Experimental and Modeling Study on the Removal of Mn, Fe, and Zn from Fiberboard Industrial Wastewater Using Modified Activated Carbon

Syafiqa Ayob, Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti (), Norzila Othman (), Faisal Sheikh Khalid, Shafinaz Shahir, Husnul Azan Tajarudin () and Ammar Mohammed Ali Alqadasi
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Syafiqa Ayob: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja 86400, Johor, Malaysia
Wahid Ali Hamood Altowayti: Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Norzila Othman: Micro-Pollutant Research Centre (MPRC), Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja 86400, Johor, Malaysia
Faisal Sheikh Khalid: Faculty of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Parit Raja 86400, Johor, Malaysia
Shafinaz Shahir: Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Husnul Azan Tajarudin: Division of Bioprocess, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor 11800, Pinang, Malaysia
Ammar Mohammed Ali Alqadasi: Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 53100, Selangor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: In this work, the use of agricultural waste from oil palm petioles (OPP) as a raw material for the production of activated carbon (AC) and its characterization were examined. By soaking these chars in nitric acid (HNO 3 ) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) at a 10% concentration, AC with favorable high-porosity carbons was generated. To maximize AC synthesis, the AC was pyrolyzed at 460, 480, and 500 °C temperatures for 20 min. Based on micrographs of formed pores and surface functional groups, 480 °C carbonization temperature on both chemical HNO 3 and KOH was shown to be the best. The FTIR measurements reveal that chemical activation successfully transformed the raw material into AC. Moreover, FESEM micrographs show the pores and cavities of the prepared AC achieve a high surface area. This is further supported by BET results of HNO 3 OPP AC and KOH OPP AC with surface areas of 883.3 and 372.4 m 2 /g, respectively, compared with the surface area of raw OPP of 0.58 m 2 /g. Furthermore, the tests were revealed by an optimization model, namely response surface methodology (RSM), using a central composite design (CCD) technique. The findings showed that all three parameters (pH, time, and dose) had a substantial impact on the removal of Zn, Fe, and Mn. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analytical error indicated that the models were accurate, with a low error value and a high R 2 > 0.9. Remarkably, the good correlation between actual and predicted removal values showed that the modified activated carbon is a promising adsorbent for heavy metal removal from wastewater.

Keywords: oil palm; activated carbon; fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR); field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM); response surface methodology (RSM) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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