Synthesis and application of borassus flabellifer fruit husk activated carbons for the adsorptive removal of organic contaminants from water

Abstract

Evacuation of harmful contaminants into water bodies creates severe danger to biotic environment. The most economical and powerful method for the treatment of hazardous contaminants exists in effluent is adsorption. Synthesizing cost-effective activated carbon using farming wastes is the current trend in adsorption. Hence, an effort has been made to synthesize activated carbons from a farming waste named Borassus flabellifer, using three different activation method namely simple pyrolysis, H2SO4 activation and ZnCl2 activation. Further this novel precursor is never been explored extensively for the synthesis of activated carbon. To analyze the potential of Borassus flabellifer fruit husk activated carbon, the synthesized carbons were tested by the treatment of phenol, 2,4 Dichlorophenol, Methlyene blue and Acid blue 113. Characterization studies like BET, SEM, EDAX, XRD, FTIR and physico-chemical properties have been examined to find the adsorption potential of prepared carbons. Further, practicability of prepared carbons has investigated using industrial effluent obtained from a Tirupur textile unit. BET analysis reveals that synthesized carbons have high surface area and ZnCl2 BFAC possess highest surface area (1388.92 m2 g-1) than other two carbons. Carbonaceous nature of all the prepared carbons has been confirmed using EDAX study. SEM study exposed that the prepared carbons have meso and micro pores in all volumes and especially ZnCl2 BFAC possess honey-comb arrangement. XRD graph implies the amorphous nature of the carbons. FTIR study indicated that OH groups are mainly responsible for the adsorption process. Physico-chemical properties of synthesized carbons have also illustrated the potential of carbons newline