Facile synthesis and application of cellulosic coagulant from banana peels in cadmium-spiked water.

Cellulosic coagulant with low crystallinity and surface charge of -19.2 mV were extracted from wet banana peels (WBE) using kitchen-blending method. Functionalization with ferric chloride and aluminium chloride yielded higher surface charge of -23.8 mV (mWBE). Both WBE and mWBE coagulants were used to target cadmium ions from aqueous solution. Coagulants and the floccules (WBEA and mWBEA) were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, zeta sizer nano series, and SEM/EDs. The amount of cadmium ion coagulated was determined using ICP-OES. The FTIR analysis revealed the functional groups involved in the coordination and subsequent removal of the metals ions around 1634 cm-1, ascribed to the C = O vibrational band of carbonyl group. Microscopic analysis revealed that the mWBE is porous and exhibited microfibers with rod-like morphology. The effects of parameters such as the initial concentration, coagulant dosage and solution pH were investigated. Coagulation results showed that 10 mg of WBE and mWBE could remove about 80% and 90% of the Cd2+ ions respectively. However; the difference in the performance of both materials does not justify the essence of surface modification. Therefore, WBE is considered more efficient and environmentally friendly. Notwithstanding, the performance of these coagulants in real environmental samples will confirm their robustness.