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Highly porous carboxylated activated carbon from jute stick for removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution

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Abstract

Drinking water is a potential source of human exposure to lead (Pb2+), which can induce several health effects upon exposure to low dose for a long period. In particular, the children and young populations are the vulnerable groups. Removal of Pb2+ from drinking water using an inexpensive adsorbent is a challenge. In this research, activated carbon adsorbent was developed using jute stick, an agricultural by-product. Following carboxylic acid functionalization, the jute stick activated carbon (JSAC) was applied for Pb2+ removal from aqueous solution. The carboxylated JSAC (JSAC-COO−) was characterized using several techniques. The surface area of the JSAC-COO− was 615.3 m2/g. The JSAC-COO− was tested for variable concentrations of Pb2+ (10 and 25 mg/L) at different pH (4.0 and 7.0), temperature (15 °C and 27 °C), and contact periods (1, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min). Up to 99.8% removal of Pb2+ was achieved for these concentrations of Pb2+ within 15 min of contact time. The adsorption process followed standard kinetics, and the adsorption capacity was > 25.0 mg Pb2+/g of JSAC-COO−. The JSAC-COO− can be used for fast and easy removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution, which has the potential for domestic and industrial applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work is financially supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) through project no. RG 1409-1 & 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Research Excellence in Nanotechnology (CENT), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Md. Abdul Aziz

  2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Imran Rahman Chowdhury & Shakhawat Chowdhury

  3. Chemistry Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammad Abu Jafar Mazumder

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  1. Md. Abdul Aziz
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  2. Imran Rahman Chowdhury
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  4. Shakhawat Chowdhury
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Correspondence to Shakhawat Chowdhury.

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Aziz, M.A., Chowdhury, I.R., Mazumder, M.A.J. et al. Highly porous carboxylated activated carbon from jute stick for removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 22656–22669 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05556-6

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