Abstract

Phytoremediation of Banana Leaf - Functionalization of MercaptanCellulose and its Utilization for the Removal of Heavy Metals in Aqueous Environment

Author(s): Vishal Priya1*, Pankaj Shrama2 and Avichal Kumar3

Biomass being renewable, cost effective and abundantly available is an attractive feedstock for many competent industrial materials. The most important component in biopolymer class is polysaccharides, an almost inexhaustible polymeric raw material with fascinating structure and properties. However, due to the structural limitations, the metal uptake capacities of these materials of otherwise obvious choice for alternate material, is low and different polymer analogous reactions are needed to affect chemical modification of these materials. In the present isolation of cellulose from banana leaf aim to utilise the waste biomass for the removal of heavy metals in aqueous system. Preparation of polymer follows green chemistry protocol with respect to green solvent utilization and zero waste generation. The dried banana leaf were first cleaned by Soxlet extraction, alkali treatment and bleaching. Extracted cellulose has been functionalized with thiomer via thiourea reactions in high degree of modification. The prepared material have been characterized by some physical and chemical methods such as analytical determination, UV, FTIR, Zeta, SEM and EDX analysis. The analytical results supported highest sulphur content of 20.50% in thiomer. Synthesized green thiomer have been explored as arsenic ion sorbent at 60ppm. The result showed maximum sorption efficiency 70-75% for arsenic in aqueous system

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