The use of low-cost adsorbent derived from agricultural waste has been investigated for the removal of Cd (II) from aqueous solution. This research reports the feasibility of using solid pineapple waste (SPW), sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and activated carbon (AC) derived from palm kernel for the removal of Cd (II) under different experimental conditions. Batch experiments were carried out at various pH (3-12), adsorbent dosage (0.01-2 g) and contact time (15-150 min). The maximum Cd (II) removal was shown by SPW (90%) followed by SCB (55%) and AC (30%) at pH 7 with a contact time of 120 min, adsorbent dosage of 1.0 g and at 1.0 ppm of the initial concentration of Cd (II) solution. The kinetics study shows that the adsorption process fitted the pseudo-second-order-model. The experimental data was analysed by both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. It was found that the Langmuir model appears to well fit the isotherm. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity calculated from Langmuir for SPW, SBC and AC were 0.3332 mg/g, 0.1865 mg/g and 0.1576 mg/g respectively. The order of Cd (II) removal by the adsorbents was SPW>SCB>AC. Thus, SPW may be an alternative adsorbent for the removal of Cd (II) ions form aqueous solution. The characterization of the SPW, SCB and AC were also carried out by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Nitrogen Gas Adsorption Single Point Surface Area Analyzer (BET).

In this study, glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim]PF 6 ), N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BZE) and Nafion to form a MWCNT-BZE-[bmim]PF 6 -Nafion-GCE. The electrochemical behaviour of the modified electrode with respect to silver (Ag(I)) ion detection was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). Further, the experimental parameters including pH value of Britton-Robinson Buffer (BRB), Nafion, MWCNTs, BZE and ([bmim]PF 6 ) concentrations and the deposition potential and time were optimized. The detection limit of the modified electrode for Ag(I) ion was found to be 70 ng L −1 (6.49 × 10 -10 mol L -1 ). Repetitive measurements revealed good reproducibility with relative standard deviation (RSD) value 0.4%. The system performance of modified electrode was highly satisfactory and the recoveries for the river water samples were found to be 96-121%. This study proved that, MWCNT-BZE-[bmim]PF 6 -Nafion-GCE is a highly selective and sensitive modified electrode for the detection of Ag(I) ion in river water samples with good recovery value.recoveries of the samples were found in the range of 96-120%. Furthermore, similar recovery values and detection limits were observed in both ICP-MS and DPASV using MWCNT-BZE-[bmim]PF 6 -Nafion-GCE.

The utilization of biopolymer derived from Moringa oleifera bark using ZnCl2 and H2SO4 as activating agents for eliminating Methylene blue, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from producing wastewater. In this study, Methylene blue and both bacteria were effectively adsorbed by activated carbon with lowest dosage. The activated carbon was prepared from natural-by product of Moringa oleifera bark by pyrolysis in a furnace at 700°C for 1 h. The characteristics of activated carbon have been determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), pHzpc (zero point charge), and FTIR spectroscopy. The obtained result were closely fitted with Freundlich isotherm model and adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second order model with the highest value of correlation coefficient (R2~1). Adsorption quantity was dose dependent and bacteria were maximum adsorbed using 10 mg of activated carbon as well as 25mg for methylene blue. The maximum adsorption capacity showed within 1 hour. The bacterial load was reduced by 98% for E. coli, 96% for P. aeruginosa as well as methylene blue reduced 94.2% from aqueous solution using batch adsorption methods. Adsorption process controlled by film diffusion mechanism. These result proposed that the activated carbon of Moringa oleifera can be used as a good adsorbent for the removal of Methylene blue, E. coli and P. aeruginosa.

A highly sensitive, rapid, simple and selective stripping assay for the determination of trace copper(II) is proposed.  The selectivity and sensitivity of the electroanalytical process on a glassy carbon (GC) electrode were enhanced using the newly synthesized Schiff base N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyacetophenone)ethylenediamine (BME). The methodology is based on the accumulation of copper(II)–BME complex onto the GC electrode, followed by electrochemical oxidation of the adsorbed species. The effect of experimental parameters such as pH, BME concentration, scan rate, accumulation time and accumulation potential on the sensitivity of copper(II) detection were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, BME has successfully enhanced the copper(II) detection using the GC electrode by nearly 95% with detection limit (LOD) of  2.6 ngL−1. The effects of interfering ions such as Cd(II), Zn(II), Fe(II), Cr(III) and Pb(II) were also investigated. The applicability of this technique was illustrated by the determination of copper(II) ion in tap water.________________________________________GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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