Fruit Peel Waste Valorization Through Its Biosorptive Nature: Investigation for Heavy Metal Removal

Abstract

Treatment and segregation of kitchen and food waste from other nonbiodegradable solid waste is practiced by municipalities to reduce the solid waste and optimize the treatment cost. Fruit peels from the kitchen, juice centres, and other food processing industries can be used as biosorbents for removing heavy metals from the wastewater. Peels of orange, banana, citrus, mango, dragon fruit, and pineapple have the ability to accumulate heavy metals. Ion exchange, adsorption, complexion, and precipitation mechanisms are responsible for removal of heavy metals from wastewater. The investigations on biosorption include kinetics and isotherm studies of the biosorbent for determining the mechanism of biosorption. This chapter sheds light on the investigations carried out to study heavy metal removal by using fruit peel biosorbent that can be useful to underline the role the fruit peel waste can play in wastewater treatment. The use of waste by using waste can reduce the solid waste and add value due to their application in wastewater treatment.