Hexavalent chromium adsorption from aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from Rumex abyssinicus

Mikiyas Abewaa; Andualem Arka; Tigabu Haddis; Ashagrie Mengistu; Temesgen Takele; Eba Adino; Yordanos Abay; Naol Bekele; Getaneh Andualem; Haftom Girmay

Results in Engineering (Jun 2024)

Hexavalent chromium adsorption from aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from Rumex abyssinicus

Mikiyas Abewaa,
Andualem Arka,
Tigabu Haddis,
Ashagrie Mengistu,
Temesgen Takele,
Eba Adino,
Yordanos Abay,
Naol Bekele,
Getaneh Andualem,
Haftom Girmay

Affiliations

Mikiyas Abewaa: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, P.O. BOX 667, Hossana, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.
Andualem Arka: Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, P.O. Box 16417, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tigabu Haddis: Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ariel University, P.O.BOX 407000, Ariel, Israel
Ashagrie Mengistu: The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Manufacturing Industry Development Institute, P.O. BOX 1180, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Temesgen Takele: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, P.O. BOX 667, Hossana, Ethiopia
Eba Adino: Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Adama Science and Technology University, P.O. BOX 1888, Adama, Ethiopia
Yordanos Abay: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, P.O. BOX 667, Hossana, Ethiopia
Naol Bekele: Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, Wachemo University, P.O. BOX 667, Hossana, Ethiopia
Getaneh Andualem: Manufacturing Industry Development Institute, Leather and Leather Products Industry Research and Development Center, P.O. Box 24692, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Haftom Girmay: The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Manufacturing Industry Development Institute, P.O. BOX 1180, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 22
p. 102274

Abstract

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The indiscriminate release of chromium-saturated effluent into water bodies has raised concerns regarding its effect on human health and environmental ecology. Therefore, this research aimed to remove hexavalent chromium from an aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from Rumex abyssinicus. The adsorbent was prepared through chemical impregnation with H3PO4 and then thermally activated at 500 °C for 2 h. The optimization of the adsorption experiments was performed using the Box‒Behnken approach of response surface methodology. The characterization of the prepared activated carbon revealed good quality in terms of its amorphous structure, maximum specific surface area of 1722.9 m2/g and porous surface. Furthermore, the optimization results showed that a maximum removal efficiency of 95.97 % was attained at an optimum working pH of 3, a contact time of 60 min, an initial chromium concentration of 70 mg/L and an adsorbent dosage of 0.6 mg/100 mL. The Langmuir isotherm model was found to have the best fit with the experimental data. Moreover, the kinetics study revealed that a pseudo-second-order model fit the data best, indicating the occurrence of chemisorption. Overall, this study suggested that Rumex abyssinicus could be an effective adsorbent for removing hexavalent chromium from aqueous solutions.

Published in Results in Engineering

ISSN: 2590-1230 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/results-in-engineering

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