Statistical Optimization of Adsorption Processes for The Removal of Phenol by Activated Carbon Derived from Baobab Fruit Shell

Abstract

Baobab fruit shell (BFS) biomass was used as an alternative precursor for producing high surface area and microporous baobab fruit shell activated carbon (BFS-AC) by chemical activation using KOH. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was performed for the characterization of baobab fruit shell activated carbon. The adsorption property of BFS-AC for the removal of phenol from aqueous solution was evaluated. The effect of key adsorption parameters such as the contact time (10-20 min), BFS-AC dose (2.5-3.5 g/L), pH (1-3), and agitation speed (150-250 rpm) were optimized using a response surface methodology (RSM) with faced centered central composite design (FCCCD). Consequently, a maximum adsorption capacity (196.86 mg/g) was achieved at 15 min of contact time, 2 of pH, 3 g/L of adsorbent dosage, and 250 rpm of agitation speed. The results reveal that BFS-AC has an efficient performance for the removal of phenol from aqueous media.

Adsorption Performance of Fixed-Bed Columns for the Removal of Phenol Using Baobab Fruit Shell Based Activated Carbon

“…Higher porosity results in more surface area, which facilitates greater adsorbate removal from its aqueous solution [1]. The details are also described in our previous studies [3,25]. XRD analysis was performed in order to determine the crystalline composition of the prepared BF-AC.…”

“…The results demonstrated https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumej.v25i1.2932 that BF-AC has high efficiency in the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions with an adsorption capacity of 196.86 mg/g [3,23]. The earlier studies were confined to batch studies only [1,3,23,25]. However, understanding the column mode adsorption pattern is necessary to suggest potential applications in the field.…”

“…Phenol has been classified as a hazardous substance due to the potential danger it poses when it comes into contact with living organisms. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has designated phenol as a priority pollutant due to its toxicity, with an allowed limit of 0.001 mg/mL and 0.1 mg/L in water supplies and wastewater, respectively [3].…”

“…Several methods have been used to remove phenol from aqueous solutions, involving ionexchange [4], distillation [5], adsorption [6], chemical oxidation [7], extraction [8], coagulation [9], bio-degradation [10], and electro-chemical oxidation [11]. Adsorption has been shown in numerous studies to be a highly effective method for removing phenol from wastewater, and activated carbon (AC) has been frequently used as an adsorbent [3]. This method attracted a lot of attention because of its benefits, including ease of use, superior design flexibility, selectivity, high performance, no need for secondary purification, and the absence of undesirable by-product production [12,13].…”

“…The optimization of phenol removal on BF-AC has also been studied [23]. The results demonstrated https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumej.v25i1.2932 that BF-AC has high efficiency in the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions with an adsorption capacity of 196.86 mg/g [3,23]. The earlier studies were confined to batch studies only [1,3,23,25].…”