Sol-gel synthesis of composite adsorbent coating from Prosopis juliflora–activated carbon for simultaneous adsorptive removal of Cd2+ and Cr2O72- from wastewater
Gilbert Chifundo Chintokoma,
Yonas Chebude,
Shimelis Kebede Kassahun,
Abayneh Getachew Demesa,
Tuomas Koiranen
Affiliations
Gilbert Chifundo Chintokoma
African Centre of Excellence for Water Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Yonas Chebude
African Centre of Excellence for Water Management, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Shimelis Kebede Kassahun
School of Chemical and Bio Engineering, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abayneh Getachew Demesa
Department of Separation Science, School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Skinnarilankatu 34, FI-53850, Lappeenranta, Finland
Tuomas Koiranen
Department of Separation Science, School of Engineering Science, LUT University, Skinnarilankatu 34, FI-53850, Lappeenranta, Finland
To overcome the challenges associated with powdered activated carbon (PAC) in water and wastewater treatment, the efficacy of composite adsorbent coating (CAC) synthesized using a simple sol-gel method with Prosopis juliflora-activated carbon for the simultaneous reduction of Cd2+ and Cr2O72− was investigated. The CAC was characterized by FTIR (C-H, C = O, and O-H stretching), pHPZC (6 -6.6), SEM (porous-rough surface), and BET surface area (10.6 m2/g) techniques. Statistical analysis confirmed that pH and contact time significantly (p 0.99), while the metal ions removal was regulated by the PSO kinetic model (R2 > 0.999). The adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous, as indicated by thermodynamic values (−ΔG°, +ΔH°, +ΔS°). The study demonstrates CAC's effectiveness as an alternative to PAC, offering significant advantages in removing metal ions from wastewater. HIGHLIGHTS Invasive Prosopis juliflora was utilized for composite adsorbent synthesis.; Composite was synthesized using a novel sol-gel method.; Composite adsorbent was highly stable and non-leaching.; Easy adsorbate–adsorbent separation was achieved after treatment.;
