Coconut shell derived ZnCl2 activated carbon for malachite green dye removal.

The coconut-based agricultural wastes have gained wide attention as an alternative adsorbent for the removal of diverse pollutants from the industrial effluents. This paper presents the zinc chloride activation of adsorbent carbon and the utilization as an adsorbent for the removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solution. The characterisation of activated carbon was performed to get an insight into the adsorption mechanism. The ZnCl2 activated carbon acquired a higher specific surface area (544.66 m2 g-1) and stability (-32.6 mV). The impact of process parameters including contact time (20-220 min) and initial dye concentration (20-80 mg L-1) were evaluated on the effectiveness of activated carbon for dye removal. The results concluded that zinc chloride activated carbon showed a significant dye adsorption (39.683 mg g-1) at an initial concentration of 20 mg L-1 after 3 hours. Based on the correlation coefficient (R2), the Freundlich isotherm model (0.978-0.998) was best fitted for the experimental data followed by the intraparticle diffusion model (0.88-0.929) as the most appropriate model for malachite green dye removal. Additionally, the energy and thermogravimetric analysis portrayed the suitability of the carbon material to be used as an energy alternative to coal.

Kinetic and isotherm insights of Diclofenac removal by sludge derived hydrochar.

Recently, hydrothermal carbonization emerges as the most viable option for the management of solid waste with high moisture content. Sludge derived hydrochar is used as an adsorbent for emerging contaminants or micro-pollutants in the domain of sustainability. Current study demonstrates the KOH activation of hydrochar produced from paper board mill sludge and evaluates its removal potential of a Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, Diclofenac from aqueous solution. The activated hydrochars exhibited porous, spherical micro-structures with higher fraction of oxygenated functional groups paving way for the efficient adsorption of Diclofenac. The effect of initial Diclofenac concentration and contact time was ascertained using adsorption kinetics and isotherms. The adsorption kinetics exhibited second-order reaction for all adsorbents indicating higher coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.9). The Diclofenac adsorption on hydrochars followed Langmuir isotherm model with the post-activated hydrochar recording a highest adsorption capacity of 37.23 mg g-1 in 40 mg L-1 initial Diclofenac concentration at 15 h equilibrium time.

Application of sludge-derived KOH-activated hydrochar in the adsorptive removal of orthophosphate.

Hydrochar, a hydrothermally carbonized product, has gained attention recently as an adsorbent, among its wide environmental applications. In this study, sludge from the paper recycling industry, having a lower pollution load, was used to produce hydrochar, followed by pre-activation and post-activation using KOH. Characterizations were performed for structural morphology (SEM and TEM), molecular functionalities (FTIR) and textural features (BET surface area). Furthermore, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the adsorption parameters for the removal of orthophosphate with different hydrochars. This study aimed at a low-cost, waste-to-wealth, and negative emission technology for simultaneous solid waste management and orthophosphate removal in aqueous solution. It was predicted from the adsorption experiment that an orthophosphate dose of 100 mg L-1 at substrate pH 5.11 will result in the adsorption of 9.59 mg orthophosphate per g of post-activated hydrochar after 28.6 h, which was validated using further confirmation study.

Preparation and Characterization of Optimized Hydrochar from Paper Board Mill Sludge.

The amount of Paper Board Mill Effluent Treatment Plant Sludge (PBM-ETPS) dumped from paper mills are huge and its conversion into hydrochar for the purpose of energy has broad prospects. This study investigated the optimum conditions for the production of PBM-ETPS derived hydrochar (PBM-ETPSH) through Reponse Surface Methodology (RSM) for more surface area and pore volume with minimal hydrogen to carbon (H/C) and oxygen to carbon (O/C) ratios. The PBM-ETPSH had higher heating value (HHV) of 18.39 MJ kg-1 with fixed carbon percentage of 15.6. Our results showed a reduction in H/C (35.05%) and O/C (43.7%) ratios confirming the coalification of optimized PBM-ETPSH. Thermogravimetric investigations of blending PBM-ETPSH with coal in 1:1 ratio increased its HHV to 22.25 MJ kg-1 making it suitable as an energy alternative for paper mills.