Local fruit waste as a potential biosorbent for wastewater containing heavy metals: An overview

Biosorption can be used as a cost effective and efficient technique for the removal of toxic heavy metal from wastewater. Waste material from industries such as food processing and agriculture may act as potential biosorbent. This paper highlighted the potential used of local fruit waste as biosorbent for heavy metal removal in wastewater. According to Malaysian regulation, the discharge of the effluents into the receiving environment should follow acceptable level. Therefore, various techniques have been employed for the treatment of metal-bearing industrial wastewaters including biological treatment through biosorption. Biosorption offers the advantages of low cost, good efficiency and production of sludge with high metal content is possible to avoid by the existence of metal recovery method from metal loaded biosorbent. The successful application of local fruit waste in treating wastewater containing heavy metals requires a deeper understanding of how biosorbent material proceeds. An overview of research focusing on biosorbent of heavy metal using local fruit waste will be presented.