Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration

Abstract The persistence of tetracycline (TC) in water poses environmental risks, including antibiotic resistance, necessitating effective removal. This study explores the synthesis and application of activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for TC adsorption. The adsorbent was produced through...

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Main Authors: Hari Om Singh, Gokulakrishnan Murugesan, Raja Selvaraj, Thivaharan Varadavenkatesan, Ramesh Vinayagam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02213-6
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author Hari Om Singh
Gokulakrishnan Murugesan
Raja Selvaraj
Thivaharan Varadavenkatesan
Ramesh Vinayagam
author_facet Hari Om Singh
Gokulakrishnan Murugesan
Raja Selvaraj
Thivaharan Varadavenkatesan
Ramesh Vinayagam
author_sort Hari Om Singh
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The persistence of tetracycline (TC) in water poses environmental risks, including antibiotic resistance, necessitating effective removal. This study explores the synthesis and application of activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for TC adsorption. The adsorbent was produced through orthophosphoric acid activation at low temperature and characterized using multiple techniques. FESEM revealed a porous structure favorable for adsorption, while EDS confirmed the presence of carbon, oxygen, and phosphorus. FTIR identified hydroxyl and carbonyl groups facilitating hydrogen bonding with TC, enhancing adsorption. XRD confirmed the adsorbent’s amorphous nature, while BET revealed a high surface area (865.06 m²/g). XPS further identified C–O and C = O bonds, further supporting adsorption. Kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² = 0.9765), indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. The isotherm modeling results indicated that the Langmuir model provided an excellent fit to the experimental data (R² = 0.9952), demonstrating a high monolayer adsorption capacity of 103.32 mg/g. Thermodynamics confirmed spontaneity and endothermicity with a ΔH° of 50.75 kJ/mol. The prepared adsorbent effectively removed TC across natural water matrices, retaining high performance after five regeneration cycles.
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spelling doaj-art-53dc9c3aaa8f473aa2c8c40f07962acd2025-08-20T01:53:23ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-02213-6Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regenerationHari Om Singh0Gokulakrishnan Murugesan1Raja Selvaraj2Thivaharan Varadavenkatesan3Ramesh Vinayagam4Department of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher EducationDepartment of Biotechnology, M.S.Ramaiah Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher EducationDepartment of Biotechnology, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher EducationDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher EducationAbstract The persistence of tetracycline (TC) in water poses environmental risks, including antibiotic resistance, necessitating effective removal. This study explores the synthesis and application of activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for TC adsorption. The adsorbent was produced through orthophosphoric acid activation at low temperature and characterized using multiple techniques. FESEM revealed a porous structure favorable for adsorption, while EDS confirmed the presence of carbon, oxygen, and phosphorus. FTIR identified hydroxyl and carbonyl groups facilitating hydrogen bonding with TC, enhancing adsorption. XRD confirmed the adsorbent’s amorphous nature, while BET revealed a high surface area (865.06 m²/g). XPS further identified C–O and C = O bonds, further supporting adsorption. Kinetic experiments showed that the adsorption fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetics (R² = 0.9765), indicating chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. The isotherm modeling results indicated that the Langmuir model provided an excellent fit to the experimental data (R² = 0.9952), demonstrating a high monolayer adsorption capacity of 103.32 mg/g. Thermodynamics confirmed spontaneity and endothermicity with a ΔH° of 50.75 kJ/mol. The prepared adsorbent effectively removed TC across natural water matrices, retaining high performance after five regeneration cycles.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02213-6Peltophorum pterocarpumTetracycline removalSustainable activated carbonAdsorption isothermAdsorption kineticsWater matrices
spellingShingle Hari Om Singh
Gokulakrishnan Murugesan
Raja Selvaraj
Thivaharan Varadavenkatesan
Ramesh Vinayagam
Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
Scientific Reports
Peltophorum pterocarpum
Tetracycline removal
Sustainable activated carbon
Adsorption isotherm
Adsorption kinetics
Water matrices
title Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
title_full Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
title_fullStr Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
title_full_unstemmed Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
title_short Sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
title_sort sustainable activated carbon from copper pod tree leaves for efficient tetracycline removal and regeneration
topic Peltophorum pterocarpum
Tetracycline removal
Sustainable activated carbon
Adsorption isotherm
Adsorption kinetics
Water matrices
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02213-6
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AT rajaselvaraj sustainableactivatedcarbonfromcopperpodtreeleavesforefficienttetracyclineremovalandregeneration
AT thivaharanvaradavenkatesan sustainableactivatedcarbonfromcopperpodtreeleavesforefficienttetracyclineremovalandregeneration
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