ABSTRACT
Plantain peel biomass was characterized in terms of its physicochemical properties and surface chemistry using Boehm titration method and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The SEM, EDX, and BET techniques were employed to investigate surface morphology, elemental composition, specific surface area, and porosity. The results of the analysis produced the following measured physico-chemical properties for the plantain peel biomass: The pH was determined to be (7.40 ± 0.05), Electrical Conductivity (EC) recorded (6.64 ± 0.97 mS/cm), bulk density measured at (0.51 ± 0.01 g/ml), specific surface area was calculated as (440.49 m2/g), pore volume measured (0.209 cm3/g), and the pore size was found to be (1.853 nm). Furthermore, the results revealed that the plantain peel biomass possess a substantial content of essential nutrients, including Nitrogen (41.70 mg/kg), Phosphorous (261.25 mg/kg), Potassium (488.71 mg/kg), Sodium (19.25 mg/kg), Calcium (9.50 mg/kg), and Magnesium (98.75 mg/kg). More Importantly, the concentrations of specific heavy metals was ranked in ascending order of Pb (1.18 mg/kg) < Cu (5.57 mg/kg) < Cr (28.75mg/kg) < Ni (29.00 mg/kg) and were all found to be below the established threshold values considered safe for soil. FTIR analysis, displayed prominent peaks corresponding to functional groups such as Hydroxyl groups, alkane, lactone, conjugated alkene, and Nitro compounds respectively. Interestingly, the lactonic group represented the most substantial portion, accounting for approximately 57.2 % of the total surface acidic functional groups. The distinctive attributes of the plantain peel biomass position it as an exceptionally promising material for potential utilization in bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.
