SORPTION CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER HYACINTH LEAF BIOMASS ON THE REMOVAL OF Cu (II) ION FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Biosorption of Cu (II) ion onto a non – conventional water hyacinth biomass was investigated in column reactor system. Process parameters which include initial metal ion concentration, contact time and pH of solution were varied in order to evaluate their influence on the biosorption process. The results obtained indicate that the biosorption of Cu (II) ion on water hyacinth biomass is better at higher metal ion concentrations. The maximum biosorption capacity was found to be 14.96 mg/g, which was obtained at 300 mg/L Cu (II) ion concentration and a contact time of 30 mins was achieved. The optimum pH of 8 was established. The equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir biosorption model with correlation coefficient (R 2 ) value of 0.8363. The result equally revealed that the removal of Cu (II) ion from aqueous solution using water hyacinth biomass followed physical biosorption. Hence, water hyacinth which is regarded as nuisance in rivers is an effective biomass for the removal of Cu (II) ion contaminant from aqueous solution.