Fabrication of activated carbon from pomegranate husk by dual consecutive chemical activation for 4-chlorophenol adsorption

Abstract

In the present work, the fabrication of activated carbon (AC) from pomegranate husk (PHAC) by dual consecutive activation processes with ZnCl2 and NaOH as a chemical agent was studied. After that, the synthesized PHAC was used for adsorption of 4-chlorophenol (4CP) as a highly toxic compound for the human health and the environment. Different analytical techniques characterized the synthesized PHAC using ZnCl2/NaOH. The isotherms of N-2 adsorption and desorption showed that total pore volume (V-total) and specific surface area (S-BET) of PHAC were 0.404 cm(3)/g and 811.12 m(2)/g, respectively. The 4CP adsorption by PHAC studies revealed that the highest 4CP removal efficiency was 100 and obtained at 50, 100, and 150 mg/L of 4CP concentration with 2.5 g/L of PHAC. Based on the batch experiments, the highest 4CP removal was achieved at pH 6, 2.5 g/L of PHAC, and contact time of 60 min. The 4CP adsorption data of equilibrium and kinetics were successfully fitted to Langmuir's isotherm and Avrami fractional order.