4. Conclusion

The adsorption performance of banana floret was assessed as a new biosorbent for heavy metal removal. Cu(II) was used as a model heavy metal. Banana floret exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 28.06 mg/g which compares well to biosorbents reported in the literature. Operational parameters were varied and analyzed using a series of kinetic and equilibrium models. Nonlinear regression produced a more robust simulation of the kinetic data which best followed the DC model. Equilibrium data were best simulated using the threeparameter Sips isotherm. Mass transfer studies indicated that both film and intraparticle diffusion were responsible for the transport of Cu(II) to biosorption sites, while ion exchange and chemisorption were the most influential attachment mechanisms. A predictive model was successfully developed using ANN and optimized using GA. The accuracy of the ANN-GA prediction was validated by laboratory experiments, which revealed a residual error of 1.3% and therefore highlights the applicability of the model.
