Water decontamination containing nitrate using biosorption with Moringa oleifera in dynamic mode

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the feasibility of using Moringa oleifera Lam. (MO) seeds in the biosorption of nitrate present in aqueous solutions by means of batch and fixed-bed column biosorption processes. The batch assays showed that nitrate biosorption is enhanced under experimental conditions of pH 3 and a biosorbent mass of 0.05 g. For the experiments in dynamic mode, the results obtained from the statistical parameters showed that lesser pH, lesser feed flow rate, and higher initial concentration will result in an increase of the maximum capacity of the bed. These conditions were confirmed by experimental analysis. The best experimental conditions, according to the values for percentage removal (91.09%) and maximum capacity (7.69 mg g⁻¹) of the bed, were those used in assay 1, which utilized pH 3, feed flow rate of 1 mL min⁻¹, and initial nitrate concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹.