Activated carbons from waste of oil-palm kernel shells, sawdust and tannery leather scraps and application to chromium(VI), phenol, and methylene blue dye adsorption

Abstract

Phenol, chromium, and dyes are continuously dumped into water bodies; the adsorption of these contaminants on activated carbon is a low-cost alternative for water remediation. We synthesized activated carbons from industrial waste of palm oil seed husks (kernel shells), sawdust, and tannery leather scraps. These materials were heated for 24 h at 600, 700 or 800°C, activated at 900°C with CO2 and characterized by proximate analysis and measurement of specific surface area (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Langmuir), and microporosity (t-plot). Isotherms showed micropores and mesopores in activated carbons. Palm seed activated carbon showed the highest fixed carbon content (96%), and Langmuir specific surface areas up to 1,268 m2/g, higher than those from sawdust (581 m2/g) and leather scraps (400 m2/g). The carbons were applied to adsorption of Cr(VI), phenol, and methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions. Phenol adsorption on activated carbons was 78-82 mg/g; on palm seed activated carbons, Cr(VI) adsorption at pH 7 was 0.35-0.37 mg/g, and methylene blue adsorption was 40-110 mg/g, higher than those from sawdust and leather scraps. Activated carbons from palm seed are promising materials to remove contaminants from the environment and represent an alternative application for vegetal wastes instead of dumping into landfills.

The use of starch‐modified magnetic Fe0 nanoparticles for naphthalene adsorption from water samples: Adsorption isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

“…The UV spectrophotometer was calibrated against a standard solution before each set of measurements. The adsorption ( R %) and amounts of naphthalene adsorbed at equilibrium ( q e ) and any time ( q t ) on the starch‐modified Fe 0 nanoparticle adsorbent were determined according to equations (1)–(3), respectively: where C 0 , C e and C t are the initial, equilibrium and any time ( t ) concentration of naphthalene (mg l −1 ), respectively, W is the mass of starch‐modified Fe 0 nanoparticle adsorbent (g) and V is the volume of naphthalene solution (l).…”

Alternative uses for tannery wastes: a review of environmental, sustainability, and science

“…The point of zero charge of activated carbon produced from leather waste in Palani et al [27] study was 7.6, thus confirming the interaction of the surface of the positively charged material with chromium (VI) in its anionic form. In the study by Montoya-Suarez et al [43] the experiments were conducted at pH 7.0, a factor that caused the lowest Chromium (VI) adsorption capacity (0.10 mg/g) compared to the other studies.…”

Recent Advances in the Preparation of Oil Palm Waste-Based Adsorbents for Removal of Environmental Pollutants - A Review

“…They also applied the same procedure to prepare adsorbent from oil palm trunks without treatment and found high malachite green uptake of 149.35 mg/g [25]. Meanwhile, Montoya-Suarez et al [26] studied the physical treatment of oil palm shell at 600-800°C and obtained adsorbent with high surface area of 1268 m 2 /g.…”

“…The removal uptake for copper, lead and mercury were at a high of 52.5 mg/g. Meanwhile, Montoya-Suarez et al [26] found that adsorbent obtained from pyrolysis of oil palm shell at 600-800 C was able to remove only 0.37 mg/g of chromium ions. Similar findings were reported by Rehman et al [48] who studied oil palm clinker sand as adsorbents and obtained an arsenic uptake of 9 mg/g.…”