Removal of Cadmium Metal using a Novel Material Corncob: Characteristics and Kinetics Study

Removal of heavy metal cadmium from wastewater using corncob a novel material is investigated. The effluent contains heavy metals coming from various industries are discharging directly into the water bodies without treatment. It is very essential to reduce and control heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, copper and lead. In the present work adsorption technique was utilized for the removal of cadmium from wastewater. The Face Centered Composite Design (FCCD) a statistical optimization method under RSM using Design-Expert software (version 7.0.0, Stat-Ease Inc., USA) has been applied to enhance the removal rate of cadmium onto the corncob. The operating parameters were calculated and the performance was found to be 82%. The characterization of corncob was also analysed using SEM, FTIR and XRD methods. The Kinetic study revealed that the data well-represented pseudo-second-order kinetics. From the findings, it was suggested that corncob is a favourable adsorbent for the removal of cadmium from wastewater. © 2022, The Institution of Engineers (India).