Study of the Interaction Mechanism in the Biosorption of Copper(II) Ions onto Posidonia oceanica and Peat

A systematic approach was used to characterize the biosorption of copper(II) onto two biosorbents, Posidonia oceanica and peat, focusing on the interaction mechanisms, the copper(II) sorption–desorption process and the thermal behavior of the biosorbents. Sorption isotherms at pH 4–6 were obtained and the experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir model with a maximum uptake ( q max ) at pH 6 of 85.78 and 49.69mgg -1 , for P. oceanica and peat, respectively. A sequential desorption (SD) with water, Ca(NO 3 ) 2 , and EDTA was applied to copper-saturated biosorbents. Around 65–70% copper(II) were desorbed with EDTA, indicating that this heavy metal was strongly bound. The reversibility of …