HVS Wastepaper as Low-Cost Adsorbent for Pb(II) Treatment

One of the methods to solve the problem of lead metal in water is adsorption. One of the adsorbents that can be used is cellulose because it has an active group that can bind Pb(II). In this study, cellulose from the HVS wastepaper was used as the adsorbent to adsorb the Pb metal. HVS wastepaper was extracted with 10% w/v NaHCO3 and refluxed with 5% w/v Na2HPO4. Cellulose was characterized using Fourier Transforms Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Pb(II) adsorption was carried out by the batch method, and it was evaluated using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) with varying adsorbent mass, concentration, contact time, and pH. FTIR characterization showed that the presence of O – H, C – H, C = O, and C – O groups played a role in the adsorption process. The surface morphology of cellulose from SEM analysis showed form like a fiber shape with agglomerated fine particles. The optimum conditions for adsorption were 0.100 g of adsorbent mass, Pb(II) concentration of 105 ppm, contact time of 10 minutes, and pH of solution 5. An adsorption isotherm model that is preferable for this adsorption process is the Freundlich isotherm model. From the results of this study, HVS paper waste can be used as an adsorbent to handle Pb(II) metal ions to be an alternative as a low-cost adsorbent.