Removal of Pb²⁺ from Aqueous Solution Using Recycled Textile Waste as an Adsorbent

Nabila Chowdhury; M S Rabbi; Md Mustakim Ahmmad Hemel

doi:10.38032/scse.2026.4.19

Removal of Pb²⁺ from Aqueous Solution Using Recycled Textile Waste as an Adsorbent

Authors

Nabila Chowdhury Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
M S Rabbi Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh
Md Mustakim Ahmmad Hemel Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram-4349, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38032/scse.2026.4.19

Keywords:

TEXTILE WASTE, BIOSORBENTS, CITRIC ACID TREATMENT, HEAVY METAL, ADSORPTION CAPACITY

Abstract

The growing demand for textile fibers has caused a rapid increase in textile waste, posing serious environmental and health challenges. This study investigates the potential of recovered cotton waste as a low-cost, eco-friendly adsorbent for removing heavy metals—lead (Pb) from contaminated water. Cotton was chosen for its natural, biodegradable nature and inherent adsorption capacity. Post-consumer cotton textiles were collected, shredded, and chemically modified with sulfuric and citric acids to enhance surface area and efficiency. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted under varying pH levels, contact times, and cotton dosages to determine optimal removal conditions. The performance of recycled cotton was compared with conventional water treatment methods, alongside a cost-benefit analysis to assess economic feasibility for large-scale applications. Results showed citric acid–treated cotton achieved up to 71.29% lead removal (2 g dosage, pH 5, 2 h contact time) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 10.15 mg/g. This approach addresses two pressing issues—textile waste and heavy metal pollution—while offering a scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective biosorbent for water purification.

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8th International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Renewable Energy (ICMERE 2025)

Published

02.08.2026

Conference Proceedings Volume

Vol. 4 (2026): Proceedings of 8th International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Renewable Energy (ICMERE2025)

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Articles

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

All the articles published by this journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

How to Cite

[1]

N. Chowdhury, M. S. Rabbi, and M. M. A. Hemel, “Removal of Pb²⁺ from Aqueous Solution Using Recycled Textile Waste as an Adsorbent”, SCS:Engineering, vol. 4, pp. 23–28, Aug. 2026, doi: 10.38032/scse.2026.4.19.