Kinetic parameters and mechanisms of the batch biosorption of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) onto Leersia hexandra Swartz biomass.

The hyperaccumulative plant species Leersia hexandra Swartz, particularly, has been considered for its detoxification mechanism for phytoremediation of chromium-contaminated water environments. This study investigates the role of the adsorption mechanism of the L. hexandra Sw. biomass on the removal of chromium ions Cr(VI) and Cr(III) from an aqueous solution. The interaction between chromium ions and the L. hexandra Sw. biomass was characterized by using infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that the binding process of the chromium ions involves the active participation of ligands present in the biomass, such as acylamide, carbonyl, amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups, to immobilize the chromium ions. Equilibrium biosorption experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of pH values and contact time. Adsorption isotherms were modeled with the Langmuir and Freundlich equations and isotherm constants were calculated. Kinetic experiments showed the rapid process of biosorption and the pseudo-second-order model was successfully applied to predict the rate constant of biosorption. This study firstly discovered the kinetics equilibrium modelling of L. hexandra Sw. biomass on biosorption Cr(VI) and Cr(III).