Adsorptive Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solution Utilizing Activated Carbon Developed from Spathodea campanulata

Meseret Dawit Teweldebrihan, Megersa Olumana Dinka

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination of water sources has emerged as a major global environmental concern, affecting both aquatic ecosystems and human health. Therefore, this study aims to remove hexavalent chromium from an aqueous solution utilizing activated carbon developed from Spathodea campanulata. Chemical treatment with H3PO4 followed by thermal activation was employed to enhance the adsorption capability of the precursor material. On the other hand, a full factorial design of 24 including pH (3 and 9), contact time (30 and 60 min), initial chromium concentration (40 and 100 mg/L), and adsorbent dosage of 0.2 and 0.6 g/100 mL was used to optimize the batch-wise adsorption of hexavalent chromium. The characterization results showed that the prepared activated carbon is composed of various functional groups (FTIR), a high specific surface area of 1054 m2/g (BET), morphological cracks (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and a pH point of zero charge of 5.8. The maximum removal efficiency of 96.5% was recorded at optimum working conditions of pH 3, contact time of 60 min, adsorbent dosage of 0.6 g/100 mL, and initial chromium concentration of 40 mg/L. Additionally, kinetics and isotherm studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order model with R2 of 0.98 and the Sips model with R2 of 0.99 were found to fit the adsorption data better, suggesting homogenous surface and chemisorption. Overall, this research suggests that Spathodea campanulata could be a promising natural source for the development of adsorbents with potential applications in remediating chromium-saturated wastewater at an industrial scale.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8
JournalSustainable Chemistry
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2025

Keywords

  • activated carbon
  • chromium
  • heavy metal
  • Spathodea campanulata
  • water pollution

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Chemistry (miscellaneous)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Adsorptive Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solution Utilizing Activated Carbon Developed from Spathodea campanulata'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this