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Efficient removal of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) from industrial wastewater has long been a critical environmental issue due to their serious risk to human health. Therefore, in this work, a modified banana peel biochar (MBPB) was prepared by mixing calcium nitrate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, sulfuric acid, ferric nitrate with dehydrated banana peel biochar as adsorbent for As(V) and Pb(II) removal in wastewater, and their absorption mechanism was investigated. SEM-EDS, TEM, FTIR, XRD, XPS, BET, kinetic, and isothermal characteristics of MBPB and pristine banana peel biochar (PBPB) were conducted. The behavior of both metal ions on MBPB and PBPB was well explained by the pseudo-second-order kinetic with Langmuir and Freundlich models. We found that the two biochar's behaviors were mixture processes of monolayer and multilayer adsorption, achieving maximum capacities as determined by the Langmuir model of 39.5 mg g−1 (MBPB-As), 33.2 mg g−1 (MBPB-Pb), 30.8 mg g−1 (PBPB-Pb), and 23.5 mg g−1 (PBPB-As), with maximum efficiencies of 98.7% (MBPB-As) and 90.3% (MBPB-Pb) under optimum conditions. Thermodynamic tests showed that As(V) and Pb(II) removal on MBPB was a spontaneous and endothermic physisorption process. MBPB showed great reusability in As(V) and Pb(II) removal, with removal rates as high as 71.4% and 66.5% after five cycles, respectively. Selective adsorption of As(V) and Pb(II) was also investigated on MBPB, and the removal rate was still high in the mixture of heavy metals. These findings provide a feasible method for the environmental-benign utilization of banana peel as a low-priced adsorbent in wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • Modified biochar made from banana peel for heavy metals removal was investigated. • Adsorbent was characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM, FTIR, XRD, and XPS techniques. • Modified biochar showed good adsorption performance for As(V) and Pb(II). • Adsorption mechanisms for As(V) and Pb(II) were defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]