The research study investigated the biosorption behavior of Pb(II) ions by treated and untreated biomass of B. subtilis. At initial biosorption conditions, the biosorption efficiency was found to be 36.75%. At the optimized experimental conditions, control biomass showed maximum biosorption efficiency of 58.04% where the biomass was treated with different chemicals. The biomass treated with formaldehyde showed the highest efficiency of 80.9% which was further optimized and attained maximum efficiency of 89.8% for Pb(II) ions. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and EDX (Energy dispersive X- ray) analysis evaluates the structural and elemental changes that occurred as a result of biosorption. Functional groups that are involved in biosorption were revealed by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy). Kinetic data showed the best fit with the pseudo second-order model. Effective removal of lead ions from industrial contaminated water sources by pretreatment biomass of B. subtilis elucidates its potential use as biosorbent for metal remediation..
