Sorption of mercury onto waste material derived low-cost activated carbon

Abstract

The present study was performed to develop the low-cost activated carbon (AC) from some waste materials as potential mercury (Hg) sorbent to remove high amount of Hg from aqueous phase. The ACs were prepared from banana peel, orange peel, cotton fiber and paper wastes by pyrolysis and characterized by analyzing physico-chemical properties and Hg sorption capacity. The Brunauer Emmett and Teller surface areas (cotton 138 m 2 /g; paper 119 m 2 /g), micropore surface areas (cotton 65 m 2 /g; paper 54 m 2 /g) and major constituent carbon contents (cotton 95.04 %; paper 94.4 %) were higher in ACs of cotton fiber and paper wastes than the rest two ACs. The Hg sorption capacities and removal percentages were greater in cotton and paper wastes-derived ACs compared to those of the banana and orange peels. The results revealed that elevated Hg removal ability of cotton and paper wastes-derived ACs is largely regulated by their surface area, porosity and carbon content properties. Therefore, ACs of cotton and paper wastes were identified as potential sorbent among four developed ACs to remove high amount of Hg from aqueous phase. Furthermore, easily accessible precursor material, simple preparation process, favorable physico-chemical properties and high Hg sorption capacity indicated that cotton and paper wastes-derived ACs could be used as potential and lowcost sorbents of Hg for applying in practical field to control the severe effect of Hg contamination in the aquatic environment to avoid its human and environmental health risks.

Salacca zalacca skin and its modified form as biosorbents for Hg2+ removal from aqueous solution

“…The higher the adsorption capability and the slope of the linear plot of Dz/SS, the higher the diffusion coefficient, and diffusion is governed by a high specific surface area. A similar trend was obtained in Hg 2+ adsorption by a modified porous structure in activated carbon (17).…”

Puffed Rice Carbon with Coupled Sulfur and Metal Iron for High-Efficiency Mercury Removal in Aqueous Solution

“…Therefore, highly effective decontamination of the toxic mercury from aqueous media has been a greatly challenging task for water researchers since decades ago . Up to now, traditional methods for removing Hg­(II) from water have included chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, ion exchange, biosorption, and carbon adsorption. , Among these traditional methods, carbon adsorption is one of the most promising strategies for both industrial application and environmental remediation owing to the low cost, high surface area, and hydrophilic features of carbon adsorbents. ,, However, carbon adsorbents still suffer from the unsatisfactory adsorption capacities, the weak chemical bonding with Hg­(II), and the intractable ineffectivity at low Hg­(II) concentration. Hence, it is necessary to develop a handy and efficient modification technique to significantly improve the adsorption performance of carbon adsorbents.…”

Biosorption of zinc from aqueous solution using leaves of Corchorus olitorius as a low‐cost biosorbent

“…Amount of Zn adsorbed onto the leaves of C. olitorius was calculated by following equations (Bhakta & Munekage, ; Bhakta, Rana, Lahiri, & Munekage, ).where q e is the amount of Zn adsorbed per gram of biosorbent, C i (mg/L) is the initial concentration of Zn. C e (mg/L) is the final concentration of Zn, M (g) is the amount of biosorbent, and V (L) is the volume of the solution.…”

“…The percentage of Zn sorbed by the biosorbent is calculated by the following equation (Bhakta & Munekage, ; Bhakta et al, ).…”