Comparative Assessment of Rice Husk, Sugarcane Bagasse, and Pinecone as Bioadsorbents for Lead and Copper Removal from Wastewater: Insights from SEM–EDX Characterization
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Heavy-metal contamination of wastewater has increased interest in using agricultural waste as potential low-cost bioadsorbents. This study compared rice husk (RH), sugarcane bagasse (SB), and pinecone (PC) for the removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) from wastewater and characterised the materials using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The untreated residues were washed, ground, and sieved to 200–250 µm, then investigated in triplicate batch experiments at an adsorbent dose of 10 g/L, an agitation speed of 150 rpm, a contact time of 120 min, and a temperature of 27 ± 2 °C. SEM revealed porous, layered, and fibrous structures in RH; granular and fibrous structures in SB; and rough, flaky surfaces with microcracks and pores in PC. EDX showed that SB had the highest carbon content (68.4 ± 3.4 wt.%), followed by PC (67.6 ± 3.3 wt.%) and RH (48.0 ± 2.4 wt.%). RH had the highest silicon content (19.8 ± 0.9 wt.%). PC recorded the highest Pb(II) removal efficiency (72.94 ± 2.60%), followed by RH (51.20 ± 2.20%) and SB (27.91 ± 1.40%). Cu(II) removal was also highest for PC (98.11 ± 3.20%), followed by SB (94.36 ± 2.70%) and RH (88.40 ± 2.40%). Under the studied conditions, PC performed best for both metals and merits further assessment for wastewater treatment. Further studies under a wider range of operating conditions are needed to establish the suitability of pinecone as a practical bioadsorbent for wastewater treatment.
Authors: Sakshi, D. S. Malik, Achin Kumar
Institutions: Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Bihar Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Water Science and Technology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225418125