Utilizing surface modified poultry feathers for senary multi-metal water purification: kinetic and thermodynamic behavior of heavy metal-laden biosorbent.

This study optimized poultry feathers (PFs) in two steps to remove six trace metals (Cr, As, V, Co, Ni, Cd) from contaminated water and evaluated the spent biosorbent's thermal and energy potential. PFs were surface-modified with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and optimized response surface methodology. Optimal pre-treatment (30 °C, 47 min, 0.015 g ml) and biosorption (0.17 g, 0.5 h) conditions improved removal of Co (+31.5%), Ni (+19.5%), Cd (+0.6%), and V (+6.1%), but reduced Cr (-24.1%) and As (-1.8%). Thermogravimetric analysis showed higher activation energies for spent biosorbent, with diffusion-controlled degradation confirmed by Coats-Redfern analysis. This dual optimization enhances metal removal and supports scalable bioenergy recovery.