Trihalomethanes (THMs) are formed when excess chlorine during chlorination of water reacts with organic material in water. They have mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Moringa oleifera (MO) has found wide acceptance by many people in Nigeria who have used it for food for both humans and fauna, for health purposes, and as a coagulant for water treatment. However, the seed husks are currently discarded as waste and they have not been used as adsorbent to remove THMs from water. The physicochemical properties of both the treated and raw surface water were determined using standard methods, and the concentration of THMs was determined from the water treatment plant at different stages of treatment using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Recovery experiments were carried out to validate the procedure. The efficiencies of activated carbon of Moringa oleifera seed husk (MOSH) adsorbent for the removal of THMs in the water and as a coagulant for water treatment were also assessed. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out, and different parameters such as pH (5, 7, and 9), adsorbent dosage (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g), contact time (30, 60, and 90 minutes), and initial concentration (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/l) were optimized for the removal of trichloromethane and tribromomethane using the MOSH activated carbon. Experimental adsorption data from different initial concentrations of trichloromethane and tribromomethane were used to test conformity with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The percentage recovery from our procedures ranged from 96.0 ± 1.41 to 100.0 ± 0.00 for trichloromethane while for tribromomethane the range was 60 ± 2.82 to 100.0 ± 0.00. The mean percentage adsorption efficiencies for the simulation experiment ranged from 34.365 ± 1.41 to 93.135 ± 0.57 and from 41.870 ± 0.27 to 94.655 ± 0.41 for trichloromethane and tribromomethane, respectively. The optimum conditions for both trichloromethane and tribromomethane were pH 9, 0.8 g adsorbent dosage, 60-minute contact time, and 0.6 mg/l initial concentration. The optimum values of these parameters used for the adsorption of the two THMs in the surface water serving the treatment plant gave an efficiency of 100.00 ± 0.00%. The turbidity values for the coagulation experiment reduced from 9.76 ± 0.03 NTU in the raw water before coagulation to 5.92 ± 0.13 NTU after coagulation while all other physicochemical parameters of the surface water decreased in value except conductivity and total dissolved solid which increased from 104.5 ± 3.54 to 108.0 ± 2.83 μS/cm and 63.00 ± 11.31 to 83.0 ± 8.49 mg/l, respectively. The experimental data best fit into Langmuir than Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The study concluded that MOSH activated carbon could serve as an adsorbent for the removal of THMs, calcium, and sulphur from water samples.

The present study aims to evaluate the use of chicken feather waste (CFW) as an absorbent for the removal of crude oil from crude oil polluted water (CPW) in comparison with commercial activated carbon (CAC) ) in Nigeria. Oil pollution, can be as a result of natural disaster like earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane etc., or as a result of man’s interference for example terrorism, oil bunkering, tanker and oil rig accidents. CAC have been use as adsorbent for crude oil removal from the water environment but very expensive, hence the need to develop cheaper and environment friendly adsorbents from some agricultural waste which could constitute nuisance in the environment. The pulverized chicken feathers were characterized using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometer (RBS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for elemental composition and the determination of surface morphology, respectively. The agricultural wastes used for this study was chicken feathers. The CFW was sourced from a local market at Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria, while commercial activated carbon was purchased from Uche-El Water Limited Company. The pulverized CFW was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Particle-induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). Elemental composition of the CFW showed the presence of Na, Mg, Al, P, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Zr, Cd, Sn, Pb and Si within the range 12.8 - 22566.3 ppm with agglomeration of particle. The results of the scanning electron microscope clearly showed the surface texture and morphological characteristics of CFW. The efficiencies of adsorption increased with increasing initial concentration for the two adsorbents except initial concentration of 20/30 which decreased in the case of CAC. The adsorption efficiencies for all the initial concentrations for the adsorbents is significantly different (F=16.114; P=0.000) at confidence interval of 0.05. CFW showed greater adsorption efficiency of 99.95%, followed by CAC which showed an adsorption potential of 95.08% (P=0.577 > C.I=0.05). The adsorption efficiencies obtained for the chicken feather compare very well with the activated carbon and even better as the dosages of the chicken feather increased. The result of the study shows that chicken feathers is an efficient sorbent for the mopping of crude oil spill in water.

This study investigates flamboyant pods (FP) and chitosan [extracted from periwinkle shells (PS)] modified flamboyant pods (CMFP) adsorbents for dye removal from textile industrial wastewater, and were compared with commercial activated carbon (CAC). Physicochemical properties with dye concentrations of wastewater were investigated before and after adsorption using standard methods and Ultraviolet-visible Spectrophotometer respectively. Batch adsorption were performed and pH (3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 9.0, 11.5), adsorbent dosage (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 g), contact time (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes) and initial concentration (25, 50, 100, 125, 250 mg/L) were optimized for Indigo dye using the adsorbents. Initial concentration data was used to test conformity with Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Adsorption efficiencies for simulation ranged from 11.33±0.70 to 83.8±0.00. Optimum adsorption conditions of indigo dye were pH 6, 0.1g sorbent dosage, 60 minutes contact time and 250 mg/L dye concentration; gave efficiencies of 83.8%, 79.6% and 89.8% for FP, CMFP, CAC respectively with wastewater. Physicochemical parameters of wastewater decreased except nitrate which increased from 11.53±0.00 to 34.65±1.41mg/L. Data best fit Langmuir than Freundlich adsorption isotherm. The study inferred that FP and PS could be processed as less expensive, environment friendly alternative adsorbent to the costly CAC for treating textile wastewater.