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ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate the bioadsorption potential of a chemically-treated unripe plantain peel in the removal of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) from its wastewater using anthracene as a model contaminant. The effects of physical factors such as initial anthracene concentration, agitation time, and pH and bioadsorbent dosage on the anthracene removal process were investigated. Results showed that the bioadsorption process was physical factors dependent. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model gave the best correlation of the bioadsorption kinetic data (R2 > 0.998), whereas the bioadsorption mechanism was diffusion controlled. Both the Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models gave the best fit to the batch experimental equilibrium bioadsorption data. The maximum monolayer bioadsorption capacity (Qmax ) was found to be 27.70 mg/g. The bioadsorption process suggests to be of dual nature, physisorption and chemisorption; however, the chemisorption process is more dominant. Conclusively, chemically-treated unripe plantain peels have the adsorptive potential for application as an effective bioadsorbent for anthracene PAHs removal from wastewaters.