Evaluation of Two Low‐Cost–High‐Performance Adsorbent Materials in the Waste‐to‐Product Approach for the Removal of Pesticides from Drinking Water

Abstract

This study evaluates the performance of two low cost and high performance adsorption materials, i.e., activated carbon produced from two natural waste products: Bamboo and coconut shell, in the removal of three pesticides from drinking water sources. Due to the fact that bamboo and coconut shell are abundant and inexpensive materials in many parts of the world, they respond to the ''low-cost'' aspect. The adsorption capacities of two local adsorbents have been compared with commercial activated carbon to explore their potential to respond to the ''high quality'' aspect. Two pesticides were selected, namely dieldrin and chlorpyrifos, because they are commonly used in agriculture activities, and may remain in high concentrations in surface water used as drinking water sources. The results indicate that the adsorption of pesticides on activated carbons is influenced by physico-chemical properties of the activated carbon and the pesticides such as the presence of an aromatic ring, and their molar mass. The activated carbon produced from bamboo can be employed as low-cost and high performance adsorbent, alternative to commercial activated carbon for the removal of pesticides during drinking water production. The performance of activated carbon from bamboo was better due to its relatively large macroporosity and planar surface. The effect of adsorbent and pesticide characteristics on the performance was derived from batch experiments in which the adsorption behavior was studied on the basis of Freundlich isotherms.

Strong Adsorption of Dieldrin by Parent and Processed Montmorillonite Clays

“…Various sorbents have been evaluated for binding potential with dieldrin in aqueous environments. Activated carbons from bamboo and coconut shell reduced 100 µg L –1 of dieldrin in drinking water sources by 68 and 71%, respectively (Thuy et al ). A triolen‐embedded activated carbon composite sorbent decreased dieldrin concentrations in an aqueous solution from 10 to 1.94 µg L –1 (Ru et al ).…”

<i>Acacia etbaica</i> as a Potential Low-Cost Adsorbent for Removal of Organochlorine Pesticides from Water

“…The use of waste materials as low-cost adsorbents is attractive due to their contribution in the reduction of costs for waste disposal, therefore contributing to environmental protection. Some of the low-cost alternative adsorbents used include bamboo and coconut shell [40], cactus [41], rice husk [42], bamboo canes, peanut shells, olive stones, avocado stones, date stones, straw, wood sawdust [43], agave bagasse [44], rice bran, rice husk, bagasse fly ash of sugarcane, Moringa oleifera pods [45], sheep manure and spent coffee grounds [46], date and olives stones [47], oil palm shell [48], and coconut [49].…”

Efficiency of a molecularly imprinted polymer for selective removal of phenols and phenoxyacids from contaminated waters

“…Activated carbon commercial or produced from natural waste products (Thuy et al 2012), natural zeolites (Wang and Peng 2010) or clay minerals modified with cationic surfactants (Sanchez-Martin et al 2006) are well-established sorbents for hydrophobic contaminants. They have often been used for water and wastewater treatment, although they are significantly affected by the presence of interfering substances, such as humic acid and natural organic matter.…”