Abstract:
In this study, collagen from chicken, cow hide and goat skin were prepared using leather
processing methods. The effects of pH, temperature, biomass dosage, contact time and initial metal
concentration on aqueous Pb (II) and Cu (II) ions adsorption on the collagen fibres were
investigated. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate the
functional groups of the adsorbents. Collagen fibre from chicken skin shows the highest capacity
for Pb (II) and Cu (II) removal within pH range of 2 – 5. Maximum adsorption capacity (92.7 %)
was reached at pH 3 for Pb (II) and pH 5 for Cu (II) at 298 K when the initial concentration for the
two metals was 100 mg/l. Adsorption isotherm and kinetic data for the entire process were well
fitted by the Freundlich model (R2 ~ 0.999) and pseudo-second order rate equation respectively.
The thermodynamic parameters calculated showed positive ∆G0 and negative ∆H0 indicating non
spontaneous and exothermic reaction for the adsorption process.
