TITLE:
Optimization Conditions of the Preparation of Activated Carbon Based Egusi (Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin) Seed Shells for Nitrate Ions Removal from Wastewater
AUTHORS:
René Blaise Ngouateu Lékéné, Julius Ndi Nsami, Asma Rauf, Daouda Kouotou, Placide Desiré Belibi Belibi, Muhammad Iqbal Bhanger, Joseph Ketcha Mbadcam
KEYWORDS:
Egusi Seed Shells, Activated Carbon, Optimization, Nitrate Ions, Wastewater, Adsorption Process
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.9 No.10,
October
10,
2018
ABSTRACT: Egusi seed shells (ESS) were used as precursor for the preparation of two activated carbons (ACs) following H3PO4 and ZnCl2 activation. The effect of factors controlling the preparation of ACs such as chemical activating agent concentration (2 - 10 M), activation temperature (400°C - 700°C) and residence time (30 - 120 min) were optimized using the Box-Behnken Design (BBD). The optimized activated carbons based H3PO4 (ACP) and ZnCl2 (ACZ) were characterized by N2 adsorption, elemental analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Boehm titration and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) techniques. The specific surface area was found to be 1053.91 and 1009.89 m2·g-1 for ACP and ACZ respectively. The adsorbents had similar surface functionalities and were both microporous. The effect of various parameters such as initial pH, concentration, and contact time on the adsorption of nitrate ions on ACP and ACZ in aqueous solution was studied. ACZ demonstrated better adsorption capacity (8.26 mg·g-1) compared to ACP (5.65 mg·g-1) at the same equilibrium time of 20 min. The adsorption process was governed by a “physical interactions” phenomenon for both adsorbents.