Effects of temperature on the sorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+ from aqueous solution by Caladium bicolor (Wild Cocoyam) biomass

This report is based on the investigation of the effect of temperature on the removal of Pb2+ and Cd2+ in aqueous effluent using C. bicolor biomass in a batch sorption process. The result showed that the most suitable sorption temperature was 40ºC with maximum sorption capacities of 49.02 mg/g and 52.63 mg/g for Pb2+ and Cd2+ respectively. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔGº, ΔHº, ΔSº and Ea have been calculated. The data showed that the sorption process is spontaneous and exothermic in nature and that lower solution temperatures favours metal ion removal by the biomass. The findings of this investigation suggest that physical sorption plays a role in controlling the sorption rate. The sticking probability model was further employed to assess the applicability of the C. bicolor biomass as an alternative adsorbent for metal ion contaminants in aqueous system