Lead Ion Uptake By Sodium Alginate And Calcium Alginate Film: A Comparison Study

Lead ion (Pb(II)) uptake from aqueous solution by two different alginate compounds was investigated. Sodium alginate (Na-Alg) and calcium alginate (Ca-Alg) films were successfully fabricated from the commercially available sodium alginate powder. The Pb(II) uptake performance by Na-Alg and CaAlg films was evaluated against time in a 10 mM Pb(II) solution’s batch sorption system. Ca-Alg film was consistently showing a better Pb(II) uptake performance as compared to Na-Alg film within the investigated duration. Further evaluation on Ca-Alg film was carried out at lower Pb(II) concentrations, i.e. 1 mM and 0.1 mM, the Ca-Alg film showed the best performance in 0.1 mM Pb(II) solution at a uptake rate higher than 98%. The Pb(II) uptake performance of Ca-Alg film was also compared with that of the conventionally fabricated Ca-Alg beads. This result indicates that with the same amount of Ca-Alg used, the film shows approximately three time better Pb(II) uptake performance compared to the beads. The results reported herein indicates that Ca-Alg compound is an effective and efficient biosorbent, furthermore the Pb(II) uptake performance is influenced by the sample fabrication method as well, i.e. film versus bead, which contributed to the overall surface area.