This research investigated the feasibility of rice husk as a biosorbent for removal of ammonium ion from aqueous solutions. To improve the sorption functionality of rice husk, the carboxyl groups were chemically bound to the surface of the rice husk by graft polymerization of acrylic acid using potassium peroxydisulphate as a redox initiator. The removal of ammonium ion by rice husk grafted with acrylic acid (RH-g-AA) was studied in a batch mode and fixed bed columns. The kinetic and equilibrium data obtained from batch experiments follow the second-order kinetics and fit well with the Langmuir isotherm model. The sorption energy determined from D-R model was 8.61 kJ/mol indicating an ion-exchange process as the primary sorption mechanism. To determine the characteristic parameters of the column useful for process design, four mathematical models; Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), Bohart-Adams, Clark and Wolborska models were applied to experimental data obtained from the fixed bed columns with varying bed heights. All models were found to be suitable for simulating the whole or a definite part of breakthrough curves, but the Wolborska model was the best. The fixed bed sorption capacity determined from the Wolborska model was in the range 33.3 ~ 40.5 mg/g close to the value determined in the batch process. The thickness of mass-transfer zone was calculated to be approximately 40 mm from DBST model. The RH-g-AA sorbent could be regenerated by a simple acid washing process without a serious lowering the sorption capacity or physical durability.

This research investigated the feasibility of rice husk as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The carboxyl groups were chemically bound to the surface of the rice husk by graft polymerization of acrylic acid using potassium peroxydisulphate as a redox initiator. The Pb sorption capacity and FT-IR spectra confirmed the presence of carboxyl groups on the structural units of the acrylic acid-grafted rice husk (RH-g-AA). The sorption selectivity of the RH-g-AA for cations under competition with each other was high in the following order: Pb > Cu > Cd ≥ Fe > Mn > Zn > Ni > Mg > K > Cr > Ca. Sorption equilibrium of Pb on RH-g-AA was better described by the Fruendlich isotherm model than the Langmuir isotherm model. The sorption energy obtained from D-R model was 13.13 kJ/mol indicating an ion-exchange process as the primary sorption mechanism. Sorption kinetic data fitted with the pseudosecond- order kinetic model and indicated that both external and intraparticle diffusion took part in sorption processes. The RH-g-AA sorbent could be regenerated for more than 5 times by the washing process with 0.1 M HCl without a serious lowering the sorption capacity.