Adsorptive Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solution Utilizing Activated Carbon Developed from <i>Spathodea campanulata</i>
Heavy metal contamination of water sources has emerged as a major global environmental concern, affecting both aquatic ecosystems and human health. Therefore, this study aims to remove hexavalent chromium from an aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from <i>Spathodea campanula...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Sustainable Chemistry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4079/6/1/8 |
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| Summary: | Heavy metal contamination of water sources has emerged as a major global environmental concern, affecting both aquatic ecosystems and human health. Therefore, this study aims to remove hexavalent chromium from an aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from <i>Spathodea campanulata</i>. Chemical treatment with H<sub>3</sub>PO<sub>4</sub> followed by thermal activation was employed to enhance the adsorption capability of the precursor material. On the other hand, a full factorial design of 2<sup>4</sup> including pH (3 and 9), contact time (30 and 60 min), initial chromium concentration (40 and 100 mg/L), and adsorbent dosage of 0.2 and 0.6 g/100 mL was used to optimize the batch-wise adsorption of hexavalent chromium. The characterization results showed that the prepared activated carbon is composed of various functional groups (FTIR), a high specific surface area of 1054 m<sup>2</sup>/g (BET), morphological cracks (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and a pH point of zero charge of 5.8. The maximum removal efficiency of 96.5% was recorded at optimum working conditions of pH 3, contact time of 60 min, adsorbent dosage of 0.6 g/100 mL, and initial chromium concentration of 40 mg/L. Additionally, kinetics and isotherm studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order model with R<sup>2</sup> of 0.98 and the Sips model with R<sup>2</sup> of 0.99 were found to fit the adsorption data better, suggesting homogenous surface and chemisorption. Overall, this research suggests that <i>Spathodea campanulata</i> could be a promising natural source for the development of adsorbents with potential applications in remediating chromium-saturated wastewater at an industrial scale. |
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| ISSN: | 2673-4079 |