Effective use of elderberry (Sambucus nigra) pomace in biosorption processes of Fe(III) ions.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) pomace obtained as a result of processing in the food industry was examined for the bioremoval of Fe(III) ions from aqueous solutions in batch experiments. Several physicochemical properties of the biomass were analyzed using a variety of analytical methods, such as particle size distribution, elemental composition (SEM-EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetry (TGA, DTG), specific surface area and average pore diameter (BET adsorption isotherms), volume of pores and pore volume distribution (BJH), morphology (SEM), mid-infrared analysis FT-IR. The impact of adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, pH and contact time on the process efficiency was studied. The calculated maximum adsorption efficiency and capacity was estimated at 99.5% and 33.25 mg/g, respectively. The biosorption kinetic analysis indicated that the removal process fits better to the pseudo-second order equation and the Langmuir model. Summing up, the biosorbent is a promising low-cost material for the highly effective iron recovery from effluents and improvement of water quality.