The Application of Eichhornia crassipes Biomass to the Removal of Lead (II) from an Aqueous Solution

The purpose of this work is to investigate the removal of lead (II) from an aqueous solution using live and dead water lily biomass by the dithizone colorimetric method. It was found that the optimal conditions for the removal of 100 mg/L of lead (II) are 1 g of biomass at 100 rpm, a pH of 4.0, and 28 °C for 28 h of incubation. An amount of 5 g of biomass eliminated 86.3% of lead (II) from water contaminated with 263 mg/L of the metal after 7 days of incubation at 28 °C, and 52% and 48% of the metal can be desorbed in the presence of HCl 0.1 M and 0.5 M, respectively, while the living plant removed 40% of the metal (263 mg/L) after 6 weeks at 28 °C under static conditions. The analyzed biomass efficiently removed the metal from the solution and can be an excellent alternative approach for the removal of lead (II) from contaminated sites.