The biosorption of nickel by potato peel waste has been investigated in a batch system. The effects of different parameters such as pH of the solution, initial concentration of metal ion, biosorbent dosage and contact time on the biosorption process were studied. The maximum biosorption efficiency was obtained at pH 7.0. The equilibrium data were described by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The data were fitted well to both isotherm models. The biosorption was favorable under the experimental conditions. The kinetic model of pseudo-second order described the experimental data better than the pseudo-first order kinetic model. The biosorption rate increased as the biosorbent dosage increased. The potato peel waste was found to be an excellent biomaterial for biosorption of nickel from aqueous solutions.
biosorption, Ni(II), potato peel waste, adsorption isotherm, adsorption kinetic
