using Box–Behnken design: Kinetics and isotherm

Abstract

In this work, copper, cadmium, and chromium were removed using hydrochloric acid-treated wheat bran as an adsorbent. Experiments were carried out in batch adsorption mode. Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was used to determine the effect of initial metal concentration, pH, temperature, and adsorbent dose on removal efficiency of copper, cadmium, and chromium. Analysis of variance results are shown for all the three heavy metal, and the effect of the parameters is discussed. The optimum initial metal concentration, pH, temperature, and adsorbent dose were found to be 90.58 mg/L, 6, 35.9°C, and 2.39 g, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be the best suitable model for adsorption rate. The isotherms of adsorption data were analysed using various adsorption isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherms. It was found that Langmuir and Temkin isotherms represent the equilibrium data for these heavy metal removals.