Abstract
The adsorption of freshwater fish scales were used to remove Hg2+ in industrial wastewater. The effects of pH, shaking time, initial concentration on the adsorption Hg2+ onto freshwater fish scale were investigated. In these conditions, by varying the pH of the mercury (II) solutions from 2 to 8, the removal efficiency remained higher than 96%. Optimal adsorption capacity was 117.2 mg g-1 at pH 6.0. Characterization of the biosorbent fish scales was performed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The mechanism for the adsorption was studied. The adsorption of Hg2+on to freshwater fish scale could be described by Langmuir isotherm model.
