Modification of Orange Peel Activated Carbon for Phenol removal from Wastewater

Abstract

The current work inquired into the modification of Orange Peel Activated Carbon (OPAC) for enhanced dismissal of phenol from wastewater. The Activated Carbons (ACs) were prepared by pyrolysis (OPAC), nitric acid (HNO₃-OPAC), and zinc chloride (ZnCl₂-OPAC) method. The adsorption pattern of ACs was evaluated by FTIR, BET, XRD, SEM, and EDAX studies.ZnCl₂-OPAC, with the highest Brunner Emmet and Teller (BET) surface area (1489 m2/g) among all, was the best for phenol adsorption with maximum efficiency (95 %) verified by the batch studies and characterization study. The non-linear isotherm models were examined in which Freundlich model turned out to be the most fitted for all three adsorbents. Consumed carbon could be achieved by using NaOH. 86.7 % Phenol removal in pharmaceutical company wastewater was attained by ZnCl₂-OPAC.