Investigation of the possible presence of Cr (VI) in almond kernel and its reduction from aquatic solution using almond green hull

Background: Heavy metals are the most important factors of environmental pollution that are accumulated in soil and plant through irrigation and taking these contaminated herbs by human and animal ultimately hurt community health and cause various diseases including cancer. This study was done to determine the chromium (VI) in almond kernel and investigate almond green hull adsorption to remove this metal from the aqueous solutions. Methods: In this study, the concentration of hexavalent chromium in Birjand almond kernel using SEM and EDX imaging is investigated and its adsorption rate by almond green hull of the area through aqueous solutions was determined by changing the contact time, concentration, pH, adsorbent dose and the temperature. Chromium concentration was determined according to standard method by colorimetric method and using a UV / VIS spectrophotometer at 540 nm. Results: This study showed that irrigating agricultural land of this district does not cause the accumulation of hexavalent chromium in almond kernel. Removal of hexavalent chromium is also highly dependent on pH of the solution so that, the results indicate a high removal at pH=2. Also, with increasing adsorbent dosage, contact time and temperature, the removal rates increased and because of the limited sites in the adsorbent, by increasing the initial concentration of chromium, the removal efficiency decreased. Conclusions: Cr (VI) was not observed in almond kernel, although almond green hull removes this metal effectively from aqueous solutions.