International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 06 Issue: 02 | Feb 2019 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072 © 2019, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 7.211 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 397 Studies on Biosorption of Alizarin Red dye using Prawn Shell Waste Powder P. Pramodh Chandra 1 , Vikhyat Visakoti 2 , Dr. D. Appala Naidu 3 1,2 M.Tech, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Andhra University College of Engineering (A) AP, India 3 Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Andhra University College of Engineering (A) AP, India ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract - In the present work, “Prawn shell waste powder " was used as a biosorbent to remove alizarin red dye from an aqueous solution by biosorption technique under varying conditions of contact time, pH, initial concentration of dye, biosorbent dosage, and temperature. In batch process the biosorption experiments were carried out. From the experimentation it is revealed that 30 g/L of “PRAWN SHELL WASTE POWDER” of 53µm size is enough to remove 78 % of 20 mg/L concentration of Alizarin Red dye from 50 mL of aqueous solution in 25 min. Results has shown that the biosorption of Alizarin red dye increased with increase in biosorbent dosage. A significant increase in percentage removal of Alizarin red dye is observed as pH value increases from 2 to 4 and the percentage removal is maximum at pH = 4. The percentage removal decreased beyond that pH. Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin models are applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms. The kinetic studies show that the biosorption of Alizarin Red dye onto “PRAWN SHELL WASTE POWDER” follows second order kinetics. Various thermodynamic parameters such as change in enthalpy, entropy and gibb’s free energy are also determined. It was found that the biosorption is endothermic, irreversible and spontaneous. Hence, the results shows that “PRAWN SHELL WASTE POWDER” is effective in Alizarin red dye removal and can be appreciably considered as most versatile, economical and feasible for reclamation of Alizarin red dye from aqueous solution . Key Words: biosorption, Kinetics, isotherms, prawn shells, thermodynamics 1. INTRODUCTION Nearly 70% of Earth's surface covered with water whereas 0.002% of the water is available for human consumption .With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, it is evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth. It has been estimated that water per person per day is required in the home for drinking, preparing food, and personal hygiene is minimum of 7.5 liters, the most basic requirements for water; at least 50 liters per person per day is needed to ensure all personal hygiene, food hygiene, domestic cleaning, and laundry needs. Water pollution occurs when undesirable effluents disperse in a water system and so water quality change. Many types of pollutants such as disease-causing agents; Oxygen demanding wastes; organic chemicals; plant nutrients; inorganic chemicals; sediments; heat and radioactive substances. In most situations, the waste treated is a mixture of the preceding types of pollutants, thus greatly complicating treatment and control procedures. Many causes of pollution, including sewage, manure, household activities and chemical fertilizers, contain "nutrients" such as nitrates and phosphates. Nutrient-type water pollution causes due to the deposition of atmospheric nitrogen. Water pollution due to toxic heavy metals released by industrial activities is a serious environmental and public health issue because they tend to remain indefinitely circulating and eventually accumulating throughout the food chain. Water Treatment Methods: Sedimentation, Filtration, Aeration, Chlorination. Many new technologies has emerged to formulate the methods for purification as we as saving methods of water for future generations. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Preparation of biosorbent: Prawn shell waste powder was used for the biosorption of Alizarin Red dye. The prawn shells were collected from local fish market, and washed with tap water to remove dirt and impurities. Then the washed prawn shells are allowed to dry under the sunlight until the shells become crispy. The washed and dried material was crushed with the help of a centrifugal mixer to get uniform particle sizes. 2.2 Preparation of dye solutions: From Kemphasol (India) the Alizarin Red dye was obtained and used without further purification the dye. A 1000mg/L stock solution was prepared by dissolving 1 g of Alizarin Red dye in 1000 ml of distilled water. As per the required quantities the stock solution was later diluted. The pH values of Alizarin Red dye Solutions were adjusted with 0.001 N NaOH or HCl solutions using a pH meter. In this Biosorption the experiments were carried out in batch process using 250ml conical flask and the mixture was agitated at a constant agitation speed in an orbital shaker. At room temperature all the experiments were carried.