Abstract
Adsorption of Pb(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solution onto a phytosorbent mixture of galangal (Alpinia galanga Willd) leaves and pseudostem has been investigated in a batch system. Removal efficiency was optimized with respect to pH, contact time, initial Pb(II) and Zn(II) concentration and phytosorbent dosage. Galangal exhibited a higher adsorption efficiency for lead (95.2%) than for zinc (66.9%). Both lead and zinc equilibrium sorption data were better represented by the Freundlich isotherm than the Langmuir isotherm and in each case followed second order kinetics.
Keywords: galangal, heavy metal, adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetics, phytosorbent