Chloride ion sequestration by vetiver root biosorption: isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic analyses and ANN prediction

The present research investigates the potential of activated vetiver root powder as a bioadsorbent for removing chloride ions from saline aqueous environments, especially relevant for addressing agricultural water scarcity. Factors such as pH, biomass dosage, contact duration, and initial salt ion concentration were examined. Thermodynamic analysis provided insights into the adsorption process, demonstrating the feasibility, non-spontaneous behavior, and exothermic nature of chloride ion adsorption onto activated vetiver root powder. The batch adsorption of chlorides adhered to the Langmuir equation and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, demonstrating a monolayer adsorption capacity of 17.58 mg/g for activated vetiver powder. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to develop a predictive model for estimating the percentage removal of chloride ions. The values of R2 and mean squared error were used to determine the predictive performance of the ANN. In the near term, prospective commercial uses of activated vetiver powder merit further investigation through in-depth research using real wastewater containing salinity-inducing ion. HIGHLIGHTS This study focused on vetiver root powder's efficacy in removing chloride ions under varied conditions. It explored the contrast between linear and nonlinear regression in isotherm and kinetics analyses. Thermodynamic assessment revealed a non-spontaneous and exothermic bioadsorption process. This study introduced an ANN model that predicts chloride ion removal, highlighting its potential in biosorption studies.