Removal of COD from Groundwater in and Around Industrial Areas - Using Activated Carbon Powder Prepared by Groundnut Foliage and Groundnut Husk

Abstract

The following study explains that the adsorption efficiency of activated carbon used by Groundnut foliage and groundnut husk for the deportation of COD (Chemical Oxygen demand) from groundwater collected from in and around industrial areas of Vellore district was investigated with different activating conditions (Activating agent- KOH, ZnCl2 and H3PO4; Impregnation ratio-1:1,1:2,1:2; and activation temeperture-500-700°C. The activated carbon prepared based on optimized condition has well-developed pore structure and functional groups which is confirmed from SEM image and FTIR analysis respectively. The adsorption equilibrium was reached in 240 min with the isotherm data fitted well in both the model such as Langmuir model and Freundlich’s model indicating chemisorption’s adsorption for the activated carbon. Moreover, the adsorption process was exothermic accompanied by a decrease in irregularity. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic study indicated that the adsorption process of the prepared sample follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model compare to the pseudo-first -order kinetic model