was transferred into a series of 100 mL conical flasks. The initial pH values of the solution were adjusted from 2 to 10 by the addition of 0.1 N of HNO3 .1.5 g of the banana pith biomass was added to each flask and the flask capped immediately. The flasks were placed in a constant temperature water bath shaker and shaken for 24 h after which the pH was measured.