Potential of chemically activated and raw charcoals of Melocanna baccifera for removal of Ni(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions

Melocanna baccifera (Bamboo) is the most abundant and economically important non-timber product in the State of Mizoram, India. The community of the region is getting benefited by this bamboo enormously. The notable uses are: tender shoots are edible and delicious preparations are prepared out of bamboo shoots, a potential source of production construction and composite materials for domestic dwellings and an important source of raw material for charcoal production, which is required for a variety of industries. This paper highlights the utility of bamboo charcoal in wastewater treatment. It is known that activated and raw charcoals from different biomass sources have wide range of application:; in water treatment. Therefore, activated charcoal was prepared from M. baccifera raw charcoal by chemical treatment and used in various experiments to test its functions for removal of heavy metals. To achieve this, batch mode experiments were conducted choosing specific parameters such as pH (2.0-7.0), adsorbent dose (0.1-0.5 g), contact time (15-360 min) and metal ion concentrations (0.03-0.07 g/L). The surface characterization has been carried out using Autosorb-1 instrument (Quanta chrome), SEM and FTIR. From these studies, it is evident that charcoal could be used as adsorbents for removal of Ni(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solution. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.