Zeolite Materials Derived From Water Hyacinth And Rice Husk Ashes Clear Turbidity And Remove Lead Ions From Contaminated Water

Water hyacinth plant is known to jam water bodies with thousands of tons of floating plant matter. In order to help in its control, it is important to explore ways to create value in its products especially the ones that can find use in water remediation. On the other hand rice husk is not waste anymore for its ash is rich in active silica. Thus, the present study determined the capacity and efficiency of water hyacinth ash, its insoluble residue, and rice husk ash to remove lead ions and turbidity from contaminated water. Mixtures of the two ashes were used to prepare zeolitic materials A and B by hydrothermal reactions. Material A was prepared using rice husk ash and the soluble fraction of water hyacinth ash while for material B, a mixture of equal amounts the two ashes including the insoluble residue of water hyacinth ash were used. The efficiency of the material was investigated by varying the effect of initial lead ions concentration, pH, contact time, temperature and adsorbent dose. Adsorption data for lead ions on rice husk ash, water hyacinth ash residue and materials A and B best fitted the Langmuir model and gave adsorption capacities of 37.04, 83.33, 142.86 and 278.6 mg/g respectively while water hyacinth ash best fitted Freundlich model and gave an adsorption capacity of 61.69 mg/g. The findings herein indicate that incorporating the residue of water hyacinth ash in the synthesis of the zeolitic material enhances its adsorption capacity and efficiency for lead ions and also imparts ability to remove turbidity.