Severe deterioration in food-energy-ecosystem nexus due to ongoing Russia-Ukraine war: A critical review.

The Russia-Ukraine war is having far-reaching negative impacts on the food-energy-ecosystem nexus and has resulted in an increase in environmental pollution not only in the war-affected regions. The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the degradation caused by the war and its implications for the food-energy-ecosystem nexus. By examining the specific environmental impacts, this review provides an in-depth understanding of the extent of the damage and its consequences for the interconnected systems of food production, energy supply, and the overall ecosystem. Furthermore, this review addresses the impacts of the ongoing war on the food-energy-ecosystem nexus and underlines the challenges associated with resource recovery in the aftermath of the war. It also highlights the war impacts on the essential commodities' supply chain. Moreover, a plausible strategy for post-war ecosystem restoration has been presented in order to prioritize on the recovery and rejuvenation of the environment. This review also attempts to act as a wake-up call to the urgency of achieving a cease-fire, as the long-term effects of the war would include permanent environmental harm in addition to human and economic losses.

Emerging plastic litter variants: A perspective on the latest global developments.

Plastic litter is one of key reasons of environmental concern due to its adverse effect on ecosystem and health. Exposure of plastic litter to anthropogenic and ecological conditions results in a variety of emerging litter variants that fluctuate in composition, mechanical, and chemical properties. Considering the properties of these plastic litter variants, it is anticipated that the transportation of foreign species or microbial pathogens together with these litter variants is most likely to affect the marine ecosystem. Moreover the plastic litter may enter the plastic cycle or marine biota and can spread across the ocean. Very recently several emerging plastic litter variants such as anthropoquinas, plasticrust, pyroplastic, plastitar, and plastiglomerate have been reported along the coastal areas across the oceans. The purpose of this perspective is to comprehend these emerging plastic litter variants, integrate the latest developments and highlight their adverse effects on the coastal ecosystem. Further, it details the make-up, place of origin, and management strategies for these plastic litter variants.

Methylene blue removal using raw and modified biomass Plumeria alba (white frangipani) in batch mode: isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies.

Hazardous dyes used in textile industries are considered high-risk pollutants to the environment. The raw as well as acid-treated Plumeria alba (white frangipani) leaf powder (WFLP and SWFLP) were used for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) that is available in industrial wastewaters following the batch adsorption technique. The characterizations of adsorbents were done by FTIR, SEM, EDX, TGA, and zeta potential parameters. The adsorption was considered for the effects of temperature, initial dye concentration, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. The experimental results obtained in the adsorption of MB were examined by nonlinear error functions like chi-square (χ2), ARE, and MPSD for three isotherm models: Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity, qmax (mg/g), was 45.45 mg/g for raw WFLP and 250 mg/g for SWFLP. The adsorbents fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.99) using the experimental data of batch adsorption. The thermodynamic studies explained the spontaneity and nature of adsorption for raw and acid-treated adsorbents. The batch experimental results and characterizations of the adsorbents revealed that the selected adsorbents would be the best adsorbents for the removal of MB from the wastewater solution.

Kinetics of Aqueous Cu(II) Biosorption onto Thevetia peruviana Leaf Powder.

Copper is an essential micronutrient; however, as a result of its increasing demand, subsequent mining followed by its direct discharge into the environment has led to the contamination of our ecosystem. Thevetia peruviana (TP) is an ornamental herb of medicinal interest and is extensively used as an antipyretic and anticancer agent due to the presence of cardiac glycosides. In this work, we have explored the TP leaf powder as a biosorbent for Cu(II) removal from aqueous media and observed that it yields better results in comparison to other reported biosorbents for the removal of Cu(II). This work also emphasizes on the biosorption kinetics along with its plausible mechanism of interactions. The leaf powder characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the diverse surface functionalities including hydroxyl, carbonyl, glycosides, etc. The morphology and elemental composition of the plant material have been investigated using SEM-EDAX analysis that confirms the heterogeneity and porosity of the biosorbent surface. The encouraging results revealed that the TP leaf powder could be used as a cost-effective biosorbent with an adsorption capacity of 187.51 mg g-1 for Cu(II) in aqueous media at pH ∼ 5 and a temperature of 303 K. The complex functionality of the TP surface most likely played a significant role in attaining fast equilibrium within 60 min by following pseudo-second-order kinetics, having a rate constant of 2 × 103 mg g-1 min-1 that has been confirmed with statistical tools such as regression coefficient, chi-squared, and sum of error square tests. The adsorption mechanism is controlled by diffusion of Cu(II) from the liquid phase to the solid phase of the TP biosorbent followed by the chemical interaction between the biosorbent and the adsorbate with slow intraparticle diffusion on the biosorbent surface. The adsorption of Cu(II) on TP has been observed to rise from 59.29 to 197.63 mg g-1 with the rise in the pH of the medium from 2 to 7. The adsorption of Cu(II) has been found to increase from 176.80 to 191.33 mg g-1 with increasing temperature from 293-308 K, confirming the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. The thermodynamic study revealed the adsorption process to be spontaneous with negative ΔG (-10.43 to -13.74 kJ mol-1) and that it has an endothermic nature with positive ΔH (54.24 kJ mol-1). The isotherm study for Cu(II) on TP followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model with the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 303.03 mg g-1 rather than Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models, which confirmed the chemical interaction between the sorbent and sorbate. FT-IR and SEM-EDAX analyses have also been used to confirm the adsorption of Cu(II) onto the TP surface. The present study revealed 99.7% Cu(II) desorption using 0.8 N HCl as the desorbent accompanied by a 69.71% regeneration efficiency of the TP biosorbent. After desorption of Cu(II), the regenerated TP could be disposed of in soil. The encouraging results revealed that TP could be used as an alternative and low-cost biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

Empirical Modeling of Electron Transport in Fe/Ti Layered Double Hydroxide Using Exponential, Gaussian and Mixed Gauss-Exponential Distribution.

Fe/Ti-layered double hydroxide (LDH) has been hydrothermally prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for evaluation of its structure, morphology, and optical properties. The purpose of doping Ti4+ with Fe3+ toward the synthesis of Fe/Ti LDH is to extend the absorption of the nanomaterial to longer wavelength, which is known to exhibit higher electron transport performance. To provide a practical realization, electron transport modeling across the band gap has been interpreted using exponential, Gaussian, and mixed Gauss-exponential distribution. The conduction band energy (E C) has been calculated by using the observed values of band gap (E g) and ξ-potential of the LDH. A detailed study has been undertaken to investigate the pattern of theoretical density of the LDH on the basis of unknown (E C = 0) and known (calculated) values of E C. Fermi-Dirac statistics has been used extensively for estimating the occupancy probability of electron (e-)-hole (h+) pair formation within the valence and conduction bands, respectively, with different temperatures, as well as for given energy levels. Monte Carlo simulations have also been performed to evaluate the suitability of the choice of the model, on the basis of the probability of availability of e-s within the conduction band. To provide a practical realization of the suggested models, electronic transition across the band gap of Fe/Ti LDH has been extensively investigated.

Nanomaterials as versatile adsorbents for heavy metal ions in water: a review.

Over the years, heavy metal pollution has become a very serious environmental problem worldwide. Even though anthropogenic sources are believed to be the major cause of heavy metal pollution, they can also be introduced into the environment from natural geogenic sources. Heavy metals, because of their toxicity and carcinogenicity, are considered to be the most harmful contaminants of groundwater as well as surface water, a serious threat to both human and aquatic life. Nanomaterials due to their size and higher surface area to volume ratio show some unique properties compared to their bulk counterpart and have drawn significant attention of the scientific community in the last few decades. This large surface area can make these materials as effective adsorbents in pollution remediation studies. In this review, an attempt has been made to focus on the applicability of different types of nanomaterials, such as clay-nanocomposites, metal oxide-based nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, and various polymeric nanocomposites as adsorbents for removal of variety of heavy metals, such as As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, U, V, and Zn, from water as reported during the last few years. This work tries to analyze the metal-nanomaterial interactions, the mechanism of adsorption, the adsorption capacities of the nanomaterials, and the kinetics of adsorption under various experimental conditions. The review brings forward the relation between the physicochemical properties of the nanomaterials and heavy metal adsorption on them.

Ni/Co/Ti layered double hydroxide for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B and Acid Red G: a comparative study.

Optically responsive, luminescent Ni/Co/Ti layered double hydroxide (LDH), synthesized by a single step hydrothermal route, exhibits highly efficient photodegradation of cationic and anionic dyes, Rhodamine B (∼99.8%) and Acid Red G (∼99.6%) respectively, better than that of commercial catalysts like NiO, CoO and TiO2. The LDH has been characterized by using XRD, XPS, PL, TRES, EIS, TEM, SEM-EDX, AFM, UV-visible DRS, N2-sorption desorption, ξ-potential, FT-IR and TG techniques. The characterized results indicate that the LDH possesses hexagonal morphology, a high surface area, a narrow band gap, defect states and oxygen vacancies within its layered framework. The degradations follow the e--h+ hopping pattern and dye-photosensitized mechanistic pathways. The active species generated during photocatalysis have been evaluated using ESR, terephthalic acid fluorescence probe and indirect radical-hole trapping experiments. The colourless end products were investigated by GC-MS and reaction mechanisms have been established for the degradation of the dyes to less toxic and more eco-friendly molecules than their parent analogues. Dye mineralization studies (performed using a TOC analyser) and closure of carbon mass balance experiments quantified the amount of carbon entering and leaving the reaction systems. Reaction mechanisms have been proposed on the basis of the asymmetric cleavage of the dyes. The LDH demonstrated its remarkable efficiency in the field of waste water treatment.

Characterization of a Novel Polymeric Bioflocculant Produced from Bacterial Utilization of n-Hexadecane and Its Application in Removal of Heavy Metals.

A novel polymeric bioflocculant was produced by a bacterium utilizing degradation of n-hexadecane as the energy source. The bioflocculant was produced with a bioflocculating activity of 87.8%. The hydrocarbon degradation was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis and was further supported with contact angle measurements for the changes in hydrophobic nature of the culture medium. A specific aerobic degradation pathway followed by the bacterium during the bioflocculant production and hydrocarbon utilization process has been proposed. FT-IR, SEM-EDX, LC/MS, and 1H NMR measurements indicated the presence of carbohydrates and proteins as the major components of the bioflocculant. The bioflocculant was characterized for its carbohydrate monomer constituents and its practical applicability was established for removing the heavy metals (Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+) from aqueous solutions at concentrations of 1-50 mg L-1. The highest activity of the bioflocculant was observed with Ni2+ with 79.29 ± 0.12% bioflocculation efficiency.

RETRACTED: Adsorption of Crystal violet on raw and acid-treated montmorillonite, K10, in aqueous suspension.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. After further consultation with the experts conducting research in the area of XRD and FTIR spectrum, it has been concluded that the appropriate action for this case is the full retraction of the article from the Journal of Environmental Management. The rationale for this decision is what the journal has concluded to be the fabrication of data associated with Figure 2a in the manuscript which shows three distinct areas in the noise patters with unusual similarities to be considered as coincidental. The data presented in Figure 2a jeopardizes the quality of the manuscript and the conclusions drawn based on the data presented in Figure 2.

Synthesis and characterization of Mn/Co/Ti LDH and its utilization as a photocatalyst in visible light assisted degradation of aqueous Rhodamine B.

Luminescent Mn/Co/Ti LDH, synthesized by a single step hydrothermal route, has been found to be optically responsive for utilization as a highly efficient photocatalyst in destruction of the cationic dye Rhodamine B, in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The material has been found to be better than the commercial catalysts like MnO, CoO, TiO2 and Degussa P25. Multiple techniques like XRD, XPS, FT-IR, EIS, TG, UV-visible DRS, PL, TRES, N2-sorption-desorption, dynamic light scattering, TEM-EDS and AFM analyses were used to characterize the LDH. The results indicated Mn/Co/Ti LDH to have a multilayered crystalline structure with hexagonal morphology that carries metal ions in mixed valences, oxygen vacancies, defect states, thermal stability, narrow band gap, high surface area, and electrostatic surface charge variation with pH. The photocatalytic activity of the LDH could be co-related with the structural aspects such as oxidation states, narrow band gap, high surface area and existence of defects. The active species responsible for photocatalysis have been evaluated with EPR, terephthalic acid fluorescence probe and indirect radical-hole trapping experiments. The photodegradation mechanism involves electron and hole hopping across the material and also photosensitization of the dye. Ex situ 1H-NMR and GC-MS analyses of the colorless end products of Rhodamine B destruction provide further insight into the reaction mechanism. The complete mineralization of the decolorized end product of degradation was evaluated with TOC analysis. The results indicate the potential for using multi metal incorporated LDH in destroying dyes and their degradation products in industrial wastewater.

Correlation of soil organic carbon and nutrients (NPK) to soil mineralogy, texture, aggregation, and land use pattern.

This work investigates the correlations existing among soil organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), and physicochemical properties like clay mineralogy, textural components, soil aggregation, and land use pattern. Seven different locations were chosen in the tropical rainforest climate region of Assam, India, for the work. The soil texture classifications were clay, sandy clay loam, and sandy loam with mixed clay mineralogy consisting of tectosilicates and phylosilicates. Two distinct compositions of total Fe/Al oxides≥11.5 and <10.8% were observed along with two distinct groups of water stable soil aggregates of mean weight diameter≈6.42 and ≤3.26 mm. The soil clay and sand had positive and negative contributions respectively to the soil organic carbon (SOC) protection, which was observed to be dependent on lesser sand content, higher silt+clay content, and the presence of higher percentages of total Fe/Al oxides. Soil clay mineralogy suggested that the mineral, chlorite, favored retention of higher SOC content in a particular site. Under similar climatic and mineralogical conditions, both natural and anthropogenic soil disturbances destabilized SOC protection through SOM mineralization and soil aggregate destabilization as indicated by SOC protective capacity studies. Urbanization resulting in soil compaction contributed to enhanced SOC level through increased contact between the occluded organic carbon and the soil mineralogical constituents.

Ecotoxicological risk assessment of trace metals in humid subtropical soil.

In this work, several physicochemical properties of sub-tropical soil (up to 20 cm depth) like water holding capacity, organic carbon content, cation exchange capacity, texture, pH, and electrical conductivity were determined along with the trace metals, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, in order to evaluate inter-relations among the trace metals and the soil properties. The contribution of the trace metals to ecotoxicological risk was assessed using various tools. Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn contents were found to be lower than the world average, but Co, Ni, and Pb had higher contents. The trace metal concentrations were utilized to obtain the pollution index and the potential ecotoxicological aspects. The trace metals were shown to have come from similar origin and their retention in the soil was contributed by properties like organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, clay content and water holding capacity of the soil. The pollution index showed that the trace metals had the sequence of Pb (considerably polluted) > Co, Ni (moderately polluted) > Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn (unpolluted). The composite ecological risk index was the highest in agricultural land with irrigation and fertilizer use, and was the lowest in the forest land.

Ni/Ti layered double hydroxide: synthesis, characterization and application as a photocatalyst for visible light degradation of aqueous methylene blue.

Visible light responsive 2 : 1 Ni/Ti layered double hydroxide (LDH) was synthesized by a single step hydrothermal route using commercially available Ni(NO3)2·6H2O, TiCl4 and urea. The material exhibited significant absorption in the visible range with a very narrow band gap (2.68 eV). This could be attributed to structural defects as confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. FT-IR, TGA, DTA, DSC, HR-TEM and SEM-EDX measurements yielded information about structural aspects, thermal stability and surface morphology. Surface and pore characteristics of the material were obtained from the BET isotherm for N2 adsorption at 77 K. Zeta potential measurements were used to characterize the electrical properties of the surface while XPS revealed changes in surface states and oxygen deficiencies. The material was found to be an excellent photocatalyst for the degradation of aqueous methylene blue in visible light. The photocatalytic properties of the material were explained on the basis of the narrow band gap, the high surface area and the presence of surface defects. The photocatalytic activity improved in alkaline media [pH 11.0, catalyst load 15 mg in 200 ml dye solution, dye concentration 1 × 10(-6) M (= 0.3198 mg L(-1))] due to the electrostatic attractions between the dye cations and the negative charges on the Ni/Ti LDH surface. The catalytic activity was found to be higher than the common commercial catalysts like ZnO, ZnS, NiO, TiO2 and Degussa P25. The catalytic activity was retained even after five methylene blue degradation cycles, demonstrating that the LDH could be an important addition to the field of wastewater treatment.

Impact of pulp and paper mill effluents and solid wastes on soil mineralogical and physicochemical properties.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the impact of the effluents and the solid wastes generated by a giant pulp and paper mill in the northeastern part of India on soil mineralogy of the area. The impacts were monitored by analysis of soil samples from seven sites located in the potential impact zone and a control site where any kind of effluent discharge or solid waste dumping was absent. The soil belonged to medium texture type (sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, and silt loam), and the soil aggregate analysis indicated higher levels of organic carbon, pH, electrical conductivity, effective cation exchange capacity, and mean weight diameter at sites receiving effluents and solid wastes from the pulp and paper mill. Depletion in soil silica level and in feldspar and quartz contents and rise in iron and calcium contents at the sites receiving effluents from the pulp and paper mill indicated significant influence on soil mineralogy. The soil contained a mixture of minerals consisting of tectosilicates (with silicate frameworks as in quartz or feldspar), phylosilicates (layered clays like kaolinite, smectite, chlorite, illite, etc.), and carbonates. Absence of pure clay minerals indicated a state of heterogeneous intermediate soil clay transformation. The significance of the mixed mineralogy in relation to the disposal of effluents and dumping of solid wastes is discussed in details.

Synthesis and characterization of Co/Ti layered double hydroxide and its application as a photocatalyst for degradation of aqueous Congo Red.

2 : 1 Co/Ti layered double hydroxide (LDH) was synthesized hydrothermally using commercially available Co(NO3)2·6H2O and TiCl4, on a urea template. The high surface area material (~180 m2 g-1) had a narrow band gap (2.67 eV) and shallow and deep trap defect sites. The layered nanomaterial exhibited remarkable semiconductor properties and demonstrated excellent visible light decolourisation efficiency for the anionic dye Congo Red in aqueous medium. The photocatalytic efficiency of the LDH was better than common commercial materials in use such as ZnO, ZnS, NiO, CoO, TiO2 and Degussa P25. The presence of different surface states of defect sites in the LDH was confirmed by PL, EIS and XPS measurements. XRD, DRS, FT-IR, AFM, TEM, SEM/EDX and TG/DTG analyses yielded information about the structural, morphological properties and thermal stability of the LDH. BET N2 adsorption-desorption measurements at 77 K gave surface area and porosity data for the LDH. The surface charge characteristics of the LDH were evaluated with ξ-potential measurements over a wide pH-range in aqueous medium. The photocatalytic behaviour towards decolourisation of the dye was evaluated depending on the reaction variables of pH, LDH amount, initial dye concentration and effects of quenchers, and variation of molar ratios of Co/Ti LDH. The pseudo-first order model satisfactorily described the degradation kinetics of the anionic dye. The photocatalytic mechanistic pathways of the LDH were explained on the basis of an electron-hole (e--h+) hopping conduction model and also photosensitization of the dye. The maximum catalytic efficiency was observed with 15.0 mg of LDH at pH 4 for the anionic Congo Red dye at a concentration 1 × 10-5 M. The LDH was stable even after the fifth catalytic cycle, indicating its remarkable efficiency in potential decolourisation treatments. The dye degradation products were analysed with GC-MS and a reaction mechanism was proposed for the breakdown of the dye to simple and less toxic components.

Adsorption of heavy metals on kaolinite and montmorillonite: a review.

The process of adsorption is considered to be one of the best water treatment technologies around the world. Different heavy metals, due to their toxic and hazardous nature, are possibly the most widespread groundwater contaminants imposing a serious threat to human health. In this review, an attempt has been made to discuss the use of two common clay materials, namely kaolinite and montmorillonite, along with their modified forms for heavy metal removal on the basis of published reports (2008 onwards). The modifications of clays have been attempted by the process of pillaring, intercalation, acid/base activation, functionalization, etc. The adsorption of toxic metals, viz., As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, etc., has been studied predominantly. Montmorillonite and its modified forms have much higher metal adsorption capacity compared to that of kaolinite as well as modified-kaolinite. The modification often boosted the adsorption capacities of the clays, however, reverse trends are also reported in some cases.

Kinetics of adsorption of metal ions on inorganic materials: A review.

It is necessary to establish the rate law of adsorbate-adsorbent interactions to understand the mechanism by which the solute accumulates on the surface of a solid and gets adsorbed to the surface. A number of theoretical models and equations are available for the purpose and the best fit of the experimental data to any of these models is interpreted as giving the appropriate kinetics for the adsorption process. There is a spate of publications during the last few years on adsorption of various metals and other contaminants on conventional and non-conventional adsorbents, and many have tried to work out the kinetics. This has resulted from the wide interest generated on using adsorption as a practical method for treating contaminated water. In this review, an attempt has been made to discuss the kinetics of adsorption of metal ions on inorganic solids on the basis of published reports. A variety of materials like clays and clay minerals, zeolites, silica gel, soil, activated alumina, inorganic polymer, inorganic oxides, fly ash, etc. have been considered as the adsorbents and cations and anions of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn as adsorbate have been covered in this review. The majority of the interactions have been divided into either pseudo first order or second order kinetics on the basis of the best fit obtained by various groups of workers, although second order kinetics has been found to be the most predominant one. The discussion under each category is carried out with respect to each type of metal ion separately. Application of models as given by the Elovich equation, intra-particle diffusion and liquid film diffusion has also been shown by many authors and these have also been reviewed. The time taken for attaining equilibrium in each case has been considered as a significant parameter and is discussed almost in all the cases. The values of the kinetic rate coefficients indicate the speed at which the metal ions adsorb on the materials and these are discussed in all available cases. The review aims to give a comprehensive picture on the studies of kinetics of adsorption during the last few years.

Total concentrations, fractionation and mobility of heavy metals in soils of urban area of Guwahati, India.

This work describes the results of assessment of the heavy metals, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in urban soil of Guwahati City, India from 31 sites of five different land use types covering residential, commercial, industrial, public utilities, and roadside. Sequential extraction procedure was used to evaluate the relative distribution of the eight metals in exchangeable, carbonate, reducible (Fe-Mn oxide), organic and sulfide, and residual fractions. Of the eight metals, Cd and Co occur in lower concentrations (Cd<

Azadirachta indica leaf powder as a biosorbent for Ni(II) in aqueous medium.

Azadirachta indica leaves are converted to a fine powder for use as a biosorbent for the removal of metal ions in aqueous solution. In this work, the adsorptive interactions between Ni(II) and the powder were studied under a variety of conditions involving variations in pH, Ni(II) concentration, biosorbent amount, interaction time and temperature, all in single batch processes. The experimental data have been interpreted on the basis of existing mathematical models of equilibrium kinetics and thermodynamics. The biosorption of Ni(II) increased in the pH range of 2.0-5.0 with approximately 92.6% adsorption at pH 5.0 for the highest amount of the biosorbent (4 g/L). The biosorption followed second-order kinetics and intra-particle diffusion was likely to have significant influence in controlling the process. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity varied from 2.4 to 9.1mg/g and the equilibrium coefficient from 1.09 to 2.78 L/g with strong indication that the Ni(II) ions were held on the biosorbent surface by formation of an adsorption complex. The thermodynamic parameters showed the process to be exothermic in nature supported by appropriate ranges of values of enthalpy change, entropy change and Gibbs energy change.