Biomass Derived Materials Employed for Toxic Metal Removal from Aqueous Solution

A major threat to environment and human health is the increasing hazardous metal poisoning of water resources. Toxic metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, disrupt ecosystems by impairing the health of aquatic organisms and altering food chains. Exposure to these harmful substances can cause a number of health problems in people. In addition, there are significant financial expenses related to ecological restoration and water purification. Toxic metals are removed from water using a variety of conventional techniques, including adsorption, precipitation, ion exchange, electrochemical treatments, membrane filtration, flotation, and oxidation. However, these traditional methods are expensive, non-renewable, and have additional drawbacks like insufficient metal removal, massive reagent and energy requirements, and the generation of residual contaminants. To remove dangerous metal ions from aqueous solution in an economical and sustainable manner, researchers have been investigating various strategies. Biosorption seems to be the most effective substitute option in this regard. This technique uses inexpensive alternative biological materials or biosorbents which eradicate toxic meals through various mechanisms like ion exchange, surface complexation, adsorption and precipitation. Because of their abundance, renewable nature, minimal environmental impact, and possible cost-effectiveness, microbe and plant biomasses, including agricultural leftovers and biomass-derived substances, have emerged as viable biosorbents for the removal of hazardous metals. This chapter includes a review of various techniques used to remove hazardous metals from solution, mechanisms and variables influencing biosorption, and the application of biomass and biomass derived materials for toxic metal removal.